# Answer the question, jerk! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 28, 2006, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answer-the-question-jerk/341938 "2006-01-28T01:17:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2006, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answer-the-question-jerk/341938/21 "2006-01-29T00:23:58Z")
> [@Scarlett67](#): > > Well, I like to call it Bob . . . Hm. My laptop is Diogenes, one desktop is Socrates and the other is Goethe. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2006, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answer-the-question-jerk/341938/22 "2006-01-29T00:58:35Z")
> [@RickQ](#): > > Sorry, I posted as my wife, Brynda, above. Yeah, I was a little confused. Isn’t she a psychotherapist, not a tech supportress? What’s it like being married to a psychologist, BTW? (I’m curious because I’m considering becoming a psychologist, not marrying one.) > [@flight](#): > > Seriously, can anyone explain this to me. I have experienced the auto-data-getter when communicating with several different companies, yet EVERY DAMN TIME I immediately have to repeat the information to a human. I do mean repeat too, I am not just reconfirming again what I already confirmed. Do they just use it as a method of putting someone on hold so they do not realize how long they are waiting? I did this just now to opt-out of credit card offers based on my credit score. (The need to do so is kind of flattering, in a way.) It had me say and spell my name–it messed up my last name once and I had to do it again, but it didn’t mess it up as bad as most humans do–and asked me to say my birthdate (no problems) and then say my address _without spelling any words_. I was shocked to find that it got my rather long address, with an apartment number on the end, picture-perfect the first time. My experience was pretty pleasant. > [@Mama Tiger](#): > > You want to try frustrating? Try dealing with doctors requiring support. Who are military officers, no less. Ever tried to get _treated_ by military officer doctors? Now that is a study in frustration! ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2006, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answer-the-question-jerk/341938/23 "2006-01-29T01:30:30Z")
I had to explain to one client that ‘click’ meant ‘press down on the mouse button’. Some of the people I have to support shouldn’t be trusted with _scissors_, let alone a computer. ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2006, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answer-the-question-jerk/341938/24 "2006-01-29T01:35:23Z")
> [@fluiddruid](#): > > Call center person here. It’s very possible that the reason you’re entering information is so that they’re routing you to the right person. Not every agent is trained on every single thing for every single customer, for example; if I call my cable company or my cell phone company, I have to enter my phone number, so they can send me to the right call center for my region. It’s used in the same way as “Press 1 for billing, press 2 for cancellations” is; they’ll still ask what they can help you with. > > Interestingly, many large companies outsource different customers and problems to different centers. If you choose not to enter your account number (or whatever), you might get transferred to Site A, which is owned by a different company and in a different area than Site B where you need to go. That makes sense, but you’d think they could figure out a way to relay any pertinent information to the agent taking the call (assuming he’s sitting in front of a computer). The current system not only annoys customers, but costs the company extra money from the added call length incurred by needless repetition. ---
**Author:** ![RickQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@RickQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickQ)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2006, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answer-the-question-jerk/341938/25 "2006-01-29T01:50:43Z")
> [@fetus](#): > > Yeah, I was a little confused. Isn’t she a psychotherapist, not a tech supportress? > > What’s it like being married to a psychologist, BTW? (I’m curious because I’m considering becoming a psychologist, not marrying one.) It’s actually really great. People often ask me, thinking that she is analyzing me all the time, but that is not the case. She is great at figuring out why we are acting certain ways which helps us not fight. On the subject of my OP, she is going to help me learn some relaxation techniques so that I don’t get as stressed and frustrated. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2006, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answer-the-question-jerk/341938/26 "2006-01-29T02:01:19Z")
> [@RickQ](#): > > It’s actually really great. People often ask me, thinking that she is analyzing me all the time, but that is not the case. She is great at figuring out why we are acting certain ways which helps us not fight. > > On the subject of my OP, she is going to help me learn some relaxation techniques so that I don’t get as stressed and frustrated. That is _really cool_, and puts another point in the ‘psychology’ column for me. Especially since I and the girl who seems most likely to be my future wife some far point in the future, aren’t fluent in each others’ native language–every bit of extra understanding of behavior and mental processes will probably help. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2006, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answer-the-question-jerk/341938/27 "2006-01-29T07:52:38Z")
I didn’t read the entire thread so maybe someone else mentioned something simlar, but one of the things I always get when I’m trying to help someone fix their computer Them: I keep gettin an error when I try to pull up my word file from my disk Me: What does it say? Them: I don’t know I don’t read it I just click ok. :smack: Me: Okay, try and pull of the file again Them: Okay Me: Did you get the error message Them: Yea Me: What did it say… Them: I don’t know I hit ok :smack: :smack: Me: Okay, do it again but DON’T hit okay Them: Okay now what Me: What does the error message say Them: No disk in drive Me: Is the disk in the drive Them: No Me: :rolleyes: oh, and as for speakerphone, I always liked my dad’s method Dad: Hello? Person On Speakerphone: Hi this is someone Dad: HELLO??? POS: blah blah blah Dad: HELLO I CAN’T HEAR YOU POS: Hello, I can hear you, can you hear me Dad: HELLO I can’t hear you, it sounds like your in the next room, I think we have a bad connection, hang up and call me back . . . phone rings Dad: Hello? POS: can you hear me better? Dad: HELLO??? I still can’t hear you, I think something’s wrong with your phone POS: I can hear you Dad: It sounds like your at the ocean or something, I can’t hear you at all, are you in a big hall HELLO HELLO POS, Can you hear me now, I was on speakerphone Dad: That’s much better ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answer-the-question-jerk/341938/28 "2006-01-30T17:59:21Z")
Dunno, guys. I get more than a few answers from tech support folks that have little or nothing to do with my problem(s). Or replies that answer only a single query from a list I’ve sent. This isn’t internal support stuff either; these are questions asked of the tech support guys at companies from which we’ve purchased software - support we’re sometimes paying several thousand dollars per year for. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answer-the-question-jerk/341938/29 "2006-01-30T18:17:08Z")
One of my duties involves administering a SQL-based reporting program with a GUI so that people who don’t know SQL can write custom reports off of our financial database. Lately, I’ve been getting a lot of support emails saying something like: “Hello, I can’t run my report. Please help.” Now, you must understand that I’ve got tens of thousands of reports out there. Some on file servers, some on local drives, some in personal folders, some in production folders. So when I get an email like this, I’ll email back and say, “Please tell me the name and location of the report and I’ll get it fixed right away.” This prompts another email from them saying something like, “I need this report to track my purchase orders. Please fix it.” Now it’s getting stupid. It’s as if they are purposely refusing to answer my question. At this point, I’ll usually just call them, shadow them, and find it myself. It may take a little longer, but it’s usually a hell of a lot easier. ---
**Author:** ![Scoundrel\_Swanswater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dfb087/32.png) [@Scoundrel\_Swanswater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scoundrel_Swanswater)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2006, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answer-the-question-jerk/341938/30 "2006-01-31T13:15:02Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > Sorry, but I really don’t believe this. > > How is knowing “who you are or where you are calling from” necessary to help with your run-of-the-mill Windows PC problems? > > You could say “I won’t help…” or “Company Policy won’t let me help you until…” and that would be accurate. But that was a policy decision by your company. (And a new one, that users aren’t used to yet. Besides, how were you able to help them _before_ this policy, when you didn’t know this?) > > From my experience with IT help desks, I’ll bet this policy is there to assist in tracking your time, and billing it. So it benefits the help desk, but really does nothing for the customer. So why should they care about this? > > Note your example: you spent 13 minutes of a 15-minute call (87%) trying to get information from the customer that your company wants, but is irrelevant to the customers actual problem. Once you’ve dragged that out of them, you actually spent 2 minutes to fix their problem. And you want us to feel sorry for you? I’d be more likely to feel sorry for the customer! Oh, boy, do I agree with this. I have been working in IT support for over 10 years now and I have gotten to the point where I no longer log calls if I don’t think it is necessary. Most of the times something simple (like a password reset) will take 2 minutes to accomplish while getting all the information plus creating a ticket will cost me at least 20 minutes. The only advantage these tickets have for our company is so management can say : look, how hard our people are working!! This is why we need 5 extra people. Hell, if we stopped using this crappy ticketing system, we could do the same job with half the amount of people !! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answer-the-question-jerk/341938.md?page=1)