Ravings of a former Tech Support technician

[Snakebyte1]

Hi...

I have read a few postings about crappy tech support, and I often see that the Techs get called idiots quite a bit.

Keep in mind that Tech Support technicians don't often have it easy. Night shifts, long hours, low pay, lots of stress. I know, as I did the phone support thing as my first job in the tech sector for a miserable year (for a competitor of Dell) back in the mid 90s, supporting hardware and software. I admit there were a fair share of bone-heads and idiots who just don't seem to learn (they last a few months before being replaced by more bone-heads), and there are jerks who know better but just don't care. But most of the techs are hard working and knowledgeable but under a great deal of stress

Your supervisor is constantly on your back about call times: take more calls, do them in shorter time, reduce your on-hold times, reduce your off-line times, take your breaks exactly when scheduled (almost impossible to not be on a call when that time arrives) etc. Many times they wanted you to do mutually exclusive things - like when processing a part replacement you'd keep the customer on hold so your hold time goes up and you'd be flagged. So next time you let the customer go and then process a replacement, but your off-line time goes up and you'd be flagged. You are supposed to stay with a customer throughout the whole troubleshooting process, but when that involves formatting a hard drive or re-installing Windows etc you know your call time will shoot up and your call volume will go down and you'll be flagged. Get lots of flags and you don't get the shifts you want, get flagged too much and you are gone.

These call centres operate 24-7, so when you get a tech they could be on the end of a shift. I recall one shift where I had just completed 14 modem-related calls in a row, it was approaching 2:30am and the end of my 10 hour shift and then I got a CD-ROM problem call. What's a CD-Rom?? I was so burnt, I couldn't even think of the first step. I wasted a good 15min of their time before I could start to think again. I'm sure they must have thought I was an idiot. It was just their bad luck to get me when I was exhausted.

When the company puts out new hardware, Tech Support is usually the LAST to know about it. You only find out about when a caller phones in. They expect you to be an expert on it, and you've never even heard of it!!! They started shipping the slot load CD rom unit and I never knew about it. I was trying to get the caller to open the CD tray!!!! They ship out new cases and then tech support has to walk a person through opening it but they don't even have a schematic of it. When you do get specs for new hardware they were usually wrong. One time we got a photocopied spec sheet for a new motherboard and the copy was completely black!! Try having a caller find jumpers when you've never seen the board! You get mad at the company for putting you in that kind of situation and the caller gets frustrated.

You get call after call of people who know very little about computers. Some are terrified of them and near tears because they "lost the taskbar". They try and explain their problems but sometimes you just don't have a clue of what they mean. Others don't listen. You tell them to do such and such and then you hear them clicking the mouse and typing and you know they are doing something else. It gets very frustrating, but these people usually are appreciative of the help. Others try and trick you into supporting their pirated software. (Why is it after re-installing Windows no one ever seems to have the CDs for their software, and then blame Tech Support?)

There are the arrogant know-it-alls. You tell them what to do and they say "No that's not it", and call you an idiot. Well if they know more then why did they call and why don't they fix it? You can sense Attitude over the phone and it does affect the way you deal with them. So if they get upset about it, they should realize that it is just a reflection of what they are giving. When you do fix their problem they hang up on you without so much of a thanks.

Then there are the IRATES. These people yell and scream and throw tantrums at you. I was once dealing with a hard drive issue and the guy wanted a new drive. Policy required I go through some steps to confirm the drive was physically damaged and that lead to a verbal barrage but the caller let it slip out that he had disassembled the drive! Sorry, can't replace the drive (What part of "Warranty Void if Removed" did they not understand?) They went ballistic! Why do people think that anger will get them what they want all the time? Generally the tech will try much harder for someone who is polite and respectful, but love to screw over an Irate. After getting screamed at, oops, I'll just forget to send out your part! Maybe not the right thing to do but it does happen. These kinds of calls are draining and it sucks if you happen to be the next couple of callers after that. After you get your first one like that, you are always kinda waiting for the next one...

My favourite was when a caller's first line was "I want to speak to a manager!" Oh boy here we go. Generally there are only 3 or 4 "supervisors" on the floor (even less at night), and they are NOT going to take a call like that. As well, they generally don't have the authority to do any more that the tech can. The people who do have the power to "give you a new computer" are usually never on site.

A Tech is limited by the information and policies the company provided. They are usually sympathetic to the callers problems and long waiting times and let them vent a bit, and would love to solve the problems with a single mouse click. But they are not about to get fired by doing something they have been told not to, even if they sympathize with the caller.

One of my last calls was some guy who immediately demanded a manager and started into a rant. From the information I did get I could tell his video card had become unseated during delivery and politely instructed him that we could re-seat the card and the machine would be up and running in 5 minutes. He went ballistic, demanded an on-site technician be sent within an hour (something that was NOT going to happen), and just blasted me, and it really got to me. I was in mid-sentence when I saw my hand go to the phone and release the call. I waited to see if a supervisor would come around and escort me out - but I guess they were not monitoring that call. I was ineffective for the rest of that shift. As I drove home I knew I had to get out, and two weeks later I landed a new job rolling out workstations for a Government department - regular hours, twice the pay, 1/8th the stress. The Tech Support job was critical for me to learn things, and as much as I hated it. I helped many people, I made mistakes as well. I would not be where I am now without it.

When I call a Support line I always remember what its like to be on the other end. I let them go through the processes they have to and I am polite. If I don't get what I want I say thank you, hang up and call back later to get someone else, and work my way through the required steps.

So would anyone like to comment on their Tech Support stories (either as a caller or technician)?

D.

[bugster]

I know this is Computer related, but not really what the Computer forum is for, so I amoving you to Off-Topic.

/moderator bugster

Interesting post BTW. I might describe some of my more interesting support calls (from the customer side) when I have more time

[Cobra]

I have had to use tech support once. It was for a Canon scanner. In the end, I solved it by myself but I was thinking when I was on the phone to the guy at the centre about how he has a really tough job. Everyone's system is different, and to be able to put into words everything I needed to do...

[Faustus]

Heh one whole year? I've been doing tech support since 1995.

And yeah you hit it on the head. If your logical and polite you get better support then if your irate and irrational.

[Snakebyte1]

Ya, I only lasted a year because I am the type that takes things personally. I know when someone is frustrated they take it out on the first person they get to and you are not supposed to take it personally, but I always found it difficult to do that. I found that after some calls I felt angry or depressed for quite awhile.. We had some techs both, male and female, crying at times.

For some people, though, it doesn't get to them, so they really enjoy doing tech support, and after a few years of it they have a real wealth of knowledge, if only the callers would allow them to help them.

It also depends on the company. If you are treated as a valuable asset then its much more enjoyable. If each week you have to sit in your supervisor's office while they show you your stat chart and explain how you need to do something you know can't be done and made to feel like you can be replaced by anyone coming out of the local tech school, it's not fun..

[bugster]

I have a great deal of sympathy for the telephone tech support workesr as a whole. I can see it is often a difficult and tahnkless task, but on the rare occasions that I need to call, I expect the person at the the end of the line to listen to my problems and react appropriatley rather than just follow a script, which I know many are forced to do.

When I describe a problem and the 1st response is 'have you tried rebooting the PC' I tend to feel I have not been listened too, or I am being treated as a moron.

I remember one call that was quite amusing. I had to re-install Windows on my wifes laptop. I ran the supplied 'recovery' disk and it rebooted. Fine. But it was very slow. Investigation showed that the HD was in PIO mode. Nothing I tried would correct this, so I called tech support. The tech had no idea what I was talking about, he had heard of DMA but didn't know what it was or how it worked. He said he would have to escalate me to a supervisor but I would have to hold, would that be OK? I said yes, I would wait. He then started to ask me questions about DMA. What does it stand for, what does it do and how does it make things quicker than PIO mode. I spent about 30 mins teaching him about how DMA works and why it is more effecient than PIO. Eventually the supervisor arrived and I had to describe the problem again. He quickly diagnosed a missing driver required for SIS chipsets, gave me the URL to download it and everything was fixed. So at the end of the day my problem was solved, but I ended up educating the tech support person a lot more than I got in return!

[Snakebyte1]

That kind of thing is very common. Where I was (and I'm sure there are better and there are worse places) we had 1 week of "training". That training involved mainly how to use the tracking system and how to process replacement parts etc, which where I was, was a lengthy and complicated process on really buggy software. Actually going over the basics of troubleshooting was hardly touched.

Most of the new people were fresh out of Tech school, and of all ages. It was assumed they knew enough from that and didn't need training, and if they bombed out, well, there's more.

I remember my first couple of days, I was more scared of making a mistake than anything and I seemed to forget everything as soon as my call came in. Once you get over that and get a few successes under your belt you're usually fine and you get much more efficient and knowledgeable.

I hate the required script work. I didn't have to use a formal script but we had to ensure a series of things had been done (like reboots) before we could go on to the next step. If you figured your caller knew the basics you could skip somethings, but if your call was monitored you'd be called in and "flagged".

[Faustus]

Yeah most of my call score troubles is because I take any excuse to ditch the script. Even my supervisors agree that my calls always go better when I do. But since upper management calls the shots we are stuck with it.

One hand never knows what the other is doing. I take a 2nd type of call thats a pay service, same company different devision. They figured out the customer wants minimum hassle and just to be fixed. I greet them, get their ID number, open a case and go right into trouble shooting. The callers love it, we get return business on it over and over again. Those same calls don't realize the other free service they complain about is often also me, its all in how its done.

The problem is the policies are set for the lowest common demoninator. The scripts are there because some people DON'T understand common decency, theyhave no people skills. The scripted support is there because often the poeple have no idea what they are doing.

You said many of the people just got out of tech schools, often times with tech support they have no special training at all going it. Sink or Swim.

The bad part is as long as they have great stats they are swimming. Format it, REstore it, get them off the phone, log it, follow the script. Perfect employee. Number of issues resolved in an average day? 0

I'm a big supporter of the concept that unless the buyers DEMAND better support they will not get it. If you don't like outsourced support buy from a company that doesn't. If you don't want a script let the tech take your name and info then explain to him. "I don't want to you follow some script and if you do I'll be angry" it takes it off the techs back. Afterall they have to follow what the customer wants.

I'll bend over backwards and break the rules for a nice person with a good attitude. I'll punt you to Microsoft so fast if your a dick.

[jimmalenko]

It's one of those thankless tasks, isn't it ?

I worked in customer service for 9 years before my current job as helpdesk / tech maintanance (3 years), and I was nodding my head at just about everything said so far.

[lordsmurf]

Your supervisor is constantly on your back about call times: take more calls, do them in shorter time, reduce your on-hold times, reduce your off-line times, take your breaks exactly when scheduled (almost impossible to not be on a call when that time arrives) etc. Many times they wanted you to do mutually exclusive things - like when processing a part replacement you'd keep the customer on hold so your hold time goes up and you'd be flagged. So next time you let the customer go and then process a replacement, but your off-line time goes up and you'd be flagged. You are supposed to stay with a customer throughout the whole troubleshooting process, but when that involves formatting a hard drive or re-installing Windows etc you know your call time will shoot up and your call volume will go down and you'll be flagged. Get lots of flags and you don't get the shifts you want, get flagged too much and you are gone.

Yes. This one always took the cake. Who gives a flying **** how long the call took, as long as the problem was solved in a timely manner compared to the complaint?

You know, "upper level" techs never get as much BS as lower end ones. In fact, if a call was going to take more than 20 min, in some places, that's an automatic escalation. So that the next tech has to basically start over, so 20min + more to figure out the issue. That's tech business for you, stupid and screwed.

Most "upper level" techs are also not "more qualified" but just had a longer tenure at the company. It's not uncommon to find a new employee that knows 100x more than the highest level techs.

[lordsmurf]

There are the arrogant know-it-alls. You tell them what to do and they say "No that's not it", and call you an idiot. Well if they know more then why did they call and why don't they fix it? You can sense Attitude over the phone and it does affect the way you deal with them. So if they get upset about it, they should realize that it is just a reflection of what they are giving. When you do fix their problem they hang up on you without so much of a thanks.

This could describe me, or probably even you, should you ever call tech suport for any reason and be treated like an idiot.

Take my cable company. I know what's wrong 99% of the time. I call them, and tell them to fix this or fix that. Stuff on their end, DNS servers, line is down, reset the IP, etc.

But no. I have to get the dumbass that thinks I am 5 years old, and asks me how my "blinking lights" look on the modem. Then he wants to step me through a power cycle, which I have easily done 3-4 times already, futilely, in the hopes of a quickie fix. So I have to politely tell the guy on the other end to shut his trap and look at the reason "I" stated. If that one is wrong, we can try things his way.

It may piss them off a bit, but I don't want to waste 15-20 more minutes on the phone to do stuff I already did for 15-20 minutes before calling.

If they refuse, I usually ask for a supervisor, and make him check. Supervisors are often a lot smarter than low or even upper techs.

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And if the person speaks broken English, I flat out tell them to get another job when phones are not involved, and please connect me to somebody that speaks my own language fluently and clearly.

[jimmalenko]

I generally explain that I'm an IT officer by occupation, and what I've already tried before calling tech support. I just say "I've rebooted this", "I've checked the configs and they're all OK", etc etc. Also I say "Obviously I know a fair bit about this, and I'm only calling YOU because I KNOW it's something at YOUR end".

If they don't buy it, simply let them do their spiel and just answer from memory instead of actually checking what they want you to check, until they get to the point where you're at