When I started my new job, there was the typical flurry of activity to get me set up for work, such as getting the appropriate software licenses, getting my work space set up, and ensuring that the Flavia supply was well stocked. The usual stuff.

One thing that's been interesting is that while listening to several of my coworkers deal with vendors to get me set up with a few things, I've noticed that it's taken several weeks to get any answers or to get the issue resolved. If it were just a single vendor or if it seemed like an isolated incident, then I probably wouldn't have noticed, but there was a few days where it didn't seem like any vendor could provide us with answers or even return our calls! These weren't difficult issues that we were having; we just needed a different license file in a few cases. While this type of service is to be expected in most retail situations, I was surprised to see it happening with professional services companies. Is it naive to expect good service from professional service firms? I hope not.