User Support

Archive: 02-2009

• Support pros vs. social engineering attacks

  Developers should always work to make software secure, but it is up to support techs and trainers to inform users how they can keep themselves safe online.

  Posted by William Jones | February 27, 2009, 12:08 AM PST

• Customer support intentions (take the poll) and some comments on providing excellent customer support

  Some readers are wondering about the motives and intentions of a customer support incident I’ve been writing about. Considering the history of what happened, what do you think? Take the poll...

  Posted by Joe Rosberg | February 25, 2009, 5:30 PM PST

• What's on your go-to equipment list?

  When replacing or upgrading hardware components, do you have a ready list of vendors and manufacturers that you go to or are you constantly on the lookout for a better product (or just a better...

  Posted by Selena Frye | February 25, 2009, 1:20 PM PST

• Age before beauty?

  Jeff Dray considers the age divide in the workplace. Youth and vigour, as well as age and experience, have their place in support roles, and the combination of the two benefits everyone.

  Posted by Jeff Dray | February 23, 2009, 11:34 AM PST

• Best Buy's recycling program does not accept storage media

  Before the company will recycle an old computer, Best Buy’s policy says that the hard drive has to be removed. While it is prudent to make sure that there is no data on a machine destined...

  Posted by William Jones | February 19, 2009, 11:13 AM PST

• ViewSonic customer support redeems itself -- A follow-up story

  Have you ever given up on a vendor or supplier because of a bad experience with their customer support, but they later came through and redeemed themselves? Here’s an instance of that very...

  Posted by Joe Rosberg | February 18, 2009, 6:07 PM PST

• Ordering supplies: Somebody up there hates me!

  Have your intentions about ordering supplies ever been misunderstood? How did you deal with the consequences of having too little or too much delivered to your work site? When your car is your...

  Posted by Jeff Dray | February 16, 2009, 8:06 AM PST

• Sensitive tech support during employee departures

  Dismissals and departures can be awkward, especially when they are due to economics and not poor performance. William Jones discusses how the help desk is uniquely positioned to make or break an...

  Posted by William Jones | February 12, 2009, 6:05 PM PST

• Backing up users' Outlook files

  For companies that don’t host their own mail server, but as a matter of policy don’t backup individual user’s computers, the one thing that often falls through the cracks is a...

  Posted by Joe Rosberg | February 11, 2009, 4:03 PM PST

• Flexibility: A nuisance or key to providing good service?

  We have all experienced it; we had the day’s work planned down to the last minute then something happens to turn it upside down. Do we stick to the plan or should we change them at a moment’s notice?

  Posted by Jeff Dray | February 10, 2009, 11:17 AM PST