HP to deploy TouchPad amongst sales force 48
Sun, 15 May 2011 7:52 pm EDT 
With more than 300,000 employees on the payroll, HP has a lot of people out in the field selling their product. HP’s sales force, as you can imagine, makes use of a lot of HP products, and soon they’ll have another tool to add to their arsenal: the HP TouchPad. The webOS tablet isn’t going to be just for show, of course, as Meaghan Kelly HP’s VP of Channel Sales Development & Strategy said in a recent brief interview with The VAR Guy:
“The rollout will include HP-developed video chat software, so that sales team members can connect customers with the most appropriate HP technical expert at a moment’s notice.”
So not only will HP’s sales minions be able to show corporate customers the TouchPad, they’ll be able to actually show it in action of the customer needs any one-on-one support from HP HQ. Presumably this will be using the already-demoed video chat software that comes with the TouchPad. Of course, as VP of Channel Sales, Kelly has a lot more than just webOS on her plate – she’s still got the millions of bread-and-butter Windows PCs that HP sells to push, but the fact that the TouchPad is going to be deployed as a tool for HP’s own sales force shows that they’re planning to eat their own corporate dogfood when it comes to webOS.
Source: The VAR Guy; Thanks to jonpel for the tip!
48 Comments
Now, that's cool!
Whoa... Now that really is cool! But all those bums at HP better go get a haircut and shave first.
Sounds like the right plan - you can't convience people to eat at Burger King by holding your meeting at McDonalds.
TouchPad - soon to be household name.
This is good. Big ol' HP eating their own dog food? Nice.
“The rollout will include HP-developed video chat software, so that sales team members can connect customers with the most appropriate HP technical expert at a moment’s notice.”
Does this mean no Skype or am I reading this wrong?
Skype would not seem appropriate for HP support chat.
Correct and this seems to be an inhouse HP solution for their Marketing team. I don't think it speaks one way or another to overall Skype support.
And if you've ever been on HP service, they always use an internal chat in a browser.
Good. If someone approached my small business proposing a product to help me work smarter my first question would be: "If it is so versatile and useful, why aren't you (HP) using it in your day to day operations?"
This builds my confidence that HP is deploying a tool not a Toy. If it were just another ME-Too Ipad clone like they keep touting in specs then I would have the same use for it as I do an IPad... none.
I like that it can do entertainment and games on the go, but I really want a slate device that can be a workhorse and replace all of our HP Elitebook tablets that weigh 20Lbs and get 6-8 hours battery life on low power mode With Win7. I love Win7 but it's not ready for slate Devices like WebOS can be.
Sooooooo, hardware out with developers and with sales force... must mean hardware in users hands soon? Please??
********** NEWS FLASH ********
We will eat the food we cook. We will drive the cars we make. We will stay at the hotels we own and operate. We fly on our own planes when we travel.
****** END NEWS FLASH ********
LOL...come on, this is pretty cool and unexpected! I was certain their salesforce was going with Playbooks....
Maybe they will, no one will be able to tell the difference.
With all this going on. It points to a release quite soon. That event going on between the 6th-9th will probably be used to announce the release of the devices. With that being either later that week or the nest. So long as Apple doesn't pull something spectacular in the coming weeks. It could be very good for HPalm. Lets hope.
It depends on what the meaning of "release" is. Do you mean that review units go out and a couple weeks later one or two get delivered to "select" Best Buy retail outlets and sits in the back until someone goes to get it?
No, but may be a few more Fortune 100 companies buy TouchPads for each of their 100,000+ employees !!
What Fortune 100 companies of anywhere near that scale are buying ANY tablet for "each" of their employees?
Interestingly enough, the Fortune 50 retailer I work for has HP salespeople in the building regularly, and not one has tried pitching a WebOS device or even a WebOS app yet (We have already have apps in the respective app stores for - as we say it - the "top three Smartphone platforms": iOS, Android, and Windows Phone 7).
Those Fortune 100 companies who are going to use HP's cloud based totally-secured instant-on 24/7 connected server systems in their data-centers, or any other similar HP's corporate solutions.
If they bundle a TouchPad in with said purchase....maybe.
"not one has tried pitching a webOS device"
That will happen "in the coming weeks".
Not a Fortune 100 Company, but Alaska Airlines has gotten FAA approval to provide all their pilots w/iPads. Numerous other airlines, including mine, which is a Fortune 100 Company, are testing the iPad for pilots now. We have about 13,000 pilots. What we do, would probably spread to our international partners.
Don't know if we would end up w/iPad or another tablet, but this would be 1) a cheaper option, 2) save weight (results in better fuel savings), & 3) save volume, & 4) is a better/more accurate way of updating all our manuals, charts, maps, etc.
I really, really hope it gets released in the coming weeks. If you think about it, HP promised strong marketing for the Veer in the coming weeks. What better way to promote the Veer than as a Touchpad companion?
I just want it now!
Hello USA!!! I'm Gregory , from Versailles France, and plse excuse by advance my following words, i kind of understand that what i'll write now is maybe not in the good place to but i really have to say this : I have until one week now a Palm Pixi (+...), i did owned this Palm phone with a re-suscription here in France with SFR provider, for a low amount of euros, really, and i wasn't sure of the product, wasn't waiting for something, because i already have an iPhone (from the 1 to the 4)... How to say what i feel about using the cute Pixi... No words for my close experience, pfff...My pixi tweets so well that i love this tiny cute little nice beautiful phone, and i stored away my big gross iPhone !!! I didn't knew the WebOs system, and the new Palms models before Sfr sent the Pixi phone to me, and i really love it. I am more than happy at morning, on my way to work, in Versailles, to listen to music tracks (Underworld, Deadmau5, Jaytech..are stored in Pixi Memory.) under our historic city sunny blue sky, my lovely mobile is fresh, colored, well,designed, simple and efficient, beautiful, a la mode, stylish... i DO LOVE each part of your product ! Smart, clear, bright, luxury, classical, !thin! I am hurried to discover the new Veer from HP... If i could, i would eat the Pixi, yes eat this lovely small Pixi, because it is perfect!!!! In my head, i am a little sad about knowing that loosing Palm logo on phones but suppose that it is the way of progress and change, and i remember when i owned a HP TC1100 Tablet, pioneer... Well, how nice will it be to find a HP "Palm" named model ? ... Anyway, MR Rubinstein, a truly and real ILOVEYOU from Versailles FR is deserved !!!....
thank you, thank you, Thank you So !
Gregory Gallouin, Versailles, France.
Thank you for your French Fries Gregory!.. We love those here!
And your French Toast... awesome! :D
Not a fan of French Dip.
Most any dip for that matter :)
Je pense qu'il est fou et tombait en amour con ruby, pour le pixi?! Il est plus tard....
pixi plus est incroyablement incroyable ,i'm hoping for a pixi plus 2
Pardon my english, mais vous m'enmerdez!
Pas toi Gregoire, mais les anglo..
i cant wait jus make it smooth make the pre3 and touchpad smooth plz work on that make it fast and smooth thats we need the most other than apps
This is all fine and dandy, but they need the Sales Reps in the stores, not over video chat. For this to work, they would need knowledgeable staff (yeah right!) in the stores to actually push the TouchPad. But we all know that the sales staff in these stores are usually high school drop out's who love iOS. I just read that one user went into an AT&T store, and they had no idea what the Veer was, and that's whats gonna happen here if they don't get people in the stores.
I think it is the corporate sales force who will get it first. I don't know whether HP deploys any retail sales force for individual stores.
the other reason this makes sense is the HP sales force lives in airports. This will generate a ton of consumer interest if a rep is waiting for his/her flight and they take a call on their TouchPad or respond to text messages. Folks will be very interested and start asking questions. So, while it's for corporate sales force, the consumers will begin to see these all over the place.
a no brainer really.
Umm, have you been on an airplane lately? There are iPads galore on every flight. Nobody is going to notice anything about the TP except how chunky it is.
Well, if that's what it takes for it to stand out...
Why would you take a call on a Touchpad in an airport? That would repel prospective consumers moreso than anything else. Responding to texts would look just like tapping around on a Web page. If people asked about these devices at all, it would probably be "Which iPad is that?"
To them I would say, "It's the one you want."
Hi all,
1. It's no surprise that the sales force will use them in house...a clever market ploy.
2. This doesn't mean Skype will not be usable.
3. WHAT THIS DOES MEAN: That HP wanted a more secure system under their control for their sales people!
take care,
Jay
Hi Jay:
1. Having your employees use the products that you make isn't really clever, at all.
2. If Skype were available on the TP, why would HP go to the trouble of creating their own video chat client? That's a pretty significant software development effort when they have a lot more software work to do. If it was that easy, Microsoft could have save themselves about 8 billion dollars.
3. That's like saying that if a company eats its own dog food then it must taste pretty good.
take care,
UntidyGuy
UntidyGuy - you are on fire today.
i don't think they bought skype cause they can make their own or they dont have their own video/chat client (live messenger) they bought it cause it's been eating up their live messenger market share.
You know, Skype does OTHER things besides video chat.
Anyone can do video chat anyway. Some kid in Russia did video chat and he became an overnight sensation.
... When do I get mine then, would really like a demo unit to er um... demo! ( http://www.shop-pc.co.uk )
Now it's even more clear that HP has spent all these months devoting most of its resources to marketing the TouchPad. I guess the Pre3 and Veer are merely supporting players. Too bad HP is dissing the ThunderBolt. What HP ought to do next is find a way for webOS to be the long-term OS solution for its PCs, and not just some complement to Windows.
your spam is full of hamburgers.
Nice! It's the first peek we have at how HP is going to use their scale to push webOS. Keep it coming!
I still don't understand how carriers have yet to be announced. If we had a little time to prepare for this (carrier choice) we would also have time to help. I am a firm believer in word of mouth advertising. Carriers are the biggest piece of the puzzle in the US.
"Hey check this tablet coming from HP in June!. Also coming is the Pre3!"
"Sweet stuff man!. So wait all you do is touch the devices together and you can be on you way continuing to write this email and play Angry Birds?!?!"
"That's right buddy! Awesome huh?"
"Heck yea! Is it for verizon, t-mobile, at&t, or sprint?"
"I dunno..."
"Well how do I know if I can get one then!?"
".... yea I dunno..."
"Oh.... ok"
Then this guy/girl will forget our conversation in 24hrs because of the lack of carrier info.
HP make it a little easier on all of us and spill some beans. At least let us know you're getting near an announcement... SOMETHING!
1) HP has a video technology. It was there before Palm was acquired. Why trust Skype over your own service when interacting with customers - especially when they are in dogfood mode.
2) What do you think HP and their customers are talking about? Hint, it is not doing business the same way just on TouchPads.
3) There is a lot going on that is not reported yet. Guess those memos didn't lead.
4) Ad blitz this Summer - part of long term branding. More than just Palm.