Dell Launches Tool To Solicit Solution Provider Ideas

To launch PartnerStorm, Dell isolated many channel-specific topics that were spread across IdeaStorm into one portal. Users can submit their own ideas or "promote" or "demote" someone else's idea, as well as leave comments.

"[IdeaStorm] is a way to get customer feedback from minor tweaks to next-generation offerings, to what we want to strive for in the future. It's a wonderful sounding board that we can take down to a granular level," said Dawn Lacallade, manager of Dell IdeaStorm.

On the PartnerStorm site Monday, one of the most popular ideas was from a user named "nathan13" who wants Dell to make its partner program more affordable for small-business VARs.

"I would love to sell Dell hardware but I can only purchase it at the same price as my customers can buy it," wrote the user.

Another user, "earlra," requested a site where solution providers could buy new Dell components and accessories at better pricing than through other vendors.

"I was looking [for] from RAM and an internal [hard drive] to upgrade my Dimension 4600 machine. However, when I looked on the Dell site, I could find only 'reconditioned' hard drives. To add insult to injury, I found I could get new drives at a better cost/capacity ratio from other online vendors. Why in the world would I then buy from Dell? In the end, the only thing I bought from Dell was the mounting bracket to make sure I had the right one," wrote the poster.

Other hot topics include discussions around power cords, hot-swappable batteries and reducing the amount of plastic used in a PC.

Over the past 18 months, Dell has implemented many ideas that were echoed by users on IdeaStorm, Lacallade said, including putting Linux on Dell desktops, relaunching Windows XP after Vista was released and adding new colors to notebooks.

"When [CEO] Michael [Dell] previewed our Inspiron Mini, there were probably 30 to 40 ideas about that and all those things were implemented," she said.

Amie Paxton, channel community manager at Dell, said PartnerStorm is too new to reference any ideas that are now in production, but she said Dell hopes to see a significant increase in suggestions now that solution providers have their own site.

"It's a chance for conversations to generate ideas for collaborative effort. Partners have the ability to promote or demote ideas. It takes the control out of Dell's hands for the hierarchy or importance of [ideas] to partners," Paxton said.

Users don't have to be registered partners to leave or comment on ideas, Paxton said. "We're looking for a diverse influence, from those [VARs] who are looking at Dell or are becoming a partner. It's there for our future partners as well," she said.

Lacallade said Dell does not censor criticism or ideas on the site, but it monitors comments for foul language or personal attacks.

"We'll send an e-mail saying if you repost without the following three words, it'll be OK. There are people who like other companies or products better. That's great. We won't censor that. We will take down something that's not an idea," she said. "If someone is looking for support help we have other communities for that."

Lacallade acknowledged that other vendors could troll the board to pick up suggestions on much-desired product features or designs, but that's OK with Dell.

"It was a strategic decision to leave it public, to leave it transparent. That's the risk we're willing to take," Lacallade said. "We assume those vendors have customers giving them feedback too. But most companies aren't very good at listening."