The local office of financial services giant, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) took delivery of 120 Dell notebooks as part of their regular replacement policy. This purchase is in line with the firm`s standardisation on Dell notebooks and desktops.
For the past two years PwC has opted for Dell Optiplex and Latitude models to replace their end-of-life computing equipment. "We are not yet 100 percent a Dell shop as we are still phasing out our older computers, but complete standardisation on the notebook and desktop side is certainly what we are working towards," says Paul Kennedy, Associate Global Technology Solutions manager at PwC.
Kennedy describes their annual tendering procedure as standard practice. "We recruit roughly 500 new graduates each year, these employees need computing equipment to be effective within our company. Each year we put out a tender for the new machines, and for the past two years, Dell has consistently delivered the best quality and pricing."
Dell is known for its competitive pricing and provision of value add services, and its dealings with PwC have been no different. "Take auditing for example - auditors can be working in a small town, and. should a notebook malfunction, there is not just a loss of time but also a substantial loss of money - all of their methodology is technology based. I believe that PricewaterhouseCoopers` continued selection of our products speaks for itself - clearly they are satisfied with the level of service they are receiving," comments Leigh Hancock, product-marketing manager at Dell SA.
Kennedy agrees: "We work on the premise of chargeable time, should a computer hang or not function at optimum level it means that we have lost a certain amount of revenue for that particular day. We have found the Dell machines stable and reliable, with satisfactory after-sales support."
Dell`s direct model provides PwC with two significant benefits, of which the first is the absence of a middleman. "Clearly there is a price implication when you deal directly with the manufacturer, but it also means that we deal directly with Dell should a problem occur," says Kennedy. The second advantage, according to Kennedy, is ordering via Dell`s Premier Pages - a customised Internet ordering facility. Here PwC is able to place and track orders via the Web and are hopeful that they will shortly be able to log repair requests in this way.
"For us, technology is a real business tool, not just a nice-to-have, it assists us in our ability to deliver world class service to our clients. It is vital that the technology we use lives up to our global standards," says Kennedy.
Dell notebooks and desktops are also extensively used in PwC offices in Botswana, Namibia and Swaziland.
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