Garbage In, Garbage Out

I am sure that we have all heard the adage of “garbage in, garbage out” when it comes to software.  However, based on my experience, the phrase also applies to support as well. It applies in all directions and regardless of perspective. Allow me to illustrate it…

End user #1: Hey local tech support, my _________ is not working right.
Local Tech: Ok I will call our service provider.
End user waits.
Cloud Tech: How can I help you?
Local Tech: Hey, Bob’s email is not working right! We are getting killed over here!
Cloud Tech: Ok who is Bob? And what exactly is not working right?
Local Tech: Umm… I don’t know, can you hold on?
The call goes on hold and at least 10 minutes go by.

Eventually the local guy comes back and tries his best to describe an image as you would to a blind person (because phones do not have video, completely). Mind you from your perspective as an MSP, while all these shenanigans are going on your end user is STILL down.

Now this is where I start yelling at my guys. Unfortunately, technology requires data not a verbal origami that somehow turns into a flying bird from a napkin. “Get that guy off the phone and tell him to paste you the headers, get the .msg file if you can, and get a screenshot.” Show me the problem!

It is at this stage that we either have a problem we fix, or a problem you fix. But sadly, we (yes both you and us) wasted 80% of the time saying something like this:

Tech 1: What does it say?
Tech 2: It says…
Tech 1: No no that line, the next line.
Tech 2: It says…
Tech 1: You skipped a line, I need the one in between.
Tech 2: Oh that one!

Trust me I get it, I love to “talk to someone” too, every day of the week. But you know what I would really like for myself and my customer every time? I would like for my problem to be solved in a timely fashion. And this is something that happens both ways, sometimes we ask bad questions, but other times we get a ticket that is composed of a PSA ticket forward that says “My email is down”, that’s it. That’s just as bad as reply that says “That sucks”. Yet they both contain the same amount of useful information.

Carlos Lascano
VP Support Services, ExchangeDefender
carlos@ownwebnow.com
(877) 546-0316 x737