Wha?

[darkrose.livejournal.com]

I just had someone call in on my private line here at work and ask me if they needed a CD burner to burn Photo CDs. Someone I didn't know (eg: not my parents, friends, etc).

That's all fine and good except I work in server support (basically tier 3 support + in-house server admin stuff), and I was in the process of doing Very Important Stuff(tm)...like reading the sports stuff on the internets and trolling some message boards.

Is it wrong I transferred them to the phone monkeys?

Comments

[sockatume.livejournal.com]

It's not palming off, it's delegating.

[mathsnerd]

It's efficient use of company resources by directing them to the appropriate level of support for their problem.

[vulpine137.livejournal.com]

I think you were rather nice, you should have transfered them somewhere amusing, phone in the janitor's closet perhaps ;)

[gilmoure.livejournal.com]

If you can find a student dorm/university help desk number...

[digitalraven]

You should have transferred them to someone on their level.

Like the speaking clock.

[jecook]

or a sex line.
</bofh>

[spooforbrains.livejournal.com]

So they get phonesex with your company paying for it?

[scottish-alth.livejournal.com]

With added bonus of getting them fired spoo.

[jecook]

Of course not. It'd be third party billed to their home number as listed in the HR records.

[canray.livejournal.com]

Always was jealous of those lines...

They get paid more, and get more respect.

[arabwel.livejournal.com]

So true.

[redhillian.livejournal.com]

There's no way in your phone system to transfer them to /dev/null then?

[cjkline83.livejournal.com]

Perhaps an even better solution would be to place them on a cold hold... also known as "accidentally" transferring them to their normal dial tone, ending the call.

[wherdafux-d-cat.livejournal.com]

We called it, 'Please hold for disconnect.'

[kyidyl.livejournal.com]

...I vote for transferring them to Spanish tech support. If you, y'know, have it.

Back when I used to work for AOL, and before they started cracking down on us, we used to do that to assholes to amuse ourselves.

[canray.livejournal.com]

Nah, transfer them to the English Line. They'll get India that way.

If you transfer them to Spanish, they'll get Texas or California or Nevada or something.

[bekscilla.livejournal.com]

Nope, not at all wrong. Aside from anything, people need to learn to call the phone monkeys first.

[jasoncrowley.livejournal.com]

I used to send such calls to a mysterious queue called Park. Park was a area of the phone system that was purposely left un-configured.

When a caller was sent to park it was something like limbo without hold music, prompts, or noise of any kind.

/bofh

[the-s-guy.livejournal.com]

To really make sure these types don't call back again, it's an idea to have them get a pen and "write down the following: Computer Help - $helpdesk_number". That way, when they inevitably feel like phoning you again, they might look at the number first and call that one. Especially good when you can talk them into sticking it to the side of their monitor or something, instead of subsequently losing it completely.

Even better - getting them to write it down, tack it to their screen, and then saying "That's in case we get cut off - one moment while I see if I can find someone to help you." Then just put them on permanent hold. Eventually they'll get fed up and be in a mental state where (1) calling you has just proven to be useless, and (b) there's a big juicy computer help number sitting right in front of their face, that they personally have just written down. Hey, maybe that number would work better than hanging around on this line.

Better still, once they've called it, there's a muscle memory of calling the number stuck to their screen instead of whoever that other person was who was no help.

[canray.livejournal.com]

To really make sure these types don't call back again

I think someone hasn't been paying attention to the posts here...

*Snerk* People learning... RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT. :-P

[the-s-guy.livejournal.com]

Hey, no strategy's perfect! Heck, I've had to develop several dozen over the last ten-plus years answering calls like this. This one might be a bit crude, but it deals with a couple of common sources of the problem at the root.