Thirteen Reasons why I cannot tolerate Tech Support People:

1. I was a Tech Support Rep once. I know what’s usually happening there.

2. When I tell them something, they never listen.

3. Too many TSR’s will tunnel into a problem. – this is a problem in almost any field that requires troubleshooting or analyzing. I knew a lot of medics that had this problem too. Sadly, the stakes are higher in that situation.

4. TSR’s never know what they’re talking about. Ok, this is a Totally unfair statement. I’ll say that most TSR’s don’t know what they’re talking about.

5. You wait around forever to hear something you already know. After waiting for 5 minutes, and they say, “So, it looks like you’re having problem with mail.” “Um, yeah. That’s why I called.” (Idiot)

6. They tell you a solution to something, but you’ve already gone past that. A frequent problem with a lot of Tier 1 TSR’s is that they repeat what other techs have already tried. A good TSR will ask a very simple question: “So, what have you done so far to try to fix this problem?” At least, that’s my opinion.

7. They often give you a solution to a problem that is obviously … not your problem.

8. They don’t Really understand what you’re saying. This is a variation of the “they don’t listen” scenario, and a combination of the tunnel vision scenario. They hear key words and they think they’ve “heard this one before” and immediately tell you the solution. Too bad the solution doesn’t work for you, because, you’re not even on the same computer system that they are suggestion the fix is to.

9. TSR’s assume too much. They assume you don’t know what you’re talking about, and if you did, you wouldn’t be calling tech support anyways. Wrong. As a TSR, you should assume that everyone should be calling tech support because they need help, and you have to solve it.

10. They don’t understand the old saying, “the customer is always right.” In many situations, TSR’s think they are the know all end all in any conversation. Unfortunately this isn’t so. I’ve had TSR’s that will try to act rude, but they’re only losing in the long run.

11. TSR’s have a hard time speaking english, the language of the country that i’m living in. You can’t understand a word these people are saying and sometimes they speak so fast, it all sounds like a jumble. People need to learn to talk slower. But not so slow that you feel you’re being made fun of.

12. TSR’s don’t even work for the company you’re calling. They don’t even work in the same building. So you’re stuck with this TSR who has minimal experience with whatever you’re working with, and they don’t Really care about you.

13. A variation of the previous one, TSR’s aren’t even in the same country as the company you’re calling. This is actually a combo 11 & 12. Sadly, this can make or break Tech Support. So far, my track record says No.