Year: 2013 Page 4 of 14

The process is broken

On November 21, 2013

How to get a new program installed in my work computer?

I decide I’d like to have a new program.
I choose a free one like Google Chrome.
I submit the request to the Help Desk.
I’m informed I need to get permission from two people before they can install it.
I email my IT Point of Contact.
I wait for a reply.
I attach the reply email to my request.
Then I write to a second person, whose role I don’t understand other than being identified as a person who has to approve requests.
I wait for a reply.
A few days go by.
I receive a reply and attach it to my request.
Now, the Help Desk can start to work on my request.

It took four days to get Google Chrome installed.

I am still waiting to get an add-on for WebEx installed. It’s already been four days and in still waiting on one of the emails I need.
I support WebEx for this company. This is my job. And I’m stuck with this ridiculous process.

There is no chance in this process changing. That was the first thing I asked. It’s been like that as long as anyone I spoke to can remember. Its a broken process.

How the process should work

I request a program be installed to the Help Desk.
Help Desk checks a few things
Is it free / Does it need a license?
Will it work in the environment?
Is there a business reason to have this?
Unless there’s an issues with one of the above, the Help Desk dispatches a technician to install the program.

It’s a much faster process. It doesn’t require waiting for busy people to send emails granting permission for a free application. But most importantly, the customer experience is far better.

The problem with big organizations is they lost sight of how the process works for those who need to use them. The process in place is broken. And it’s never going to change until someone cares enough to change it.

Next time I need to have something installed, I’m going to think if I really need this new program. It’s not worth the hassle.

Stall

By Carl

On November 4, 2013

In Introspection

Why does a man stand in a bathroom stall and read the newspaper?

He seeks solace.

Offices are mine fields of distractions. The cubicle walls allow every sound to permeate their beige walls. Every speakerphone call. Every one-sided conversation. Every ring. Every cough. Every rambling story. There is no escape from the noise.

There is no safety from the walk-ups. To be at your desk means you’re available at any minute for anyone to interrupt you for any reason. Headphones offer some relief. But the only true escape is to escape.

Pick up your newspaper. Take it to a bathroom stall. Choose the handicapped stall for more spacious sanctuary. Read the paper. Enjoy the silence. No one knows you’re there. No one is trying to call you. No emails are piling up in front of you. No one is going to stop by and talk to you. You’ve found solace in a bathroom stall.

Stand there. Read your newspaper, sir. The rest of the world can wait.

Slow Down

By Carl

On October 23, 2013

In Observations

Working in support is overwhelming. It’s easy to fire off a quick reply or pick up the phone for a call and be short with your customer. I’ve done it.

I’ve fired off an email without thinking it through and I left out some important information. Or I looked back on it after I’d hit send and realized I sounded rude or annoyed and did not mean to.

Every time I have made a blunder, it could have easily been avoided had I done one simple thing. Slow Down.

It’s easy to rush when the phone is ringing, emails are piling up and my ticket queue is growing ever larger. Speed is a necessary part of getting work done and helping customers. However, being reckless serves no one.

When I go too fast, I make mistakes and have to redo my work. And when I make mistakes, the customer is not being served so I’m right back where I started.

Slow down. Take a breath. Proceed when you’re ready. There is a difference working quickly and working recklessly. Customers appreciate speed. They love having work done quickly and correctly.

Reckless work means having to redo work. Reckless work means having unhappy customers. Slowing down is the best thing you can do for your customers.

Beyond the Reboot #10: Build a Toolkit

By Carl

On October 16, 2013

In Observations

Build a Toolkit

Everyone has a toolkit and I’m often asked what I use. I am quick to offer up tools that fill a specific use or tools that have saved me many hours over my career. But I never say that one tool is the absolute best. I offer what I use and that it’s worked for me. There are many tools that do the same thing. The tools are as varied as the technicians who use them. Everyone has a tool they like and it’s likely to be different for everyone.

When asked for recommendations, I recommend resources I use to find the tools I’ve added to my kit. A good technician should be comfortable with their tools. I am comfortable with all of my tools because I’ve tested and used them. When I find a new tool, I open it and play with it to see how it works and if it will work for me.

There is nothing worst than being at a customer’s desk working on their computer and fumbling through the tool I’m trying to run. I make sure I know the tools I use.

Build your own toolkit. You will know your tools and as a result you’ll get more use out of them and they’ll make you better. And don’t be afraid to revisit your kit. There is a fine line between constant swapping and tinkering, but when you hear about a new tool that solves a problem you’re having it’s worth looking into it.

Make a note of it, then go back to it later when you have time. I keep a file in Evernote called Apps To Remember where I save anything I come across that I think is neat. I may not have a need for it now, but I could see it being useful in the future, so I save it. Then I know it’s there and I can check that list when I’m trying to remember what it was called, or when someone asks me if I know of a tool that does something and I can refer to my list.

Beyond the Reboot #9: How To Search Effectively

By Carl

On October 15, 2013

In Observations

No one can be expected to know everything. I sure don’t! I often turn to search to find what I need. When my customer’s see my searching they’re often surprised first that I have to look things up like they do. But they’re also surprised with the speed in which I find what I need. There is searching, then there is searching effectively.

Search for specifics.

When you have a problem, search for the most specific thing you can. When email stops working don’t look up email stopped working or email problem. Get more specific. Try Outlook 2007 won’t open or Thunderbird not sending mail. The more specific you get with your search the better information you’ll get back.

When I search, I imagine I am talking to another person. I try to ask the most specific question I can. Google is that person. Talk to Google like you’d talk to a person. Here is exactly what I need, please help me.

Search for error messages.

Do you have an error? Great! That means you probably have an error message. Search for it. “Outlook has a problem and needs to close” will get more helpful results than “Outlook won’t open”. Try adding in the version number to get even better results. Outlook 2011 has a problem and needs to close. Excel 2007 has too many different cell formats.

Error messages are known issues in a program. When the program displays an error message, it’s showing you the problem. All you must do is find the solution. Searching for the error usually returns the solution. Sometimes you may need to contact the program’s creator to get the answer if they don’t have it listed in their help documentation and if you can’t find it by searching. But the answer is out there. All that’s left is to find it.

Look for unique terms.

What if you don’t have an error message to look up and the program isn’t doing anything you can easily search. There are instances when a program just won’t load or fails silently. Use the information you do have. Search the program’s version on the operating system you’re running it on. Looking up Outlook 2011 won’t open on Mac OS 10.8 will get far better results than Outlook doesn’t open on Mac.

There isn’t always a good starting point so use what you can. Often times, I stumble across another person having similar problems. From there I can find a solution or at least some other things to try. Problem solving is trial and error just being persistent and you will eventually find what you need.

Once you have found the solution, write it down. I guarantee you will see this same problem 6 months or a year from now and you’ll have no idea how to fix it, only that you fixed it before. Or worse, someone on your team will ask you since they know you fixed it before. I love being able to go back to my own notes and send a link to my teammates saving them the time I put in to find it initially.

Document your findings

It is absolutely vital to document your fixes. In my experience, if you see an issue once, you’ll see it again. At the time I tell myself that I’ll remember what I did to fix it. But six months and hundreds of support calls later, I never do. I have taken the words of my 7th grade math teacher to heart, Show Your Work.

There is a wiki we use at work and I add new information and updated outdated articles. It’s important to not only document fixes and bugs but to update those notes and fixes. Your future self will thank you, instead of cursing your past self for not making any notes on how you fixed a problem.