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One of my biggest pet peeves are people that write things like the following. This is an e-mail I received from a customer.
I want to discuss this line by line.
First: Despite the honors diploma from High School, AND despite the Associates Degree in Mechanical Engineering, AND despite the Bachelors in Manufacturing Engineering…I CAN COUNT. Do not waste my time telling me how many questions you are about to ask. If you want to ensure that I have answered each and every questions, then number them. More often that not 90% of questions are answered by some sort of RTFM answer. (that means Read The F’ing Manual for those of you not in tech support)
Second: The first question is a good question. It is simple, it is direct, and I like it.
Third: As to the first sentence, Customer Service did not send you that. Notice how MY name is on the drawing, and simultaneously in the “From” box in the e-mail you received? The second sentence is fine, simple and to the point. The third sentence is not a question. Putting question marks at the end of the sentence does not make that sentence into a question. That sentence is a statement. It is informative. It tells me what your customer wants, and it tells me that those are not listed in the manual. The way you know that it is not a question is that there is no answer. If I say “What is the temperature outside?” you could answer with a number. If I say “It is 70 degrees outside” there is no answer to that question because it is not a question. It is a statement.
I think we have discovered the root of the problem. You answered your own question. You are looking at (List 2) not (List 1). If you looked in (List 1) where you were looking in (List 2) you would have found the model numbers you were looking for. Congrats, you are part of the majority and receive “RTFM” as your problem solving advice.
I feel the need to point out that this customer was the one that has this little e-mail parlay with me also:
Her: Can I get a drawing of my quote?
Me: I can do drawings, what is your quote number?
Her: It was the one you did for me, you should have it.
Me: All of our quotes are organized by the quote number. I have done over 3800 quotes this year, after a while they start to run together. What is your number?
Her: It is XXXXXXXX. I thought you had this already.
Me: (the response I WANT to send) Yes. I am in the habit of asking for information I already have. I have had it for days. However, the 85 average e-mails I receive a day, and the 26 average phone calls I receive a day leave me time to get bored. I REALLY just wanted someone to talk to.
(*Edit for my Lisdexia
*)
I also have (2) questions:
Which price list am I supposed to use? (List 1) or (List 2).
Customer Service sent me a 3D drawing of the tower options. The numbers listed on this drawing don’t match up to the price list. My customer wants the (Model number) w/ frosted doors but they are not listed in the price list??
Which price list am I supposed to use? (List 1) or (List 2).
Customer Service sent me a 3D drawing of the tower options. The numbers listed on this drawing don’t match up to the price list. My customer wants the (Model number) w/ frosted doors but they are not listed in the price list??
First: Despite the honors diploma from High School, AND despite the Associates Degree in Mechanical Engineering, AND despite the Bachelors in Manufacturing Engineering…I CAN COUNT. Do not waste my time telling me how many questions you are about to ask. If you want to ensure that I have answered each and every questions, then number them. More often that not 90% of questions are answered by some sort of RTFM answer. (that means Read The F’ing Manual for those of you not in tech support)
Second: The first question is a good question. It is simple, it is direct, and I like it.
Third: As to the first sentence, Customer Service did not send you that. Notice how MY name is on the drawing, and simultaneously in the “From” box in the e-mail you received? The second sentence is fine, simple and to the point. The third sentence is not a question. Putting question marks at the end of the sentence does not make that sentence into a question. That sentence is a statement. It is informative. It tells me what your customer wants, and it tells me that those are not listed in the manual. The way you know that it is not a question is that there is no answer. If I say “What is the temperature outside?” you could answer with a number. If I say “It is 70 degrees outside” there is no answer to that question because it is not a question. It is a statement.
I think we have discovered the root of the problem. You answered your own question. You are looking at (List 2) not (List 1). If you looked in (List 1) where you were looking in (List 2) you would have found the model numbers you were looking for. Congrats, you are part of the majority and receive “RTFM” as your problem solving advice.
I feel the need to point out that this customer was the one that has this little e-mail parlay with me also:
Her: Can I get a drawing of my quote?
Me: I can do drawings, what is your quote number?
Her: It was the one you did for me, you should have it.
Me: All of our quotes are organized by the quote number. I have done over 3800 quotes this year, after a while they start to run together. What is your number?
Her: It is XXXXXXXX. I thought you had this already.
Me: (the response I WANT to send) Yes. I am in the habit of asking for information I already have. I have had it for days. However, the 85 average e-mails I receive a day, and the 26 average phone calls I receive a day leave me time to get bored. I REALLY just wanted someone to talk to.
(*Edit for my Lisdexia
*)
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