Monday, December 18, 2006

Please Be Nice.

I think there are just some people who are nasty.

I work on a helpdesk which means people call me and I try to help them solve their problems. My job is to get them the best help in the least amount of time. I try to get the right techs to the right people. And I also try to track down the right help even if the person calls the wrong helpdesk.

But when you get people who call for help and then do everything in their power to prevent us from doing our job, is there anything else to call it than nasty? I want to say evil, but I will not go that far. But why would you call for help and then be totally mean to the person who is trying to help you? Shouldn't the person be nice to me? I am the one who can delay the sending of the tech.

Then there was the person who was complaining about having to wait 20 minutes on hold. I am sorry she had to wait, but what did she think I was doing? I was not sitting around having beer and pizza. I was trying to track down the proper help for her. She called the wrong place and I was trying to help. All she could do is complain. It is not like I just put her on hold and sat and did sudokus. I would have liked to, but I was really trying to help. Why would she be so nasty?

I though we were in the season of Christmas, Peace on Earth and Goodwill to All and all of that. I have not noticed people being nice, they actually seem more mean.

Maybe they are angry because they are at work while all their coworkers are gone. Maybe they are angry because they are at work and the computer fails. But maybe they ought to realize we are at work too and we don't like being treated as if we are just placed here to make their lives difficult.

When you are out and about, or calling to a helpdesk, be nice to these people. They are just trying to make a living.

3 comments:

Lemuel said...

Having had to work help desk as a part of a job that was "master of all trades", I can relate. Sometimes you work with people who are - dare I say - clueless. Despite that, as a help desk person, you are courteous and nice to that person. When you get the folks who need to totally externalize their frustration, somehow they do not seem to feel the need to act with that same courtesy and recognition that you are trying to help.

Ur-spo said...

i admire your courage for doing this type of work; it is full of nasty and downright evil people.
and christmas brings out the worst of them.

Steve and Warren ~ said...

Benton...this is Steve and Warren (formerly of North Woods Guys) we've changed our blog and have a new web address. Please change our link.

Steve and Warren