Kitty's Corner

<bows> Thanking you. Thanking you This is an absolutely serious and accurate sign, so beware and reboot before you call us

Exactly They sound very professional - you must be proud of them

...and the original question "have you rebooted your PC?"

Helpdesk school? - yes - Class #1, lesson #1 - make sure the client knows that it's his\her fault, whatever it is...

Lesson #2 - always sigh loudly, sometimes mutter something derogatory (almost quietly enough so the client doesn't hear) and tell the client to reboot. Then stroll away from phone for a cup of Chai tea.

Well - if you want the complete course, I can offer you a personal service, quite cheap (cheaper than you'll get anywhere else in cph, I can assure you)

Umm - rolling the eyes, clicking the tongue, snickering and snorting under your breath as the client speaks - all these techniques come in lesson #3, so well guessed Pussy Cat...and of course, you'll learn to say the words "Server Down!" with such gravity and cool drama that all clients will back away and look at the floor as you stride past.....

I'm glad you're enjoying this Pussy Cat, I'll soon be able to teach you how to beat the IT team at it's own game(s), if you like...

I <3 that picture!

Originally posted by Pussy Cat:

I actually say words that indicate what the problem is,

That's actually irrelevent, Pussy Cat - the helpdesk knows what the problem is, the helpdesk considers the problem to be The User. I can see you need the complete helpdesk course - and you will, I can assure you, be able to beat them at their own game. There are speech techniques and key words you can use which will make them think you might be 'one of them (i.e. undiscovered techo genius)', which might work wonders if they're technically sound but socially incompetent

@ Frederic, it does ring true, doesn't it

Just to look the complete professional, what I usually do is remotely connect into the client's PC and reboot it for them - that way they *really* think they're getting expert-tech service

@Flarin
I don't even connect using RDP, I just ask if they've tried restarting the app that's messing with them or the computer.

I have a lot of the likes of customer service data input clerks as clients, taking phone orders for stuff, and they don't really know what apps they use, poor things - they just click on a shortcut and it's up for the day. They *like* just being able to take their hands off the KB and watch the mouse pointer rove around the screen & reboot them If the clients are happy, my boss is happy, I get paid

I do also curse them, threaten to set them on fire, and occasionally threaten to hogtie them with ethernet cables, put pool balls in their mouths & thrash them with usb mouse cords

I've stopped being amused by the customers since a while back. Telling them 6 times which URL to enter to reach their webmail kind of makes for a lousy conversation.

Me: "now, click where it says 'Outgoing server'"
Customer: "I clicked 'Okay', and now I find it"
Me: "okay, click on..."
Customer: "I clicked 'Next' "

Like 'right mouse click on it' ~ "but I've only got a left hand mouse" and so on

indeed.. or people switching from Windows to Apple "because it is simpler and better" who end up not knowing what they are doing or how they are doing it.

...and ultimately joining the IT team that manages Pussy Cat's offices, by the sound of it

It makes me wonder, sometimes, why punters buy a cool, expensive Mac and then bother running windows inside it. Kinda defeats the purpose of having a Mac, doesn't it. I think it's high street marketing, and technical necessity just doesn't come into the equation when selling to people who know no better.

I agree.. Seriously, a Mac - if you look at the hardware - is a overpriced PC in a designer box. The difference is supposed to be in the OS, which is rather poop.
So, why by overpriced hardware, whit a poopy OS that follows its own standards - which makes it not work well with everything that isn't Apple.

Well, I must admit that if I had $3 - 4,000 (or whatever, big bucks) to spend, I'd be buying an absolute uber windows laptop, not a Mac. But I work exclusively in Microsoft-based world, so it makes sense to keep using what you know (i m o anyway). A top range Mac, although cool, doesn't give me an advantage anywhere, and until corporates start using them for real, would be rather a waste of my skill-acquiring time.

I wouldn't say no if someone gave me one, but that's not where my spending genes take me

Originally posted by fredricsolstad:

So, why by overpriced hardware, whit a poopy OS that follows its own standards - which makes it not work well with everything that isn't Apple.

I've always wondered about that! Then I realised it's because Apple invests so much money in product placement exploits! If there is a movie with consumer tech, it's always Apple!