New member!

[siobheanne.livejournal.com]

Ohhhh dear.

I start training tonight for my first stint as a Tech Support at a local call centre. I'm not entirely sure what they deal in/what I've signed on for - I've heard/been told ISP support, but in the area I was interviewed in, it sounded like all the techs were giving support for Hewlett Packard cameras. They have 5 different contracts within the building; I guess I'll find out tonight!

You guys are making me very very scared, though. I'm sure it won't be long before I have my own horror stories to contribute. Eep.

Comments

[jecook]

The mantra you will be chanting after about five weeks to three months is:

"Down, then across"

(whereas Sysadmins usually chant "down, not across")

In any case, welcome aboard.

[siobheanne.livejournal.com]

Hmm, completely over my head, but thanks!

[jecook]

"Down, then across" is/was the motto for alt.tech-support.recovery.

and "Down, not across" is the motto of the scary devil monastery

Yeah, Usenet is ancient history...

[thalionar.livejournal.com]

1) don't be scared, you are in control
2) be as polite as you possibly can in any given situation, you don't have to be a doormat, just don't *try* to rile them up. At least until you know what you're talking about :)
3) don't let the caller take control of the call

[trayce.livejournal.com]

This is very good advice, esp #3.

[the-s-guy.livejournal.com]

It can be fun to allow callers to *think* they're in charge of a call occasionally. It's a mental balancing act for when boredom sets in. Keeping them in line without letting them become aware of the barriers shunting them inexorably along the path of resolution.

[siobheanne.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the tips, I'll try to remember those. We did some double/Y-jacking the other day. The patience the techs have just astounds me. Hopefully I can show that much restraint! *L*

[ravenshrinkery.livejournal.com]

We are mostly cynics. We're a bunch of hardcore geeks that feel we're !deity's gift to whatever it is we do and certainly better than most mere mortals that pollute the airwaves. Perhaps we're legends only in our own minds. But maybe that's what gets us out of bed in the morning.

If you're actually good, you'll be smacking your cow orkers in notime. You'll be wondering why they bothered training you other than to pay you extra for doing jack and shit. Don't be scared by us - we're your support. This is where we talk about what we'd really tell those lusers if there weren't people listening. And sometimes what we do anyway if we can get away with it.

Welcome aboard :).

[siobheanne.livejournal.com]

Oh, not scared by you guys! Just by what awaits me... eek! Thanks for the kind words though. I'll probably be drawing on those as I limp/cry my way through my first week of calls.

[ghostdandp.livejournal.com]

at least that shows promise that maybe I'll find a job soon.

Blah.

If I get "well, you'd be bored doing this job" one more time I'm going to strangle the interviewer.

[siobheanne.livejournal.com]

I think they're going for more the idiot-we-can-mould route. *L* I'm in no way qualified for this crap!

here's a hint to save your inbox

[ace-brickman.livejournal.com]

just be sure you don't ask a technical support/hardware issue/anyotherquestion in here... you'll get the napalm of greeklady's fiery flames

Re: here's a hint to save your inbox

[siobheanne.livejournal.com]

ah yes, i did some backreading. toaster troubleshooting, indeed. :D

[geekgrrl-ca.livejournal.com]

I know the call center you got hired at well. You're probably either doing hp products or road runner support.

[siobheanne.livejournal.com]

I am, in fact...! How did you know where I work...? *looks around suspiciously...*

[obliquity.livejournal.com]

I'm curious to know if you are at the call center I think you are at. Heh Good luck! :)

[siobheanne.livejournal.com]

Where do you think...? :)

[obliquity.livejournal.com]

Well I don't really want to say too much location-wise but I too am in Ontario and work in a call center - just not that one. If it's in the same city, I work in one that's downtown in the mall. If it's not then well, you don't know what I'm talking about. LOL :P

[siobheanne.livejournal.com]

Well, I don't know my new city very well (relocated so the boyfriend could be closer to school), but I think there's only 1 call centre (t)here... (I say there b/c I'm back in my home city for the weekend to BUY A NEW COMPUTER. Said boyfriend managed to make mine explode the first time I left him alone with it. *headdesk*)
In any case, uhm, lots of ontario-call-centre-worker-sympathy :)

[obliquity.livejournal.com]

If there's only one call center in your city then we definitely aren't in the same city. There are TONS here. :P It's probably the same company though. :)

[geekgrrl-ca.livejournal.com]

Makes me wonder just how people in those two call centers are members here.

[obliquity.livejournal.com]

Probably a lot. I wouldn't be surprised anyway.

[siobheanne.livejournal.com]

How many, you mean? (not criticizing; just clarifying). Probably quite a few. Non-Disclosure and all that...

[geekgrrl-ca.livejournal.com]

yes, How many.

It's not non-disclosure that stops me from naming names, it's the fact that people often search lj with google.

Which contract did you sign up for?

[siobheanne.livejournal.com]

Yeah, kind of disturbing that you and I, complete strangers, work within the same building. (and can fairly easily find & identify each other as doing such, online)

They put me on HP AiO... whee. What fun. :P