Computer Sales Trend Pays Dividends For Fast-Growing Software Spectrum

The number of people buying computers is growing faster than the number of people who really know how to run them.

The same market that could be cramping production at Johnson Matthey in Cheney and elsewhere is reaping big rewards at Software Spectrum in the Spokane Valley.

Software Spectrum has been filling the former Egghead building at Liberty Lake with an army of more than 565 employees in a 50,000-square-foot customer service call center.

The Garland, Tex.-based company hired more than 350 people in a three-month span to gear up for Microsoft’s release of Windows 98.

Software Spectrum began by selling software, as its name implies, but outsourcing from major companies has created a profitable market for a company which can answer questions called in by customers.

The company hired people with basic DOS and Windows 95 familiarity, starting in the $20,000-$25,000 pay range, and spent $4,500 apiece on intense four-week and six-week training sessions All because of market demand.

“What we pulled off was pretty incredible in a short period of time,” said Andrew Hall, call center manager.

Hall said despite the usual little glitches, the Windows 98 start-up went smoothly. The short time frame is indicative of how quickly the industry moves, said Frank Lucero, director of technical support centers for Software Spectrum.

Lucero added Software Spectrum has been able to capitalize on customer service because software companies would rather focus on what they do best - make software. The catch in their case is to provide service strong enough that the customer would not know the difference between calling the company direct or calling Software Spectrum.

In fact, customers don’t know.

“Software publishers don’t want customers to know they’re calling a third party,” said Kathryn Dockerill, a company spokeswoman. “They want it to be transparent. They want to hold on to that customer relationship, so that’s why customer service is so important to us.”

Questions range from the mundane to complex, and customer attitudes aren’t always cheery.

Lucero said Spokane has been a top performer among Software Spectrum’s several call centers. He said the area’s natural beauty and climate, as compared with the Dallas area’s intense summer heat, makes for a more content, reliable work force.

As pleased as Software Spectrum is with Spokane, though, Lucero quickly added that the company is continually striving to improve customer service, because any slippage could allow an opening for competition to steal their jobs almost overnight.

“As we deal with partners, they’re measuring us very closely,” Lucero said.

One healthy barometer to measure Software Spectrum’s staying power is the profitability of the call centers. Lucero said margins - locally and overall - are “handsome” compared to software sales, and that tripling of quarterly revenue by this time next year is a reachable goal.