InsideTech

Here's the deal. I've worked in IT or "with computers" for over 20 years now. If there's one thing I've determined about the communication between end-users and the IT staff that provides them support, it's that you've GOT to be flexible and treat every individual with the same respect you yourself would want someone to provide to you. I've worked a call center, tech support job for everything from the "I put my credit card in the little slot on the front of the computer" user, to the "I am the supremely awesome power systems administrator for a multi-million dollar company that loses millions for every second our Internet connection is down" jerk. Now I get to be the head honcho for all technology related aspects of the company for which I work. I still maintain a healthy respect for every individual with whom I come into contact and treat them as people - not inferior underlings or wastes of technology.

Yes, I know all the fun stories and "cute" acronyms - ID10T error, PEBKAC, "...put the computer back in the box...", etc. Sure, they make me laugh when I hear them, and I'm sometimes astonished by the interesting assumptions that the uninitiated come up with about technology as a whole. Still, these days the IT department is much more of a service industry than ever before. Forgive the comparison, but we're much like the waiter at your favorite restaurant. We have to provide a service in a friendly, effective and efficient manner. We're face-to-face (or phone-to-phone) with our "customers" on a regular basis and have to be able to communicate with them in a manner that gives them a feeling that we (a) know what we're doing, and (b) are going to do everything we can to help them. If that same waiter were to give you attitude about asking what kinds of side dishes are available with your steak because he thinks you should already know enough about their menu, you're not likely to want to deal with them again. You may take your business elsewhere.

We are lucky to be in a field that we enjoy (most of us, anyway). We have the advantage of knowing more about the way today's technology works than a fair percentage of the population. Why not SHARE what we've learned with our users and EDUCATE them on the technology and issues so that we can ALL be less frustrated when trying to communicate? Of course, it would probably mean less replacement of the automatic cup holders, but who among us wants to do physical labor anyway? :-P

I think you all are sour pusses, this article was meant to be fun, and you pretty much just spit at it cause u didn't agree with the funny. I'm a Tier 1 Tech Support and I find these situations relevant and funny. I say good article, and don't hate, participate peeps.

What's with IT Worker. Jesus if someone called me an IT Worker and not an IT Professional I would get more pissed off than being asked if an optical drive is a cup holder, way more pissed off. IT Worker is more like that secretary that was promoted to Help Desk I because she knows how to use Office and get herself around a spreadsheet or some call center in India where people follow a script before sending a Tech out to fix your printer. This article has been played out several times already, heard it, don't care, time to move on to real issues within the world of the IT Professional.

numach hit the nail on the head with what should be discussed and that is ego-maniacs within the IT field who seem to think they know everything and in the process end up upsetting everyone around them with their I know more than you attitudes. Been there done that with several admins already turns out they are more ego than knowledge and experience. Shameful.

Here's my favorite from past experience:
Caller to website helpdesk: I can't connect to the website. Is it down [again]?
Help Desk: No, it's not down. [runs through a check list of typical problems with no success] Can you check to see that your workstation is still connected to your phone line? [this is back before cable modems and DSL were prevalent]
Caller: Why? What's the phone have to do with connecting to the website?
[you can imagine what the problem turned out to be]

jdmills: The intention of this post is not to be used as a direct "How-To" for beginner IT workers. It's supposed to be funny, and the (slightly) droll commentary should point you to that. That being said, the post is indeed titled "what not to say," so I'll add a line in there about not taking these too seriously.

Bushputz: I've added a note saying that I took these from notes throughout the years, including when the floppy was relevant. The cultural impact of that device is still around though, and I hear older folks still referring to it. So it's not out of left field.

Numach and bjb: It's not ill-conceived because the intention is to have a little fun with it, while clarifying a couple of IT issues. Despite the slightly condescending tone on a few of my "answers," I made sure to accept the POV of the noob on a few of them, because simplifying information for a general audience is one of the jobs of the IT worker.

I take IT professionalism seriously and bristle at e-mails that direct me to stupid web articles like this. This article just stirs up stereotypes.

Why not concentrate on educating novice end users on better understanding issues? Or educating IT professionals on better communication skills for dealing with novice users?

Floppy disk?
Has this article been sitting in your emergency writer's-block/too-lazy-to-write-today folder for the last decade?