Vendors think they're leaders, but ...

... users don't necessarily follow. Josh Weiss, a project manager at Sage Research Inc., the technology division of Boston-based research firm Chadwick Martin Bailey Inc., says analysts at his company wondered whether the perceived leadership status of an IT vendor, such as its advanced technology or famous executive management team, affected your buying proclivities. So late last year, Sage self-funded a survey of 643 IT executives. Its conclusion: "Leadership is not a determining factor," Weiss says. "Ultimately, it does not matter." So, what does matter? Products. According to those polled, "product excellence" is the primary factor when it comes to plunking down bucks. Weiss says that was twice as important as the next vital quality, which was how a vendor interacts with its customers. Overall, IBM and Cisco Systems Inc. came out as the top two vendors in the survey. The worst? Telecommunications service providers. Of the eight evaluated, not a single one cracked the top 10 list on any metric.

Vendors seek to improve user ...

... experience through a new organization. This week, Dell Inc., Microsoft Corp., Epson America Inc. and other IT vendors kick off the CIM Forum, which will focus on customer interaction management with corporate users. Dan Vetras, CEO of forum co-founder Talisma Corp. in Bellevue, Wash., says the new group's purpose is to share best practices for improving the experiences of users when they contact a vendor about a problem -- whether it's by phone, e-mail, chat, a self-help Web site or other means. Vetras says the forum will provide vendors with effective methods for everything from routing rules "down to where you put icons on your Web page." If you aren't happy with your vendor, nudge it toward contacting the forum to get some help.