The companies, including Sony, Zenith, NEC and Runco, dispatched technicians to ski towns to investigate.
To deal with the problems, SBC has dispatched technicians from other areas to the Ameritech region.
In these systems, requests for technical help from clients (employees, or, in this case, teachers and students) are coordinated by a central help desk, which dispatches technicians to the scene of a computer problem.
The mundane but crucial tasks include scheduling and dispatching installation technicians efficiently and making sure that customers are being billed every month (and cutting off customers who don't pay).
Mr. Greenspan came up with the concept for Make It Work, a company in Santa Barbara, Calif., that dispatches computer technicians in Mini Coopers to solve problems for residential customers.
Mr. Bonomo said the layoffs were necessary to keep the company strong, but the process has also shaken many low-level managers, who dispatched the technicians every day and had to deliver the grim news those who were fired.
With HP able to dispatch roving technicians in a fleet of trucks, and the local no-name clone and network geek combination having a local face, getting the service piece of the equation right may be quite a challenge for Gateway 2000.
In addition to financial assistance, the Veterinary Division dispatched animal technicians to provide prophylactic medication and vitamins to avert foot rot disease to small ruminants, including goats and sheep.
Thames Water blames Cator's problems on the fact that it could not gain access to read his meter, even though it had successfully dispatched a technician.
