Discussion on:

10 dangerous species of help desk callers

Having done help desk support for 18 years (thankfully in a former life), you have clearly identified the major categories of callers...very funny descriptions, but nonetheless TRUE!!!

I myself, am a fiddler, though in rehab! I have learned that some things are not to be fiddled with, at any rate. But this stops only my fiddling with those things I know not to fiddle with. I also now only fiddle at my own machines...

My students fall into the categories you set, and I am quietly giggling as I type.

Thanks!

How about the "Drunk" or intoxicated user?? them type of people are ones whom get out of control all the time because they always think they are right and it is very hard to communicate with them besides hanging up the phone and letting them sober up.

At last something we can read from someone who answers the phone for a living!People complain about products to make up for a miserable life they live.hahah thank you!!

I love The Nice User: Userus pleasantia!! I have been in IT Helpdesk for seven years, and have had MANY Userus pleasantia encounters. When I read that one, I thought about the awesome feeling it gives me when I encounter this type. Just thought I would share that with you guys, they do exist. Plus I get paid to do what I do, so I don't mind which one you are, honestly

Working in tech support, these users make my day. The glimmer of actual understanding in their eyes when they get what I'm telling them.

....they visit in person

Oh my... you made me laugh out loud. Thank you!

Hmmm... under what classification would the type be who just calls to tell you there's a problem... doesn't know any details about it, doesn't want to spend any time troubleshooting, just wants it fixed before they need it again?

What actually happened there? At first blush, sounds like the user had one of those experiences which would tend to justify her outlook, at least to herself.

Ever hear about the user who called support about his cup holder breaking on his PC? Oh, how rich!!!

Oh so true

let me add my own to this one:

"The Always problematicos"
Always-problematicos are always calling, and calling. In fact, as you resume to work, the first people you remember are problematicos. These would call for every little thing, as if they are not meant to do anything by themselves. 'How do I do this?, how do I do that?' - even if you had explained it to them, only yesterday. They are the first to call-in to report an issue in the morning, they are the last to call before the close of the day. Worse, problematicos have an expert system problem database to which they always refer.

They would first go back and re-iterate in 'amazing details' what and what: when they last called, what you told them to do, what they did, whether the problem was resolved or not, and how they have analyzed right and left to conclude that their last case is definitely related to the new issue at hand. After making their case, they would feel they have given you all the necessary leads to resolving their latest-problem.

"The 'it is not working, it is not working'"
These guys just call in and report 'it is not working, it is not working'. Then you ask: 'what is not working', they reply 'the computer is not working'. They will soon start a very long story at the end of which they haven't made a point.

You'll finally have to ask such to start all over again, you'll have to ask them what they want to do and what they have done. The end of the story will be that what they have been doing is not related to what they wanted to do, yet they call in to report "it is not working".

example: trying to use Microsoft Excel to open the contents of a CD ROM containing video files.

definitely, 'it is not working'

How about the "Drop it off and Run"

Leaves a voice mail saying they have an issue and will be dropping their machine off. You arrive in the morning to find the machine on your desk with a note saying it doesn't work but there are no contact details on the note or on the Voice mail. Having spent hours fixing a completely screwed up system and restoring any data that you can you then call the user who logged on last to the machine to get a reply of "Well it didn't work so my boss bought me a new one, I don't need it now so you can have it".

And how many people can raise their hand and say "No i have not tried anything out or ask any IT people anything, ever, while working in IT or not." Didn't think so. I am new in IT, relatively, and while I have never had a job outside IT (not including high school jobs) I have always asked a ton of questions. These kinda of people can be the best ones. Wouldn't it be just peachy if noone ever had answered your questions, or discuss new tech stuff with you? My how we forget so easily...

amusing article.the point that resonated was the canada reference vis a vis politeness/pleasantness.
i have often been puzzled at the incredible difference
between canadian and american society.one is sane.just a border,2 worlds.

Nice to read about what i have been going through for the past 2-3 years. I would agree to #11 about Userus pleasantia, I am yet to come across an end user from Canada who was rude, bossy and a Mr/Ms KnowItAll. They refresh my day and make it a lot easier for me to handle irate callers.

A response from a "friend" when I sent him the article...


Btw, I am not classified by one of these -


I would be "the helpdesk friend" user defined as:

Perfectly capable, understanding, and practical yet because of their close relations with the help desk personnel, this user chooses to have the helpdesk solve their problem, no matter how simple it is. Not only does the "helpdesk" friend inquire about business related applications/hardware, he/she expects the helpdesk to provide support for their non-work related devices. The helpdesk friend prefers to hear a diagnosis from the helpdesk, though often times can find out the same information by a simple google search. Furthermore, the helpdesk friend does not follow standard procedure when an issue arises and will immediately confront the helpdesk in person. Unfortunately, the helpdesk employee fuels this vicious cycle, by offering the support.

That's me and I usually solve other people's problems. Recently a friend gave me a dictation program that will not install correctly. After several failed installs, uninstalls, resetting of security, I gave up. The very helpful three people now have sent me a removal tool for their program twice and always tell me to do everything I did before I called them. Now they just tell me to uninstall everything, reinstall and send the logs. I've read them and I've told them of several problems clearly reported in the logs so now I feel as though I'm doing unpaid work on a buggy program I don't know without the source code to try and find where the bugs are.
My customers are often the best kind, know little, do what I say, and are happy when I tell them to do somrething simple that gets everything working. I would not want an end-user like me. But if I had one, after checking that they ereally did know what they were doing, I'd stop asking them to copy the program to the HDD and install it from the Admin account after turning off antivirus and if that doesn't work, remove the program, reinstall it and send the logs again.
Which is worse, help desk or end user? I see no category that fits any of either group and it has to be a nightmare.

I remember one user of type #8: ???Pig Pen???: Userus perfumia. This user had opened a trouble ticket about her desktop having lost connectivity. I went to her office and saw that a loop of the network cable was on the floor in front of the chair. I figured that it had gotten snagged on her foot or one of the chair's wheels, and had been pulled hard enough that the RJ45 connector no longer had a good connection with the wires in the cable.

This would be a simple fix of replacing the cable, I thought. However (I hate to see that word start a sentence) when I looked further under the desk and saw the toe nail clippings, old m&m candies, and the mouse droppings from the little visitors who came for the m&ms, I decided that problem was not going to be fixed that day. I left a note followed up with an email, both saying that I would return after the area had been vacuumed. Or if she liked, I would give her the new cable so she could change it herself. And by the way, she needed to have traps or bait put under her desk. She declined the offer of the cable and had the carpet vacuumed and traps set so I would finish the job.

I once had a Type 2 moment, one of those lapses that one really shouldn't have after three decades of using computers.

I was trying to clear some space on my C drive, and Spacemonger showed that C:\Windows\Installer was taking up lots of space. "I've already installed all of those," I thought, "they must be just backups cluttering up the disc. I'm sure it'll be fine to delete a few of the bigger ones."

For "a few of the bigger ones", read "sod it, just wipe the folder's contents, I won't ever need that rubbish again".

Anyone who's ever deleted anything from that directory will know what happened next. Turns out the stuff in C:\Windows\Installer isn't useless backups, it's stuff that's essential for Windows, particularly when installing new applications. Or updates. Or critical system patches. Or Silverlight. And so on.

So yeah. I managed to recover some of them, but nary an installation goes by without having to find silverlight.msi and C++ redists and things from file repositories. I learned my lesson on that one...

You show up at their work station, and start working on their computer trying to figure out what the issue is. While discussing the issue the user is having problems with, they finally admit that it is not the company computer at all, but actually their home computer. I've even had them go as far as bring their computer in.

Now if it's an issue with VPN networking or something, fine, but when it's how do I get onto my email with my Mac? Yeah, not a Mac trained technician, contact your ISP or the Mac store.

#6 just floored me. Turn in your IT card and report the the BSAFH for remediation.