Getting Software Support in Japan
by John Tyler
Support is a bugbear of the Mac software market in Japan. Observers have blamed the lack of it on everything from the distribution system and Japanese corporate philosophy to the sudden popularity of software and inability of vendors to keep pace.
One Mac anomaly in Japan is that most computer stores have favored NEC and DOS/V software and shunted Mac programs to the corner, on a shelf under the fish tank. Many Mac users therefore concluded that the only way to get their favorite applications was through mail order. Not only is the selection wide, but pricing and delivery have always been extremely attractive.
Because of this distant relationship between vendor and user, most Mac users turn to the manufacturer, not the retail vendor, when they have problems. This works fine in the States, where via a toll-free number or local number you can talk to a trained technician who will try to set you straight. In Japan, however, few manufacturers are supplying this information -- Claris is one of the few that comes to mind -- and it is solely in Japanese. English-speakers have few options.
The four sales channels
There are four main channels for purchasing software in Japan. Each, unfortunately, has its failings in the support arena.Retail shops will generally help you fill out your registration card, and maybe even mail it for you, but they will do little else.
Mail-order shops you can just forget: their version of support is answering the phone to take your order, and cheerfully reminding you that you'll have a three-week wait while they order the package from the States.
Corporate supply houses, such as any one of the numerous Apple Centers (retail shops registered as Apple service centers) are the common corporate answer to software support, because they allow monthly payments, provide service personnel for "house" calls, and enable one-stop hardware and software purchasing. They, however, charge very high fees, promote yearly contracts, and often send out a salesman -- a bumbling, commission-inspired fool who doesn't know a mouse from a rodent -- in lieu of a technician. I would not recommend this route to anyone who is interested in getting consistently good advice or saving money.
Then there are Mac consultants that ply the small Mac-LAN offices with their customizable packages of counseling, training, system administration, and support. These companies are becoming popular with the foreign community because they don't necessitate a drawn-out contract or relationship, and because many of them work in English. Using these smaller consultancies is the second-best answer to software support in Japan. They'll come to help you, and they'll do so on short notice (the price might be a bit high).
But second best? What's first?
Help by e-mail
The best approach is becoming more popular, is free, and is available on the desktop: mailing lists. Most of the major software packages are covered by lists that are a wealth of opinion, hints, tips, and techniques. They are often, as in the case of the QuarkXPress list, monitored by techies at the company itself.Mailing lists are basically an electronic Q&A forum for users of a certain software package. Everyone subscribing to them is doing so because he or she has an active interest in the particular software package at issue.
Mailing lists are e-mailed daily to subscribers in one of two forms: as a digest (all messages bundled into one easy-to-download-and-manage text file) or in single-message format (each message arrives in your box as a separate e-mail). On an active list you can get 60 messages per day.
The sign-up procedure is simple, just sending a "subscribe" e-mail message to a designated server. Keep in mind that lists, while monitored by real people, are usually run automatically on computers that don't respond well to requests like "I heard about your list and wondered if you could give me a little information?" Follow the indicated commands and be specific.
Lists really are the answer to your software problems, but they do require an investment in time. I found that after subscribing to the Quark, Photoshop, and Illustrator lists, my morning mail reading sessions went from five minutes to often an hour or more. But the wealth of information is amazing. Every morning, a new nugget of information that can shorten the time I spend on a single task. And whenever I have a problem, if I explain it well, I can expect responses within a day.
If you want immediate advice on the software you're working with, sign up to a list and invest that time. Who better to support the software on your machine than you yourself, with the help of six hundred invisible, like-minded colleagues?
To download a list of Macintosh-related lists, go to http://www.macfaq.com/mailinglists.html.
John Tyler is a Tokyo-based editor, designer, and writer. He has been Mac-ing since 1988, and swears that someday the ever-growing mass of computer equipment in his ever-smaller apartment will begin to pay for itself. He can be reached at jltyer@gol.com, or through his Website at www.fastnet.or.jp/mortal.