Tech support = skilled janitors

[nechronius]

Too many people think along these lines. In the company I work for the entire help desk / desktop support crew is made up of temporary workers.

Never mind that support personnel are often very closely tied with the routine workings of the company.

Never mind that you're constantly bombarded on all sides by people asking for your help off the clock (Do I ever ask you to do my taxes or represent me in a petty lawsuit for free?).

Never mind that the staff is constantly being cut despite the fact that you support DOZENS of locations around the globe with numerous represented Time Zones.

Never mind that due to the staff cuts nobody in the department has had a chance to be away from their desk for a full hour to eat lunch without somehow being interrupted or being pulled into an assignment.

Never mind that if the support staff walked out business would come to a GRINDING HALT in a matter of hours.

And despite all that we're still typically underpaid, overworked, underappreciated, and overstressed.

If the user's machine is rapidly failing, it's our fault when it does break in our presence.

If the company's ISP goes down, it's our fault that the user can't web surf.

If the user goes out and buys/installs nonstandard software, it's our fault that we won't support them.


Today's rant mode off.

[Darren Wilson]

'Every problem is the fault of the Support staff' , thats why the support staff are there. If they didn't mess with anything they wouldn't have the problems 90% of the time.

I know how you feel buddy, I got the blame for a user getting a virus from an email in my last job, just because they ignored my advice to buy an anti-virus program. There answer to that was 'As virus's are free , anti-virus software should be as well'.

Don't you just love them

[PuterGeekGirl]

Someone's gotta be the "scapegoat"....I guess that's why God created techies? We are the few, the proud...the "chosen" ones...

[mahdi]

Just blame me...everyone else does

[Radical Dreamer]

The golden rule:

When you work on a computer, anything that happens to it on the next ten years is your fault

[LPetrarca]

Originally posted by Radical Dreamer:
The golden rule:

When you work on a computer, anything that happens to it on the next ten years is your fault

Absolutely! I have a VERY responsible position...............everything that goes wrong, I'm responsible for!

[Chëëzmønkëy]

<marquee>ALL YOUR PROBLEMS ARE BLAME ON US</marquee>

[GirlGeek]

I've developed a CYA policy that is working rather well. They sign for EVERYTHING, and I do mean everything. Don't want a firewall or AV protection? Sign on the dotted line. Network installation? Sign attached contract with everything explicitly spelled out as to what is to be expected right down to the floor being in "broomable" condition when the job is done. It's kind of like that warning on the Preparation H bottle that reads, DO NOT INGEST. It's there becouse one mook decided to spread it on toast and try it that way. 99% of the time my disclaimers aren't needed, but when they are I am so happy I had them signed.

[MacGyver]

This is what I told my boss about getting an external consultant to do our network admin instead of me. I have an intracate knowledge of how the company works and how the IT systems are to function to enable the company to earn revenue. If the server is down, I can't do much work anyways. Might as well fix it since I know how.

Originally posted by nechronius:
Never mind that support personnel are often very closely tied with the routine workings of the company.... Never mind that if the support staff walked out business would come to a GRINDING HALT in a matter of hours.

[Kyr0n]

Originally posted by PuterGeekGirl:
Someone's gotta be the "scapegoat"....I guess that's why God created techies? We are the few, the proud...the "chosen" ones...

Yea, kinda like you get "chosen" to get a tax audit

[paranoid]

having worked for a Uni, All I can say is I feel the pain. How could it be the users fault? They have a masters in BS and whatever, how could it be them? It must be me, the underpaid, under educated, under qualified tech that knows nothing about life.
My message to the acedemics out there, Get out of school and into the real world. See the problems you cause, and take some damn responsibility.
I'm so sick of everything being my fault. Currently its my fault that intel revised their 815 boards. I wish, I could use an Intel salary.

[AHTTech]

GirlGeek is right, we have Service Level Agreements, if the client refuses to follow our recommendations, sorry, you lose. We (as she does) tries to keep the client happy, but, if it comes down to "he said, she said" we are covered.

[KINGofBLEH]

Originally posted by mahdi:
Just blame me...everyone else does

Maaaan I get blamed for everything from forgotten passwords to BSOD to network outages to crummy hardware to cheap management. I am everyones cause and solution to their problems.

[PitaBred]

paranoid: Not all people who are in college or whatnot are dumb. Please don't ostracise all of us when there are only a few who do it. I know that I am pretty damn competent, as are many of my friends/colleagues, but we all work at the University here.

(No, I don't have a BS yet, but I will soon)

[paranoid]

pitabread, no offence to you my friend. I just get ticked off when it comes down to that. I didn't 'do' college or Uni, so when I deal with these people, they always let me know that I'm nobody because of it.
to revise the previous statement, you are right. Not all college people are dumb, and many are very bright. I just seem to meet the dull ones a lot more, but then that makes sence. why are the smarties going to need me?
Oh, and got any notes for that BS degree? I could use a foot in...