IT professionals - speak regular English please

[Sean Aaron]

@Santaman: You sure that happened and you're not remembering an urban legend like the one about the guy using a CD-ROM tray as a cup holder?

 

[Santaman]

No one ever used a CD-ROM as a cup holder for real I guess but this person just couldn't get it into his head that the shiny side of the CD goes down.. his wife was actually far more computer savvy then he was but he would have none of it..

 

[Sean Aaron]

Hilarious! It didn't occur to him that you'd load a CD-ROM in the computer just like you'd load a music cd in a cd player?

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

Bullshit. IT people believe most users are idiots because most users are idiots. They'll open any attachment, click any link, run any program--they're clueless. IT can only help you to the extent that you can a) articulate exactly what problem you are experiencing and b) make their job easier by having the slightest damn clue what you're doing.

It's not about being in a "special club," unless that club is "Computer Users with IQs Above Room Temperature."

Yeah yeah, we're so lucky to have them.

Actually, in my experience, IT people are not particularly smart. They are not the paragons of intelligence you're describing here, spreading their manifold wisdom among us mortal men. Most of them have some idea about how their computer system is supposed to work, but are absolutely clueless about what it is used for. Many of them don't care at all about the bottom line, actually.

"Having the slightest damn clue what you're doing"? I know exactly what I'm doing, actually, and I know what IT does, but IT people certainly don't know what I'm doing, aren't interested and frankly don't seem to think it's very important. Which is a mistake in any business, because without any productive people around, tech support guys are useless.

In my opinion, IT people should learn what I'm doing, what's my purpose in the company and how they can make sure that I can get the job done. If they can't be bothered to do that, the least they could do is to get out of the way while I'm working. Honestly, I think things just work better if different people work together to achieve a common goal.

 

[TheGodBen]

@Santaman: You sure that happened and you're not remembering an urban legend like the one about the guy using a CD-ROM tray as a cup holder?

That's not an urban legend. I actually spoke to a guy while working in tech support that thought it was a cup holder. I would have thought that it was all a big joke too, but these people are actually real.

 

[Sean Aaron]

I know exactly what I'm doing, actually, and I know what IT does

Then I'm sure it's a breeze giving you quality tech support, so what are you complaining about?

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

I know exactly what I'm doing, actually, and I know what IT does

Then I'm sure it's a breeze giving you quality tech support, so what are you complaining about?

Well, complaining is fun. Apart from that, I guess my problem is that IT can't seem to be able to prioritize. They can't tell the difference between a minor request and a major emergency because they have no idea about what other people actually do and how they're supposed to do it.

 

[Holdfast]

Interesting topic in some respects. Any specialist field has its jargon, of course, but the mark of a good professional with responsibility for liaising with the general public is being able to communicate effectively and seamlessly with lay personnel. This is true whether the professional under scrutiny is a car mechanic, a surgeon, a tailor or an IT consultant.

Part of good communication skills is an ability to translate jargon seamlessly to ensure customer satisfaction, as well as solving the problem swiftly. In fact, it's eminently arguable that communication skills can actually outweigh technical ability in determining satisfaction; if they're treated nicely, customers can give higher satisfaction scores even if the problem isn't solved when compared to a surly experience that results in a fixed product.

If I was hiring an IT person who as part of their duties would involve interfacing with lay people, I would definitely want evidence of excellent communication skills and not just technical ability. However, such people in any profession tend to be rare, and so attract higher levels of remuneration. Many companies may make a strategic decision not to prioritise their IT services in this respect.

 

[backstept]

because I work in the electronics department at Walmart I'm apparently tech support . . .
"Hi, my computer has a problem?"
"Have you called the manufacturer?"
"No, but I bought it here. Can't you fix it?"

and some people who call us up on the phone get legitimately angry that I can't help them over the phone . . . I sell computers, not fix them . . .

I think that might be a little unfair. People are accustomed to taking things back to the place of purchase, if there's a problem.

sure, they have 15 days to exchange a computer, but after that I can't do anything for them
the manufacturer's warranty would cover any problem they might have other than a drink spill

 

[Jadzia]

Interesting topic in some respects. Any specialist field has its jargon, of course, but the mark of a good professional with responsibility for liaising with the general public is being able to communicate effectively and seamlessly with lay personnel.

People often tell me that I'm good at explaining complex things in a way in which they can understand, and that I'd have made a good teacher.

I'm naturally inclined to try to sense what knowledge people have when I'm talking with them, as well as trying to sense what's going on in their head throughout the conversation.

So when I put my thoughts into words, I try to do so in a way that best fits their mind.

I think it's quite rude and counterproductive to use terms and expressions that other's don't understand.

 

[Vendikarr]

Well, complaining is fun. Apart from that, I guess my problem is that IT can't seem to be able to prioritize. They can't tell the difference between a minor request and a major emergency because they have no idea about what other people actually do and how they're supposed to do it.

I work in IT. In business, priority is based on who has the highest level boss complaining to my boss. It doesn't matter which fix is more sensitive to the company. My boss just wants their boss to stop complaining to him.

I had to stop work on a time sensitive project to help the secretary of a senior VP produce a birthday list for her group. It didn't help that she was entering her options incorrectly and kept lying to me because she didn't want to look like an idiot for doing it wrong.

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

I work in IT. In business, priority is based on who has the highest level boss complaining to my boss. It doesn't matter which fix is more sensitive to the company. My boss just wants their boss to stop complaining to him.

Hmmm... It makes sense.

 

[DarthTom]

Do you want to know the big secret about IT staff? They don't know what exception error 22 is either, but they know how to use Google to find out. Then they follow whatever instructions they find and hope that the problem goes away.

I knew it. Great bullshitters then these people are.

 

[K'Ehleyr]

... Any specialist field has its jargon, of course, but the mark of a good professional with responsibility for liaising with the general public is being able to communicate effectively and seamlessly with lay personnel. This is true whether the professional under scrutiny is a car mechanic, a surgeon, a tailor or an IT consultant.
...

I had cause to call our broadband provider the other day and got through to a most efficient lady. Man, who hates talking on the phone had to eventually take the call as she wanted passwords etc. We also had to reset the box with a paper clip ~ whilst Man was rummaging through drawers I took the phone and said "I'm just putting you on hold" and sang to her

 

[Jadzia]

I took the phone and said "I'm just putting you on hold" and sang to her

Did it go something like this?

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNTVzwjEyb4[/yt]

 

[lurok]

or get a Mac

 

[K'Ehleyr]

I took the phone and said "I'm just putting you on hold" and sang to her

Did it go something like this?

To her ears I'm sure it did

 

[trampledamage]

Part of good communication skills is an ability to translate jargon seamlessly to ensure customer satisfaction, as well as solving the problem swiftly. In fact, it's eminently arguable that communication skills can actually outweigh technical ability in determining satisfaction; if they're treated nicely, customers can give higher satisfaction scores even if the problem isn't solved when compared to a surly experience that results in a fixed product.

If I was hiring an IT person who as part of their duties would involve interfacing with lay people, I would definitely want evidence of excellent communication skills and not just technical ability. However, such people in any profession tend to be rare, and so attract higher levels of remuneration. Many companies may make a strategic decision not to prioritise their IT services in this respect.

This is what I used to do for a living. And not just normal end users, I was working as a consultant to the investment banks in London so I had to translate tech-talk to bankers and banking business requirements back to the computer guys.

I was pretty good at it too Unfortunately I can't figure out how to put that on a resume as a marketable skill...

 

[Vanyel]

What used to get to me was the IT Department every few weeks would send emails telling every to not restart their computers if they had a problem; but when a problem occurred, and I called IT, I was told to restart.

 

[Vanyel]

Anybody remember "Nick Burns, Your Company's Computer Guy"?