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Sep. 28th, 2005 09:35 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
daerlyn.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
techrecoveryOne for the tech-support annals . . .
I left the front-lines of phone support a few years ago to do on-site support for a retail distribution centre. I have an office in the back of the warehouse, with my own AC, which is nice. I don't have to be particularly polite to my end-users, because we pay them, rather than the reverse, which is also nice. Unfortunately, the average IQ of the average warehouse grunt is about the same as my shoe size, which is not so nice. Now, I have lots of stories about people trying to login at D:/> prompts rather than login screens, losing their desktop shortcuts and not being able to find the program in the start menu, and so on, but yesterday we hit a new low.
A couple of new employees were sent to me to get their logins for our inventory software. They walked down to my office. They looked in my window, realised they were in the right place. Now, my office is essentially a box, with the door in a little alcove facing a wall. They realised that there was no door on the back (visible through the window). No door on the wall with the window. They walked around the corner, and realised there was no door on the third wall. They then walked back to the wall with the window . . .
. . . And stood there for about ten minutes before I realised they were looking for me.
When I waved at them to come in, the leader of this little group looked at me helplessly, raising her hands and indicating that she could not find the door.
Because of course, statistics dictate that when 75% of the available walls lack an entrance portal, the remaining 25% will follow suit. Obviously, I have discovered teleportation, and simply failed to share my discovery with the rest of the company.
We need a more stringent interview process. One that consists of more than "This is the job, do you want it?"
I left the front-lines of phone support a few years ago to do on-site support for a retail distribution centre. I have an office in the back of the warehouse, with my own AC, which is nice. I don't have to be particularly polite to my end-users, because we pay them, rather than the reverse, which is also nice. Unfortunately, the average IQ of the average warehouse grunt is about the same as my shoe size, which is not so nice. Now, I have lots of stories about people trying to login at D:/> prompts rather than login screens, losing their desktop shortcuts and not being able to find the program in the start menu, and so on, but yesterday we hit a new low.
A couple of new employees were sent to me to get their logins for our inventory software. They walked down to my office. They looked in my window, realised they were in the right place. Now, my office is essentially a box, with the door in a little alcove facing a wall. They realised that there was no door on the back (visible through the window). No door on the wall with the window. They walked around the corner, and realised there was no door on the third wall. They then walked back to the wall with the window . . .
. . . And stood there for about ten minutes before I realised they were looking for me.
When I waved at them to come in, the leader of this little group looked at me helplessly, raising her hands and indicating that she could not find the door.
Because of course, statistics dictate that when 75% of the available walls lack an entrance portal, the remaining 25% will follow suit. Obviously, I have discovered teleportation, and simply failed to share my discovery with the rest of the company.
We need a more stringent interview process. One that consists of more than "This is the job, do you want it?"
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Date: 2005-09-29 02:41 am (UTC)By the bye - what *is* the secret of teleportation?
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Date: 2005-09-29 03:35 am (UTC)Well, if you're too stingy to share it with the rest of the company, would you at least consider dropping some hints to your fellow geeks? Some of us could really use it :o)
no subject
Date: 2005-09-29 12:18 pm (UTC)id much rather have omnipotence and omniscience
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Date: 2005-09-29 05:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-09-29 07:09 am (UTC)that one is great :)
have to remember that *G*
If i should ever need to go to court, i'll just say i didnt found the entrance :)
no subject
Date: 2005-09-29 05:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-09-30 06:35 am (UTC)but i guess you got the idea ;)
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Date: 2005-09-29 07:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-09-29 01:23 pm (UTC)Oh MAN that's funny. I think I'd have taken the opportunity to point and laugh at them through the window, possibly calling any other friendly, intelligent people in the office saying "Hey! You gotta come check this out!".
I'm gonna giggle over that all day.
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Date: 2005-09-29 05:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-09-29 11:39 pm (UTC)