ALKHOBAR, 13 August — I love it when any company does something great for its customers and the market it serves and Toshiba has made just such an effort. Toshiba has become the first producer of mobile computers to provide an unconditional warranty on all its products across the entire Middle East.
The warranty is effective for 36 months from the date of purchase and covers every component in the system against failure or malfunction. The only exclusion is damage attributable to fair wear and tear or caused by misuse.
“Until now, manufacturers’ warranties in our region have tended to be irregular and inconsistent,” said Ahmed Khalil, Middle East sales and marketing manager of Toshiba’s Dubai-based computer systems division. “Some companies would offer a warranty in one country but not in another. Others would vary the terms of the warranty from country to country and from product to product. Clearly, that does little to promote consumer peace of mind when buying computers, and that’s what prompted us to introduce our new blanket-coverage warranty for our entire range of mobile computers and accessories. We have out-distanced other manufacturers who have been unwilling or unable to make the same commitment to unconditional warranties. It’s now up to them to show if their products can justify matching the confidence that we place in ours.”
Toshiba made the world’s first notebook computer back in 1985 and has led this sector ever since, holding the largest market share internationally. In less than two years, Toshiba has boosted sales by 180 percent in the Middle East — more than six times the industry growth rate in the region. The Middle East is switching to mobile computers at a faster rate than Europe, a trend fueling phenomenal regional growth and giving Toshiba a regional market share of 25 percent, compared to 14.4 percent in Europe where the company is the undisputed market leader.
I have another tidbit of excellent corporate community service to mention and that is the support Inmarsat, the international mobile satellite communications company, continues to provide to Telecoms Sans Frontieres. Beginning in May 2000, and ongoing for three years, Inmarsat has been investing one million French francs per annum in TSF. This French non-governmental organization furnishes rapid-response telecommunication facilities in relief operations following sudden disasters. The equipment TSF brings to disaster sites, including Inmarsat satellite phones and a video-conferencing system, enables displaced people to contact their families anywhere in the world and relief organizations to better coordinate the search for missing people and aid assistance in the field.
Thanks to Inmarsat’s support, TSF was able to be on the ground rapidly in the aftermath of Syria’s Zeyzoun Dam Disaster, which happened in June. More than 20 people were killed and several thousands made homeless when 71 million cubic meters of water thundered out of a six-meter wide split in the wall of the Zeyzoun Dam. Homes were destroyed in the northern area of Al-Ghab and several villages were submerged. Telephone and power lines in the area were also swept away by the raging waters.
A four-person TSF team, led by TSF President Jean-Francois Cazenave, was almost immediately placed at the service of the Syrian government and the Syrian Red Crescent for the rescue operations taking place in the Zeyzoun region. When they reached the disaster site, the TSF team found a huge devastated area. The telecommunication needs were immediately evaluated at the Red Crescent crisis center in the town of Hama. TSF then set up in the temporary camp housing the Zeyzoun survivors, in front of the remains of the dam. They installed an Internet hub to be used for coordinating help, and offered the stricken population the chance to phone their families.
“The first casualties of any disaster are often the communication networks, both fixed line and mobile — which seriously hamper emergency services and aid agencies in their attempts to coordinate relief efforts,” said Samer Halawi, regional director, Inmarsat Ltd. “During an immensely tragic and stressful disaster, such as the one at Zeyzoun, we are proud to be associated with TSF’s essential humanitarian efforts.”
Three cheers for TSF and Inmarsat on a job well done!
Now it’s time to discuss how to get another job done well, and that job is the coverage of the upcoming GITEX show in Dubai from Oct. 13-17. I am already receiving press releases from both the organizers and the companies participating in GITEX. As GITEX Dubai is the largest event of its kind in the region, it is important to provide informative coverage of the show for the readers of Arab News. With that in mind, I offer the GITEX 101 primer for those companies hoping to be able to have their messages, products, services and solutions reach the widest audience in this important market.
First, it is essential to get the relationship correct. IT companies are generically known as vendors. In this relationship the Arab News readers are served by the vendors — not vice versa. Some vendors get the mistaken idea that they are doing the Middle East a favor by allowing their products or services to be marketed in the region. This is a mistake. There are many IT products, solutions and services to choose from these days. Few are indispensable. The Middle East has continued to show revenue growth in this sector at a time when other markets are stagnant or shrinking. In other words, because we are IT consumers, we are to a limited extent supporting breadwinners in other parts of this planet. Please, dear vendors, be honest with us about your offerings and give us the respect we deserve and have earned. It would be helpful for your bottom line.
As a representative of the Arab News readers, I enjoy it so much when I see IT companies bringing the best products they can offer to the region. We aren’t interested in bleeding edge solutions and don’t push your obsolete technologies our way either. It may be interesting that your product sold well in Europe but you should explain politely why we should care to invest in it in Saudi Arabia, the biggest IT market in this region. If your technology is new, does it have Arabic support or Arabization? What kind of service network is available in the Kingdom? If you don’t know the answers to these questions learn them now.
My time is very limited at GITEX and I need to bring back the best information to the readers of Arab News. It makes me insane when someone tells me that I must walk from Hall 1 to Hall 7 for an interview because their corporate vice president insists upon it. Keep the relationship between the Arab News readers and your company in mind and such errors will be avoided.
It is unbelievable how many IT vendors don’t use IT. Photos can be provided in the form of prints backed up with digitals on disk. In fact, it is best to provide all information in both digital and hard copy format. Products must be tried — preferably without supervision. Stands will be visited. If the staff on a stand ignores me because they think I’m a nobody, it makes me wonder how they will treat a nobody as a customer. If the representatives at GITEX are clueless when it comes to explaining their product or solution, it is time to look for a company that does know what it is promoting.
Never assume that the information given out at GITEX will be accepted at face value. That would be a grave mistake from my side and a disservice to the Arab News readers. Questions will be asked — count on it. Sometimes the questions will be stupid on purpose. Not all potential IT customers are IT maniacs. Can your company handle that politely? Clarifications may be needed — repetitively. Can your staff explain your technology in more than one way or do they only know the marketing line?
There is an e-mail at the bottom of this column. Use it for communication purposes. Do not send faxes on GITEX related stories to this newspaper. Such correspondence is immediately filed where it belongs, in a place reserved for all that is outdated and obsolete. Happy show!
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