WHy tech support can't get mad

[Adrian]

I came here from the post by "Rufus" on The Register. He wrote a long e-mail about the situation, which included one line;

"Why can't customer service/ tech support reps get pissed off some times? When we start this job, do we forfeit our rights to be human? Why? Because we get paid? So since the customer didn't get paid, they don't need to treat us with the dignity that we deserve?"

I think Penny Arcade answered it best, so click www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2003/09/01.

[Patch]

Here are my views:

The customers initial mail was over the top. Yes it may have been difficult to find the file he wanted. However, simply send a mail saying:

"Can you help me find 'x'. By the way I found the link on your page but it would appear that the URL is commented out. Might be worth getting someone to sort this out?

Thanks"

As it was the customer was, quite frankly, accusing and unpleasant.

And in response to your post (from the hilarious penny arcade), Rufus didn't sign up to a job 'eating bees', he signed up to a technical support/customer support job. Unless we are willing to admit that the public are ALL unpleasant idiots then taking this job isn't eating bees. Its providing a service.

Tech support will be nice if you are. Often we will be nice if you are not but if you are unpleasant don't think that we will go the extra mile or do you a favour in the future.

To sum up:
Getting a job in tech support doesn't mean signing away your rights as a human being, just taking eveything that you get.

[Technoheretic]

From my experience, tech support IS eating bees, just not all the time, and they don't warn you about bees at your job interview.

People should have to be tested before they're allowed to have a computer, just like a car!

My most rediculous customer email to date has to be:
"Hi
Could someone the this account
thanks"
wtf?
They don't even read their damn emails before they send them to tech support!

[Geeksr]

Those that do not give tech support should not comment on those that do. Comments like "You took the job", and "You will lose the customer", and god forbid the old "The customer is always right" are foolish.

Absorbing someone else's frustration is far beyond the call of helping some one with a technical issue, and that is the job they took.

By the time some customer unloads on you, they have already decided not to buy this product again, and frankly if they haven't you don't want thier business in the future. People that call tech support because they are too stupid to use their computer are the biggest cost factor in the entire industry. Let your competitor have those costs.

The customer isn't always right, in fact today many customers are consumerist thieves. That is to say people who use consumerism to get something for nothing, often at the expense of a tech support person.

While the original "Rufus" emails were obviously idiotic and immature, the response from (reportedly the real) Rufus was not.

Tech support people are human and they do have feelings. They should be expected to lose their composure from time to time.

[NoWorrysTechSupport]

[Rufus]

Technoheretic said:

My most rediculous customer email to date has to be:
"Hi
Could someone the this account
thanks"
wtf?
They don't even read their d**n emails before they send them to tech support!

That's a good one ;D

[fgfgdfg]

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