Quote:
Originally Posted by 4X4
Since score is being kept, I guarantee there are plenty of professionals that don't like interacting with you, but somehow they manage to tolerate you.
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Actually, I'm much higher up the food chain than someone who would normally be answering these types of issues, but since we're speaking about computers and thus, the perception of reality can be a bit fuzzy, let me describe this in terms more people can understand (translations in parenthesis)...
HOLY CRAP MY OFFICE BUILDING HAS BEEN DESTROYED
(Is email down?)
Wtf? I'm in the office next door to you...
(You just sent me an email asking if email is down)
Well, whatever you people call it. All I know is I can't open my desk drawer!
(Well, whatever you people call it. All I know is I can't find my "Important" folder!)
Oh, we'll why didn't you say you can't open your desk? Let me see what I can do.
(Oh, we'll why didn't you say you can't find a folder? Let me see what I can do.)
My point is that, if you already know what the problem is, why not start by saying what the problem is? I don't expect people to understand how their computer works, but I do expect them to be able to explain what their actual problem is. If your issue is that you can't find a folder, then ask for help finding a folder. If you can't log into your webmail, don't ask people if the Internet is down - as them why you can't log into your email.
I don't bring my car to a mechanic and ask him if my engine is on fire, when all I really want to know is why my front passenger-side wheel keeps squeaking.
Because I'm high enough up the food chain, I'm able to understand that my department (among others) represents cost, and the other departments represent profit. It's in my best interest to make sure that you have the necessary tools to do your job effectively, because you generate the profits that pay for departments like mine to exist. The faster I'm able to help you and get you back to generating a profit, the better off everyone in the company is. Things like "is the Internet down" do nothing to serve that purpose. I've been in my field for a very long time, and I can say with 100% certainty that everyone always knows what the problem is. The key is getting them to stop trying to guess what the problem is (is the power out?) and just getting them to say what the problem is (my printer isn't working).