Not every technical support issue is an "ID10T"
Jeff ToisterTechnical support people have a term for user-errors: ID 10 T. Mushed together, it spells out ID10T, or idiot. Sometimes, they're even right. A great many computer problems are resolved by simply rebooting, checking to ensure the monitor is actually attached to the computer, or making sure the thing is even plugged in. I get that. What I don't get is the assumption that every problem is the result of a user-ID10T.
I'm spiraling through the depths of Technical Support hell with Adobe at the moment. This isn't a rant on Adobe per se (I generally really like their products), but it's a great example of how so many companies get it wrong.
First level of technical support hell: brush off the inquiry. I emailed their technical support folks to ask about a problem I had experienced with their web-conferencing program, Connect Pro. The gist of my email was I had followed their directions to the letter to set up a web-conferencing template, but it wasn't working. What should I do now? The brush off came via a long form email that essentially said, "We're so sorry you are experiencing a problem. Here is a link to our directions on this topic." Uh, I'm emailing because the directions DON'T WORK!
Second level of technical support hell: try to prove the ID10T theory. I sent a follow-up email today to ask for additional assistance since their first message missed the mark. I was pleasantly surprised to get a phone call in response to my follow-up email, but soon grew frustrated. The person on the other end of the phone used unfamiliar idioms that made him very hard to understand. Worse, we spent 30 minutes going through a checklist of trouble-shooting ideas that I had already been through. How many times do I have to tell this guy I've already done that?! Finally, we got to the end of his list and he told me he'd have to do some additional research and get back to me. By now, I'm wishing it really was an ID10T issue so I could get on with it already.
Third level of technical support hell: promise to respond, but don't. I'm sure there is some study that shows if you don't call the customer back, he will just give up. I was promised a follow-up response within about 30 minutes. That was about three hours ago and I'm still waiting. I'm not giving up though!
Stop the madness!
Admittedly, these technical issues are sometimes difficult to resolve, but there's got to be a better way to handle them. For starters, the strategy of assuming the customer is an idiot has got to go. Secondly, the strategy of having an inexperienced (and presumably low-wage) person wade through an endless checklist before passing the issue along to someone who is actually competent has also got to go. The whole system smacks of their time is more valuable than mine. Meanwhile, I'm frustrated, I'm blogging about it, and my problem isn't resolved.
I'll keep you posted. In the meantime, please let me know if you know a good tech support person at Adobe!
Reader Comments (2)
Sometimes, being almost technically correct isn't good enough. Recently I received a voicemail for another person, directing them to follow certain procedures, and be at the government agency's location early the next morning. The person who left the message said if there were any questions, give us a call on the telephone number listed in the snail mail we sent you (how helpful was that suggestion?) Realizing that either missing the appointment, or showing up without following the required procedures would not be a good investment of time or tax dollars, I attempted to reach the agency after hours, as I knew where the building was, I just didn't know what department had called for him (except the woman had provided the number of the floor he should go to the next day.)
Things went downhill from there. The representative at the agency's 800 number was positive that with so little information to go on, there was no way he would be able to help. On the other hand, I was convinced that because certain parts of the agency operate 24/7, it should be a matter of finding a way to tunnel into the facility, and then get in touch with anybody internally to solicit their help to attempt to reach the target individual. He did go so far as to offer to provide me with the agency's local switchboard telephone number so I could call them directly (apparently conference calling wasn't an option.) He did caution me the switchboard was closed for the evening, it might better for ME to call them the next morning (which would have been well after the individual's 6 AM scheduled appointment.)
Here's the happy ending. I reluctantly called the main switchboard, and heard the the message stating the regular administrative and support offices were indeed closed, HOWEVER for the ones that were functioning 24/7, PLEASE ASK AN OPERATOR FOR FURTHER ASSISTANCE. The operator connected me with the department he thought would be most likely to be able to help, and he was 100% correct. The next person looked up the name that was left on my voicemail, and found him on the next day's appointment list. She promised to call him after we finished our conversation. apologized for the message that was incorrectly left on my voicemail, and thanked me for helping her track things through to a successful conclusion.
Two separate telephone calls, and two totally different experiences (albeit from two 'lines of business' within the same agency.)
I'm impressed with the amount of effort you put into helping someone else out! You'd think this agency would try to make it easier for you to help them, especially when you didn't have anything at stake but they did.