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Tech Support Getting Even Worse
ehiris writes: "Came across an article on CNN about tech support falling out of the useful category. The interesting quote: 'In part, the problem can be blamed on tech companies' attempts to cope with shrinking profit margins and a bad business environment.' Bad tech support makes life hard and new technology becomes undesirable to the general public. Which company has the best support? What are they doing well? What would you like to see improve about tech support?"
What would you like to see improve about tech support?
How about some training and a fair wage for the poor bastards that work in the call centers?
I used to work as a support whore for Verizon DSL -- that is, until my entire call center was laid off. The jobs were moved to another center in Canada, where Customer Service employees were handed a database full of canned answers and told that they had to start handling tech support calls.
In the meantime, the actual trained techs like myself were all out of a job. And the other center that was on the same level as us - same training, same subcontractor, same call queues - took a savage pay cut.
The technology economy of today is based on some seriously thin margins - and frankly, once a company has your money, they are happy to screw you out of decent support to save a few bucks.
--saint
Im surprised many places function as well as they do, to answer the question "What would you like to see improve about tech support?" I would like to see less dependence on Contracting agencies, more direct hire and less middle-men between the person inside the company or department who needs a tech and the person getting in contact with the potential. Anymore if you dont already know someone on the inside of a company your chances of getting hired are slim-to-none. This is especially true when it comes to tech support, anywhere from call center work to desktop support guys. This is not good for the company's or the techs cause it can create such a lack of compatibility between skill-sets and needs. If more company's were willing to go out of thier way and direct hire instead of relying on a contracting agency, whos primary concern is usually the margin they will earn from getting thier tech hired and is going to feed said company anything they want to hear to make that happen. Misrepresentation is the bane of contracting agencies, and the standard practice in most cases.
... is that the hiring process, in most cases, doesn't include determining if the candidate can actually DO THE JOB. (That is, do they have enough experience?)
Case in point: Here in Winnipeg is a company called "Convergys" -- they do tech support for several ISPs throughout North America. One of my friends recently got a job there doing phone-based technical support for Shaw. Now, this individual knows computer basics, but has NO clue what a router is, what IP tables are, DNS servers...
Most places hire people based on "can you read from this script?", which simply isn't adequate.
Many companies have outsourced tech support and thereby cut costs and improved quality. But, apparently, that's still not enough: tech support still sucks because companies simply can't afford to pump more money or resources into it.
So what companies are looking to do *now* is outsource their tech support to companies who, in turn, export the entire operation abroad. Middle-men companies (like spherenomics - no affiliation) are building call centers in countries where labor and construction costs are low (like India). Lower base costs lead to better tech support. This really simple idea has birthed a burgeoning industry - lots of big-name companies are catching on.
By this model, the consumer benefits. There's absolutely no degradation in tech support quality, and, in most cases, it gets better. These call center outfits are really top notch - you definitely won't be stuck speaking to some foreigner with broken English. In fact, next time you call a big company for tech support, ask the attendant where he or she is speaking from - chances are you'll be surprised by the answer.
I've had a realtek nic for over 2 years. Never a problem with it. I support realtek, 3com and intel nics for a living (in addtion to other things). I have seen many problems with intel and 3com nics. i rarely see a problem with a realtek. the few problems I do see with a realtek are probably user error as the physical port gets burned out. The computer detects the ethernet adapter ok, but the hub does not detect a connection. Hmm, wonder how that happens... try maybe plugging a phoneline into the nic.
Just a Tuna in the Sea of Life
A few examples of GOOD customer support experiences, to let people know some companies still care:
I had purchased a copy of OS/2 3.0 from a friend. It was a boxed copy, still had all of the registration cards, manuals, etc. OS/2 did not like my sound card, which was a cheap SB16 clone. I called IBM tech support, and was rather horrified to know that I was a known OS/2 custoemr in their records (despite never using it before, not telling them about it, and my friend never tellng them about me. Odd) Anyway, the support person that I spoke with actually had a clue, and ironically shared a story about how he promised himself he'd never buy IBM again because of bad tech support in the past. Anyway, it two phone calls over two days, but IBM eventually had me download an experiemntal driver from their website and said that if that did not work, they would conference to determine whether they had to fly a tech to my home to solve it, or if there were a way to solve the problem more quickly. All this over a $50 copy of OS/2!
My new HP USB scanner (4100C, I think it was) didn't work in my computer because there were two basic types of USB controller: The Intel one and everyone else. I had everyone else. I called HP tech support who, after about an hour, could not solve it. The tech eventually spoke with someone else and found that it was a known problem with my USB controller. Now, the company that I purchased the scanner from, Future Shop in Boise, ID. (USA), had gone out of business so I was pretty convinced I was SOL and out of $200.
The HP tech then asked me if I had a working parallel port or SCSI controller. I did, so he offered to send next HIGHER scanner to me provided I sent the old one back, and that it would take 6-8 weeks to deliver.
Well, 5 weeks later I called (6-8 weeks is usually a BS figure they give for safety so you don't bug them) and asked where the scanner was. Apparently the last guy had forgotten to ask for my credit card for collateral in case I did not send back the old scanner... So he sent the next higher up scanner after the one they already offered to send. A 6100Cse. So, I was getting a $400 scanner as a replacement for a $200 scanner. Not bad.
The next day the scanner arrived, sent priority overnight and with documents explaining who to call to have my scanner picked up on HP's bill.
That pretty much won me over to HP, other than their crappy PCs. I was very impressed at how far they went to solve the problem.
Cisco:
I have a friend that works for a telco in Pocatello, ID, USA. To make my point clear, let me give you some quick background: Pocatello has a population of about 45,000 people. It is in Idaho, one of the physically largest states in the USA with one of the smallest populations. The total population of the whole state barely exceeds 1 million and there are zero major cities within several hours.
There was a problem with a Cisco router and my friend's work. Bad power supply, IIRC. He called Cisco about it and they had a replacement part to him TWO HOURS LATER! They had actually hired a taxi cab to deliver it that much faster. How they got a part to such a podunk little backwater town in two hours amazes me to this day. The have no offices anywhere near.
DirecTV also has great support (the support guys get in trouble if they don't solve your problem--if they don't, ask to speak to a supervisor).
Computer Science is no more about computers than astronomy is about telescopes. --E. W. Dijkstra
As a rule, they offer no telephone support. All of their support is via email, or a web form in case your email is down. They usually respond within an hour, and always within 24 hours. The people who respond are actual techs, and they actually have the power to fix things if they're broken.
One of the nicest features about their support web form, though is that after you ask your question, there's a little choice control, with the question: "Please select your general expertise in the area of this request:", with options ranging from "Please explain everything to me carefully" to "I have a good understanding of this stuff" and even "Not to be rude, but I probably know more about this than you!".
What a difference it makes! They don't waste their time reminding me to check my caps lock key when typing in my password, and similarly they don't confuse a newbie by talking about IMAP vs. POP3 (they support both, BTW, which rocks!).
I really like this model - I would be willing to give up phone support from any company if their email support worked this well.
And I highly recommend DreamHost for all of your web-hosting needs. And that's not just because if you say that "dmazzoni" referred you, I'll get a discount!
Having worked in the OEM reselling business, I can tell you that 'front line' tech support people vary greatly depending on who will be calling the line.
If the tech support line is set up so end users can call in when they have trouble, the people on the other end of the line will be the clueless idiots we all know and love. This is because the average customer calling in will have their problem solved by one of the following manners:
- reboot the machine and/or redial
- reinstall the software or drivers
- fix the configuration (i.e. RTFM)
These are certainly the vast majority of the issues and so when non-clueless people phone with a real issue, the chance of getting it solved by people who only know how to fix the above three is very low.
On the other hand, for support that is designed for vendors, it is a different world. When a vendor phones a supplier for support, you can be fairly certain that a tech from the vendor will be phoning and that this tech has eliminated the obvious problems already. Because of this, support for vendors tends to be very good. Having dealt with supplier tech support myself, I can say that wait times are low (usually less than 2 minutes) and the competency of the person you talk to is high.
The bottom line is that unless the end user gets smarter (highly unlikely) we cannot expect much help from the front line mainstream tech support personnel.
I did a RMA with Compaq for a customers Presario (dead MoBo).. While i was working with the lady i found out that the extended warranty had expired a month ago, so i asked them is there was a grace period for renewal. She said yes so i asked for renewal. Beep, beep, beep, i get transferred to their warranty dept and coughed up 100 bucks for a new hardware warranty. Then beep beep beep back to the same techie then processed the order and sent a P3 Coppermine 800 to replace the one that croaked (PII 700). I got the package next day fedex with prepaid waybills.. The board worked, the new processor worked. The customer was extremely happy... Pity i didnt get to keep the broke board, they wanted it back..
First rule of holes; When in one, stop digging.
Grin... Oops, I guess the adolescent, or dirty old man, in me got loose for a second there..
The truth is, you're generally correct.. There are a lot of academics who've never bothered to try. They spend their days in the library or their offices trying to prove that when the stars align just right, there might be a chance that some phenomena will occur. On the other hand, there are a lot of professors that I've had the pleasure of working with who were very productive in industrial positions and returned to the academic world simple to improve the quality of life for their families.
A good friend of mine was an up-and-comer at Boeing and decided that the money wasn't worth it if he missed watching his two daughters grow up.. Another colleague has recently decided to return to academia. He has headed successful projects for the government and is currently running a successful business but feels that it's time to help prepare the next round of engineers.
Those are just two examples.. My choice was a little different. I looked around and interviewed a little as I finished up my degree, but decided that I would be a lot happier in an environment that is driven by the pursuit of crazy ideas.. Yes, the results of those pursuits have to be published, and you'll never achieve tenure without obtaining a sizable chunk of external funding, but the university doesn't really care what you study as long as you meet the above requirements.. That freedom allows me to study topics ranging from neuro-physiology to turbulent fluid dynamics..
I still may not meet your definition of someone who tries, but whoop-dee-doo.. To each their own, right?
Except I think this trend extends to realms completely outsite of Microsoft. The fact is that the market has spoken, and "cheaper" for the most part has won. How many people here regularly diss Apple products just because, "for the same money," they can get a more powerful (but less or un- supported) PC? Well, the saving come from somewhere, and much of that is QA and tech support.
I worked for a computer company for three years. I cannot say what company (moo), but I can tell you what is was like. We were constantly being told that we were an expense to the company, while sales people were being given luxury vacations and other things for sales volumes. About 20% of a class of new technicians made it past their first year - most burned out by then. Come the fourth quarter if profits were not where they should be, there would be layoffs. To maximize the bottom line, the techs making the most money were usually the ones let go. Then in January, new technicians were hired and trained. That is why tech support was at it's worst right after the big Christmas rush.
In a past life, I worked as a phone tech at Dell. Looking out at the 400+ techs around me, there was definitely a *large* disparity in technical skill, uptake, and general troubleshooting process. For those looking to receive quality support, my main recommendation is to act like a decent human being when you call, instead of an arrogant jerk. It's very rare that a technician actually enjoys working on the phone, and it's even doubly rare for the strong techs that know they could be doing more complicated work. The job is not fun. The pay is miserable. A little bit of politeness will get you a long way, and if you get a tech on the phone that obviously doesn't have a clue, just hang up and call back -- it's best for all involved parties. For the technicians out there still on the phones, carry with yourself the two rules I was once taught: 1) Hey, I still get paid. 2) When I go home, *my* computer works.