Annoying Users
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One of those days I suppose. User 1. "When I open the diagram, I get a blank screen. I have attached a screen shot for you. Can you help?" Me. "Yep, that screen sure is blank. Probably the blankest screen I have seen all day. Is there any more information you could provide?" User 2. "I tried to download and install but I got an error message. Do you have any suggestions?" Me. "Yes. How about telling me what the error message said. I will probably need more information later but let's at least start with that." Please note that while the user's comments are verbatim and complete, mine are a kid-safe amalgam of what I actually wrote back to the customer and what I was saying under my breath.
Paul Hooper If you spend your whole life looking over your shoulder, they will get you from the front instead.
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One of those days I suppose. User 1. "When I open the diagram, I get a blank screen. I have attached a screen shot for you. Can you help?" Me. "Yep, that screen sure is blank. Probably the blankest screen I have seen all day. Is there any more information you could provide?" User 2. "I tried to download and install but I got an error message. Do you have any suggestions?" Me. "Yes. How about telling me what the error message said. I will probably need more information later but let's at least start with that." Please note that while the user's comments are verbatim and complete, mine are a kid-safe amalgam of what I actually wrote back to the customer and what I was saying under my breath.
Paul Hooper If you spend your whole life looking over your shoulder, they will get you from the front instead.
Say what you want under your breath. It's actualy good for mental health. But for your answers to users, even as quoted and not assuming waht the non kid-safe version was, you should be fired or kept away from them if you are extremely good and have in your possession compromising pictures of your boss. This is what gives a bad name to IT. Be professional. For extreme cases, there are other ways to let off steam from users than tell them to their face. Posting here is a way.
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Say what you want under your breath. It's actualy good for mental health. But for your answers to users, even as quoted and not assuming waht the non kid-safe version was, you should be fired or kept away from them if you are extremely good and have in your possession compromising pictures of your boss. This is what gives a bad name to IT. Be professional. For extreme cases, there are other ways to let off steam from users than tell them to their face. Posting here is a way.
RC_Sebastien_C wrote:
But for your answers to users, even as quoted and not assuming waht the non kid-safe version was, you should be fired or kept away from them if you are extremely good and have in your possession compromising pictures of your boss.
Couldn't disagree with you more. The response as quoted was fairly appropriate in the situation... sometimes people need a little nudge in the right direction to provide you with more useful information (or in the case of the blank screen, with any information at all!)
Silence is golden... but duct tape is silver!! Booger Mobile - My bright green 1964 Ford Falcon - check out the blog here!! | If you feel generous - make a donation to Camp Quality!!
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RC_Sebastien_C wrote:
But for your answers to users, even as quoted and not assuming waht the non kid-safe version was, you should be fired or kept away from them if you are extremely good and have in your possession compromising pictures of your boss.
Couldn't disagree with you more. The response as quoted was fairly appropriate in the situation... sometimes people need a little nudge in the right direction to provide you with more useful information (or in the case of the blank screen, with any information at all!)
Silence is golden... but duct tape is silver!! Booger Mobile - My bright green 1964 Ford Falcon - check out the blog here!! | If you feel generous - make a donation to Camp Quality!!
_Damian S_ wrote:
(or in the case of the blank screen, with any information at all!)
I agree that the case of quoting an error message without saying the content is extremely frustrating, but in the case of the blank screen, say all you want under your breath for sending a blank screen shot, but how is the user supposed to know what can help you? Ask what you need without being a smartass. Be professional.
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_Damian S_ wrote:
(or in the case of the blank screen, with any information at all!)
I agree that the case of quoting an error message without saying the content is extremely frustrating, but in the case of the blank screen, say all you want under your breath for sending a blank screen shot, but how is the user supposed to know what can help you? Ask what you need without being a smartass. Be professional.
RC_Sebastien_C wrote:
Ask what you need without being a smartass. Be professional.
How about... learn to communicate with people without pissing them off, and recognise that the rampant abuse of political correctness is causing more issues than it's fixing... Life's too short to worry about such rubbish... if a slight joke is going to cause enough offence to you that you would like to see someone sacked over it, you have serious issues, and are perhaps not suited to have any contact with anyone, ever.
Silence is golden... but duct tape is silver!! Booger Mobile - My bright green 1964 Ford Falcon - check out the blog here!! | If you feel generous - make a donation to Camp Quality!!
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Say what you want under your breath. It's actualy good for mental health. But for your answers to users, even as quoted and not assuming waht the non kid-safe version was, you should be fired or kept away from them if you are extremely good and have in your possession compromising pictures of your boss. This is what gives a bad name to IT. Be professional. For extreme cases, there are other ways to let off steam from users than tell them to their face. Posting here is a way.
Great advice. Especially the bit about posting here... Oh, hang on... that's what I did. The ACTUAL replies to the users were very tame, without the dripping sarcasm. I could not have stayed in business for 25 years if I abused customers. BTW, I am the boss.
Paul Hooper If you spend your whole life looking over your shoulder, they will get you from the front instead.
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Great advice. Especially the bit about posting here... Oh, hang on... that's what I did. The ACTUAL replies to the users were very tame, without the dripping sarcasm. I could not have stayed in business for 25 years if I abused customers. BTW, I am the boss.
Paul Hooper If you spend your whole life looking over your shoulder, they will get you from the front instead.
Paul Hooper wrote:
BTW, I am the boss.
Your wife said you could be? :laugh:
Silence is golden... but duct tape is silver!! Booger Mobile - My bright green 1964 Ford Falcon - check out the blog here!! | If you feel generous - make a donation to Camp Quality!!
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Paul Hooper wrote:
BTW, I am the boss.
Your wife said you could be? :laugh:
Silence is golden... but duct tape is silver!! Booger Mobile - My bright green 1964 Ford Falcon - check out the blog here!! | If you feel generous - make a donation to Camp Quality!!
Only in the office and only if it does not involve spending money.
Paul Hooper If you spend your whole life looking over your shoulder, they will get you from the front instead.
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Great advice. Especially the bit about posting here... Oh, hang on... that's what I did. The ACTUAL replies to the users were very tame, without the dripping sarcasm. I could not have stayed in business for 25 years if I abused customers. BTW, I am the boss.
Paul Hooper If you spend your whole life looking over your shoulder, they will get you from the front instead.
Paul Hooper wrote:
Oh, hang on... that's what I did. The ACTUAL replies to the users were very tame, without the dripping sarcasm. I could not have stayed in business for 25 years if I abused customers.
Good. But you're the one who said
Paul Hooper wrote:
mine are a kid-safe amalgam of what I actually wrote back to the customer
Paul Hooper wrote:
BTW, I am the boss.
Congrats!
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RC_Sebastien_C wrote:
Ask what you need without being a smartass. Be professional.
How about... learn to communicate with people without pissing them off, and recognise that the rampant abuse of political correctness is causing more issues than it's fixing... Life's too short to worry about such rubbish... if a slight joke is going to cause enough offence to you that you would like to see someone sacked over it, you have serious issues, and are perhaps not suited to have any contact with anyone, ever.
Silence is golden... but duct tape is silver!! Booger Mobile - My bright green 1964 Ford Falcon - check out the blog here!! | If you feel generous - make a donation to Camp Quality!!
_Damian S_ wrote:
How about... learn to communicate with people without pissing them off,
My point exactly.
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RC_Sebastien_C wrote:
Ask what you need without being a smartass. Be professional.
How about... learn to communicate with people without pissing them off, and recognise that the rampant abuse of political correctness is causing more issues than it's fixing... Life's too short to worry about such rubbish... if a slight joke is going to cause enough offence to you that you would like to see someone sacked over it, you have serious issues, and are perhaps not suited to have any contact with anyone, ever.
Silence is golden... but duct tape is silver!! Booger Mobile - My bright green 1964 Ford Falcon - check out the blog here!! | If you feel generous - make a donation to Camp Quality!!
I was once running a Technical Help Desk (1993 to support programmers) with some twat from Anderson Consulting playing manager. many of the "Programmers" were AC drones that didn't even do Computer Anything in Uni. One bloke with a Political Science Degree kept fucking up the same thing, even though I had written a couple of utilities that did the grunt work for them. I eventually got a large dose of the shits and put in the ticket something very close to This fucking moron is too stupid to be near a computer, If this fuckwit raises this issue again I will thump the shit out of him, not a particularly well thought out plan. He raised it to management, they called me in, I told them again what a dumb cunt he was, it was swept under the carpet and he reasonable quickly was moved to another customer site. Political correctness is abso-fucking-lutely stupid, but you still need to think about what you say, where you say it and did you put it in writing anywhere. With todays Gen Y gayness creeping into the work place, I'm sure I'll be fired soon cause one of my farts was the wrong tone or odour.
Michael Martin Australia "I controlled my laughter and simple said "No,I am very busy,so I can't write any code for you". The moment they heard this all the smiling face turned into a sad looking face and one of them farted. So I had to leave the place as soon as possible." - Mr.Prakash One Fine Saturday. 24/04/2004
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I was once running a Technical Help Desk (1993 to support programmers) with some twat from Anderson Consulting playing manager. many of the "Programmers" were AC drones that didn't even do Computer Anything in Uni. One bloke with a Political Science Degree kept fucking up the same thing, even though I had written a couple of utilities that did the grunt work for them. I eventually got a large dose of the shits and put in the ticket something very close to This fucking moron is too stupid to be near a computer, If this fuckwit raises this issue again I will thump the shit out of him, not a particularly well thought out plan. He raised it to management, they called me in, I told them again what a dumb cunt he was, it was swept under the carpet and he reasonable quickly was moved to another customer site. Political correctness is abso-fucking-lutely stupid, but you still need to think about what you say, where you say it and did you put it in writing anywhere. With todays Gen Y gayness creeping into the work place, I'm sure I'll be fired soon cause one of my farts was the wrong tone or odour.
Michael Martin Australia "I controlled my laughter and simple said "No,I am very busy,so I can't write any code for you". The moment they heard this all the smiling face turned into a sad looking face and one of them farted. So I had to leave the place as soon as possible." - Mr.Prakash One Fine Saturday. 24/04/2004
I once got carpetted for burping, it was after lunch and it was loud and long, offended the Development Directors PA - nicknamed screaming lycra!
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity RAH
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I once got carpetted for burping, it was after lunch and it was loud and long, offended the Development Directors PA - nicknamed screaming lycra!
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity RAH
Mycroft Holmes wrote:
nicknamed screaming lycra!
After the sound the lycra made as her thighs slapped together as she waddled?
Silence is golden... but duct tape is silver!! Booger Mobile - My bright green 1964 Ford Falcon - check out the blog here!! | If you feel generous - make a donation to Camp Quality!!
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Mycroft Holmes wrote:
nicknamed screaming lycra!
After the sound the lycra made as her thighs slapped together as she waddled?
Silence is golden... but duct tape is silver!! Booger Mobile - My bright green 1964 Ford Falcon - check out the blog here!! | If you feel generous - make a donation to Camp Quality!!
Had an arse on her like the broad end of a bus with the habbit of bending from the wait to pick things up. SSSssscccrrrreeeeaaaammmmmmm
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity RAH
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One of those days I suppose. User 1. "When I open the diagram, I get a blank screen. I have attached a screen shot for you. Can you help?" Me. "Yep, that screen sure is blank. Probably the blankest screen I have seen all day. Is there any more information you could provide?" User 2. "I tried to download and install but I got an error message. Do you have any suggestions?" Me. "Yes. How about telling me what the error message said. I will probably need more information later but let's at least start with that." Please note that while the user's comments are verbatim and complete, mine are a kid-safe amalgam of what I actually wrote back to the customer and what I was saying under my breath.
Paul Hooper If you spend your whole life looking over your shoulder, they will get you from the front instead.
Paul Hooper wrote:
Annoying Users
Pleonasm!
It's an OO world.
public class Naerling : Lazy<Person>{
public void DoWork(){ throw new NotImplementedException(); }
} -
Paul Hooper wrote:
Annoying Users
Pleonasm!
It's an OO world.
public class Naerling : Lazy<Person>{
public void DoWork(){ throw new NotImplementedException(); }
}:laugh: Actually most of our users are quite nice (seriously!) Unfortunately the "blank screen" user is a perenial PITA - a couple of weeks ago he was complaining to us because his mouse wasn't working ... at all ... on any program. Obviously OUR product was at fault because he used the mouse to interact with it.
Paul Hooper If you spend your whole life looking over your shoulder, they will get you from the front instead.
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I was once running a Technical Help Desk (1993 to support programmers) with some twat from Anderson Consulting playing manager. many of the "Programmers" were AC drones that didn't even do Computer Anything in Uni. One bloke with a Political Science Degree kept fucking up the same thing, even though I had written a couple of utilities that did the grunt work for them. I eventually got a large dose of the shits and put in the ticket something very close to This fucking moron is too stupid to be near a computer, If this fuckwit raises this issue again I will thump the shit out of him, not a particularly well thought out plan. He raised it to management, they called me in, I told them again what a dumb cunt he was, it was swept under the carpet and he reasonable quickly was moved to another customer site. Political correctness is abso-fucking-lutely stupid, but you still need to think about what you say, where you say it and did you put it in writing anywhere. With todays Gen Y gayness creeping into the work place, I'm sure I'll be fired soon cause one of my farts was the wrong tone or odour.
Michael Martin Australia "I controlled my laughter and simple said "No,I am very busy,so I can't write any code for you". The moment they heard this all the smiling face turned into a sad looking face and one of them farted. So I had to leave the place as soon as possible." - Mr.Prakash One Fine Saturday. 24/04/2004
Michael Martin wrote:
I'm sure I'll be fired soon cause one of my farts was the wrong tone or odour.
Someone made a complaint against me for farting at work a year or two back. Many years ago fielding in the slips I farted as the bowler ran into bowl and the batsman walked away. Mind you he also walked away each time a plane flew overhead. Playing near Birmingham Airport that was quite a lot. He was very good, and totally obnoxious, and was caught by a mate of mine who had never played before and had turned up to watch with a crate of lager. A mate of mine from a previous job was one of the most extreme farters I have ever met, mine have volume and sustain but little or no smell, his the complete opposite. He once cleared 3 separate offices leading the MD to comment "anyone who can make the accounts department move that quickly deserves credit". I think however his finest moment was clearing an aircraft hanger with open doors at each end to let lorries in and out. That really does require the foulest of arses.
Every man can tell how many goats or sheep he possesses, but not how many friends.
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:laugh: Actually most of our users are quite nice (seriously!) Unfortunately the "blank screen" user is a perenial PITA - a couple of weeks ago he was complaining to us because his mouse wasn't working ... at all ... on any program. Obviously OUR product was at fault because he used the mouse to interact with it.
Paul Hooper If you spend your whole life looking over your shoulder, they will get you from the front instead.
Paul Hooper wrote:
Unfortunately the "blank screen" user is a perenial PITA
I am extremely sympathetic to users, but some of them never learn, ask the same questions over and over, never include error messages or anything useful, no matter how many times you try to gently encourage them. I've been dealing with one recently who forgets everything she knows whenever anything changes. With such users you have to question if they have the necessary skills to do their job, and abusing them until they cry is perfectly acceptable.
Every man can tell how many goats or sheep he possesses, but not how many friends.
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Michael Martin wrote:
I'm sure I'll be fired soon cause one of my farts was the wrong tone or odour.
Someone made a complaint against me for farting at work a year or two back. Many years ago fielding in the slips I farted as the bowler ran into bowl and the batsman walked away. Mind you he also walked away each time a plane flew overhead. Playing near Birmingham Airport that was quite a lot. He was very good, and totally obnoxious, and was caught by a mate of mine who had never played before and had turned up to watch with a crate of lager. A mate of mine from a previous job was one of the most extreme farters I have ever met, mine have volume and sustain but little or no smell, his the complete opposite. He once cleared 3 separate offices leading the MD to comment "anyone who can make the accounts department move that quickly deserves credit". I think however his finest moment was clearing an aircraft hanger with open doors at each end to let lorries in and out. That really does require the foulest of arses.
Every man can tell how many goats or sheep he possesses, but not how many friends.
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:laugh: Actually most of our users are quite nice (seriously!) Unfortunately the "blank screen" user is a perenial PITA - a couple of weeks ago he was complaining to us because his mouse wasn't working ... at all ... on any program. Obviously OUR product was at fault because he used the mouse to interact with it.
Paul Hooper If you spend your whole life looking over your shoulder, they will get you from the front instead.
No no, it means you're giving him the best support, it's so good he calls you for the fault of anything. Just wait, soon enough he'll call you about how to prune his garden plants.
Light moves faster than sound. That is why some people appear bright, until you hear them speak. List of common misconceptions
