(no subject)

[shadowheel.livejournal.com]

I am really starting to hate this field.

Not for what may seem to be the obvious reasons -- namely the customers. No, I get a real rush out of that wow moment at the end of a call where the caller just gets it, or is genuineely happy that a problem is solved.  Not that these happen all that often.  Just often enough to make it worth getting out of bed in the morning.

No, what's getting me is the attitude of the callers. 

I have one particular queue where we provide one service under a particular brand name.  There are other organizations who provide related services under the same brand, but are supported (I think) by yet another organization.  I'm sure a lot of you can understand how these sort of things work.

By the time I get a caller on this queue, chances are they've spoken with at least three other people from my organization and the other who have already told this caller that whatever it os can't be done or that we can't do it for them.  So the caller already has this resigned/combative attitude of "I don't really want to hear no again and I don't think you're qualified but I must get this working" that I have to work through.  This is especially annoying when nine times out of ten the solution is something along the lines of "Go into the configuration and make this change.

Ugh.

(no subject)

[jacobine.livejournal.com]

I'm going to throttle one of our techs.

So, I do a lot of network security requests as part of my job. A lot of time, when people are terminated, their boss requests access to their old email. This is usually requested in the case of salesmen or anyone else with a lot of email customer contacts. I don't have that access, so I pass the request on to one of the network folks that handle that. She'll drop their email into a pst, put it in the user's network drive, remove the email from the exchange server, forward the email for 45 days, and then let me know so I can finish the termination request. I'll drag things over, clean things up, then open a ticket for the local tech to go attach the newly-minted pst file to the receiving user's email. Not hard, right?

Evidently, it is.

Me, opening ticket under Manager's name: Needs to have Terminated User's pst file moved from his R drive to computer and attached to his email.  

The R drive is what we call our user personal network drive space

Tech: I believe the ticket meant that Terminated User's email needs to be transferred to Manager's account. Maybe forwarded there for a time before it is completely cut off? I don’t know standard procedure when the “Transfer Email to Manager” is checked (below), but I talked to Manager and he doesn’t know anything about the message in the ticket (at the bottom of this email). Can you re-write the ticket and re-assign it to the person in charge of transferring email please?

Included in this was a screen shot of the user authority form we use... which I had already closed out when I finished it and opened the ticket.

Me: It's all in Terminated User's R drive, which is now located on Manager's R drive. If you get a ticket like that, it means it's been transferred, etc. He should have received a notification that it is done, and the email has already been forwarded for 45 days.

Tech: Why would I get a ticket then? What is it that I am supposed to do when I get a ticket like that?


I'm resisting the urge to reply with 'See original ticket description'

Instead, I've sent him: The PST file needs to be removed from the server. Basically, we need you help him move it from the network to his hard drive, and connect it into his email so he can access it. We load all the old emails into a pst, since we can't combine the two boxes on the server, and pst files are not allowed to be stored on the server.


And this, right after I had the person bitching at me because she didn't get the access her form had requested, and I knew I'd given it to her -- I knew I did because I told her I'd do it. Come to find out, it was no longer mapped, oh no, and obviously my adding her to a group in AD caused her to be disconnected from the map!

For This, I Need The Chainsaw Of Natural Selection

[fragbert.livejournal.com]

More tales from the Help Desk where I, grayhawkfh, liakela, klytus and voiceofthelost all work (and where danicia is our boss):

Background: We support a proprietary behemoth of a hack used to manage sales accounts and used by roving sales drones. We hate supporting it, they hate using it. 'Nuff said.

So this user, who is supposedly higher up on the food chain than most, calls (and gets me, so his luck has already taken a downturn) and is having difficulty viewing volume on an account.

Me: So what error are you receiving when you attempt to view volume?
Starfish: I'm not getting any error.
Me: So what exactly happens when you look at the volume?
Starfish: Nothing.

Then why are you calling....oh, wait a sec. Is this a how-to question?

Me: Then what's the difficulty?
Starfish: (finally gives up) I don't know how.
Me: Is [name of app] open on your computer?
Starfish: I'm not near my computer.
Me: *eyeroll* Can you go ahead and power up the computer so I can walk you through it?
Starfish: Just tell me what screen to look at!
Me: It's a simple process, sir, but we need to make sure you understand it. You also need to have the computer powered up so that we can address any errors you might be receiving.
Starfish: *click*
Me: [to my co-workers] Hehehe. User disconnected!
Boss [who has overheard everything]: Send me that case number!

Computer Tech Support Jobs - Dallas, TX

[kynblackstone.livejournal.com]

There was such a great response to my posting yesterday, I thought I would try some other groups to see if there are any tech in the Dallas area needing a job so here it goes again.

I know that the Dallas Tech Support Job market is not great and you may know someone that needs a job.

The company I work for, CompuCom, is needing as many Computer Support Techs as it can get its hands on right now. Got a friend that is out of a job? Looking for a better place to work? Send me the resume and I'll get it to the right people. I can't go into alot of detail, but this company is getting a lot of new business and the pay is not bad.

Starting Pay is around $15 an hour. You can get more if you have certifications. A+ Certified is required within the first 90 days if hired and the company will pay for you to get certified.

Resumes need to be in MS Word Format or PDF. Email them to me and I'll get the ball rolling for you.

Kyn Blackstone

kenneth.boustead@comcast.net - Home
kenboustead@yahoo.com - everywhere inbetween.

Pass this along to anyone that might have an interest.

Today's quote courtesy of liakela

[grayhawkfh.livejournal.com]

After a particular farkwit client has called for the fourth time in 24 hours (this time, for help on how to turn off his NumLock on his laptop), liakela looks at me and says "This guy needs to turn of his 'DumbLock' key!"

and I SUPPORT Dell!

[shifuimam.livejournal.com]

( this will end up biting all home desktop support reps in the ass some day soon )

computer names

[polarbee.livejournal.com]

I can't remember the brands. But these are my top two favorite model names that we've had in shop. Both are PCs.

iCute
iBuddie XP

I think people get what they deserve when they but things like this. Can anyone top these?

It's not like it gives you a bigger penis....

[ravenshrinkery.livejournal.com]

I hate management sometimes. This is one of those times.

It's absolutely wonderful when you have phone techs being pulled to do floor supervision that now that they are a half a step higher on the ladder suddenly turn into domineering assholes. Sometimes I theorize this happens because they are assholes to customers and this is a way of keeping them from really screwing things over. It's never the really good techs that get this duty, it's always the people who have been around a while as average to below average techs that do a good job kissing management's ass and don't screw up something royal to get canned.

It's a tad insulting to get told by people with often much lower performance at my job how to handle my customers. Often the advice they give explains perfectly well why their performance is lower. Doesn't exactly inspire me to use those customer service skills to keep them from taking supervisor escalations that could be otherwise avoided :).

Do I *look* like your grade school teacher?

[the-s-guy.livejournal.com]

Dear user,

I realise that to you, I am a technological god, dispensing wisdom and repairing your many screwups with a wave of my hand and a click of my keyboard. We are the tech desk, after all. We're here to fix faulty hardware and software (we only wish we could fix the wetware).

However, no matter how gloriously knowledgeable you may think me to be, one thing remains an unwelcome truth.

I am not your trainer.

I am not here for you to call when you want to know how to do your job. This is up to you to either know, or to learn from the many and varied sources which have been supplied to you. These include the helpful instructions built into almost every single application you use, as well as the OS. They include your co-workers, and most importantly, your boss. Much as you may insist otherwise (and you do, you do), I am not provided by the company to sit here and read out to you, line by line, the instructions on your screen or in your hand. I have a queue of people waiting to see me about my actual job.

Read the manuals. Talk to your colleagues. But unless your computer is actually on fire, shut the hell up and get off my phone.

I repeat: I. Am. Not. Your. Trainer.

Thank you.