apologies to all tech support people

[gaspode]

but I found some of this funny
http://www.cracked.com/article_17271...nd-scenes.html

[Dreamstalker]

Some of that does ring true...I've met "techs" who think arrogance equals knowledge

Amusing story: Back in the dark days of 56K modems and dialup, I was tasked with calling ATT tech support to track down an issue with a shared internet connection (timeshare-esque: if my stepdad wanted to use the internet he'd just yell up through the heating vent and I would disconnect). I wasn't a seasoned pro by any means at the age of 13, but I did know some basic stuff. This was back when most support was still US-based; the tech proceeded to determine how much I knew based on what I had tried (IIRC the line of questioning focused on what the modem was doing rather than "is it plugged in"...the computer being powered on was a given). Once that baseline was established, troubleshooting went extremely smoothly.

A lot of problems can't be solved by a script, which seems to be the biggest aggravation.

[tropicsgoddess]

Some of that does ring true...I've met "techs" who think arrogance equals knowledge

-----SNIP------

A lot of problems can't be solved by a script, which seems to be the biggest aggravation.

Amen to that..what irks me is how the corptards give you some asanine number for your call handle time that they think is possible to pull off when it really isn't!!

[Caveat Emptor]

"This often includes no books in your cubicle because they're "distracting" (agents are encouraged to use any free time to read over notes on how to better serve customers or brush up on company policies). And your bathroom breaks will be timed; often companies monitor their computers for idle time and if your computer shows you haven't answered a call within two minutes of ending one, someone comes looking to see why you're slacking off. "

Wow. Spot on. Seriously.

"You may one day be randomly told to stop wearing blue jeans to work because your client, being the company your call center has contracted service out to, wants to portray a more professional image. Which is to say a company that may actually be located in another country has decided that you can't wear jeans while talking to customers who may also be in another country, because it's unprofessional and they may have super-sensitive phones that can detect the sound of denim being worn."

I swear this writer must have been sitting next to me my last two jobs....

From their linked article:

"A 2003 study found that nine out of 10 call centre operators had suffered some type of physical ailment in the last month. High noise levels are a particular risk factor. In all, some 10% of their working time was lost on sick leave."

I had at LEAST half a day per month lost to sickness (stomachaches, migraines etc.) when I worked at a CC for my last job. My current job for the USGov? One sick day for a bad cold total since I started last year,

[draggar]

I've worked in a tech support call center and he is dead on with a lot of the policies (and actions of many of my then co-workers).

[PepperElf]

i've worked with arrogant techs

And dress code policy... ironic that was mentioned.
one of the gals i use to work for - her best friend worked tech support for AOL on the macintosh side

from what i was told.. the dress code at the time was apparently "don't be naked". they had people with wild hair colors, heavily pierced techs, and even techs who rolled out of bed, put on shoes and went to work in their PJs.

since the public never saw them, the company didn't care.