PC World has the lowdown on what it’s like to work tech support at any organization, and it’s all sadly so so true. Having worked tech support for a long time myself, I can say that death threats, threats in general, and being treated like a janitor in a shirt and tie are all completely common happenings and the kind of ridiculous disrespect and disdain that support technicians get on a regular basis-even the nicest and most patient ones-is simply part of the job, and you come to expect it and even get used to it.

While I can’t say that anyone ever really threatened my life, I have had plenty of people curse uncontrollably at me, demand that I fix something that was physically impossible or actually a user-error issue, and insist that I completely reprogram an application like Microsoft Wordto make it more convenient for them. The tips in the article are solid though; be nice and you’ll get your issue resolved quicker-no support tech is in your office or home to chat with you and make friends-they want to resolve your problem so they can leave and move on to the next one, so expect them to be professional and kind, and in turn you should be the same to them. They’re human beings like you, so treat them with that respect; not like a nuisance who’s come willingly to be underfoot.

Often we discuss the best way to get tech support, or the best ways to not have to deal with tech support at all, this gives you an interesting (albeit definitely incomplete) insight into the life of the person on the other end of the line.

[ PC World :: Tech Support: Life on the Other End of the Line ]