Techs Discover End Users Aren't So Bright

hkypipe writes "In response to a CNN story slamming tech support, a former tech fired back. He correctly points out that much of the trouble end users have with their PCs can be traced to their skillset, which in many if not most cases would make them more qualified to operate an Etch-A-Sketch." Not everyone who calls support is clueless though. How many of us have had to sit on hold for hours and reformat a hard drive as DOS just to convince the tech support lackey on the other end that a hard drive really is bad? The article also covers other factors like scripted support, and per-customer time limits, which can make for a poor tech support experience.

Comments

Wrong.

[rice_web]

"How many of us have had to sit on hold for hours and reformat a hard drive as DOS just to convince the tech support lackey on the other end that a hard drive really is bad?"

I for one haven't, and my etch-a-sketch skills are far worse than my use of a computer.

It's the new front end...

[EvilTwinSkippy]

I think one guilty party we all can agree to gang up on are the UI designers. It seem that as soon as I have my users trained on how to operate windows or Mac they go off and completely frell up the interface.

Windows XP, Mac OS X, examples where a humble and simple interface has been morphed into a complex flashy system that no one can find basic stuff. I will grant you that Seniors tend to do a little better with the Fisher-Price interface of XP, but I hate playing seek and find to do basic maintenance.

OS X is an abomination to God. It's pretty and fun to watch, but it solves none of the problems of the old interface. That and can someone PLEASE tell me how to open a unix console without having to pull up the help screen first. For god's sake, I've been using Macs for years, but I feel like a complete idiot using X.

Politically Corrected

[Esion Modnar]

Tech support people: Stop ASSUMING your customers are idiots.

Back before I was replaced by a Russian H1-B visa, I called a Sun hardware support number to arrange to have a failed system board replaced. The nice person there scheduled a hardware tech to make a site visit, gave me the tech's name, and I then hung up.

Soon after I did this, I realized there was an issue about which I needed to speak directly to the hardware tech. However, I had not written the guy's name down, and did not remember it. So I called the number back, and the conversation went something like this (I was speaking to a woman):

Tech Support: Hello, this is Sun, may I help you?
Me: Yes, I need the name of the man assigned to case number XXXXX.
Tech Support: How do you know it was a man? It *could* be a woman, you know.
Me: Nooooo, I don't think so. I was already given the guy's name last time I called, and I remember it was a man's name, I simply don't remember the exact name.
Tech Support: Oh....

And before anybody rags on me about taking better notes, etc., I normally do, or at least I try to. But these things happen when you've got 5 or 6 pots on the stove.