Lee Mashburn | VP, Marketing
This is the first installment in our five-part series that addresses a few of the most frequently asked questions we hear from those who haven’t yet bought into the value proposition of third-party Oracle software support. The response is, in part, taken from “The Skeptics Guide to Oracle Third-Party Support,” a complimentary resource available for you to download.
The Question: “Who can provide better Oracle software support than Oracle itself?”
From what we’ve seen, Oracle wants you to ask us this question, as it overtly suggests that software and service you get from them is superior to what is available elsewhere in the marketplace. They often attempt to create doubt and distrust when it comes to consideration of support alternatives. They encourage you to “not make a mistake.”
On the other hand, if you ask anyone at Spinnaker Support who provides the best support, we’ll show you our comparison table and show you that our customers consistently rate their satisfaction levels above 98%.
Caught between these two opposing perspectives, who are you to believe?
The Voice of The Customer Is Really the Only Voice that Matters
The answer is simple: Why take vendor opinions? The most credible answers come from customers who have used both support models.
One excellent source of independent, verified customer reviews is Gartner Peer Insights, which showcases customers who have given Spinnaker Support an average service rating of 4.9 out of 5.0 stars. Many of the Oracle customer reviews, like this one or this one, can help you to understand why customers prefer Spinnaker Support.
When was the last time you heard words like this to describe software support?
So, who can provide better support than Oracle? According to our customers – who left Oracle-provided support in the rear view mirror – , it’s Spinnaker Support.
It’s Okay to Love Oracle’s Software, But Not the Services
As an Oracle customer, you may be very content with the robustness and functionality of your Oracle applications and technology – especially after you’ve customized them to fit your unique business objectives. Chances are, you may not be equally happy with the quality and cost of the support they now provide.
“Our IT team was receiving only cursory responses from Oracle support regarding open service requests. Bug fix issues we reported would go months with no response or progress from Oracle. Layne had to continue to hire contractors to develop their own fixes or enhancements to existing functionality. Our current JD Edwards support is provided by Spinnaker Support – who is far superior, and we love our dedicated team that we can always rely on.
Sherry Hunyadi, Vice President of IT, Layne Christensen – Read the Case Study
Many Oracle customers are frustrated by the fact that if Oracle really wanted to, it could return to lower fees or more personalized support. Oracle could easily invest a larger share of its profits back into its support team, technical resources, and customer experience.
But as a software company, Oracle has moved on to new objectives. It’s using the high-profit margins from your on-premise support fees to develop the next generation of cloud technologies, not improve your current support experience. Their goal is to lock you into their roadmap, not to sufficiently support your existing software.
It’s this dissatisfaction with Oracle-provided support – it’s pricing, unresponsiveness, automation, and limited coverage – that has driven thousands of global organizations of all sizes to switch to third-party vendors. Gartner has predicted that the increasingly popular third-party software support market will triple by 2023 to over $1 billion.i
In contrast, third-party support takes a “service-first” approach that emphasizes customer service over next-generation technology development or astronomical profit margins. Under a standard contract, Spinnaker Support will cover your entire Oracle application footprint, including database, middleware, and business apps. We will never downgrade your support level based on the age of your on-premise software.
Download the Complete Skeptics Guide
The above response is an excerpt from “The Skeptics Guide to Oracle Third-Party Support,” a resource that addresses 16 of the most frequently asked questions – ones that you may have as well. Throughout the guide, we offer recommendations and links to other resources to help you determine if third-party Oracle support is a good fit for your organization.
Skeptics are direct people who want direct answers, so this guide presents straightforward, honest, and fact-based explanations. If you’re a skeptic of third-party Oracle support, then this guide is for you. If you’re not one yourself but have one or more on your team, then this guide can be a powerful tool to help you to win them over.
Download the US-English Skeptics Guide
Download the UK-English Sceptics Guide
