It must just be me...
Topic(s): Floundering Users
Submitted by: pelizdr – Thu, 10/22/2009 – 13:27
Our company has a help desk, all the users have been given the toll free number to call, along with the e-mail address. I took the liberty of posting their web form on every desktop so they can quickly and easily submit a ticket. I have changed my voicemail to include the e-mail address and phone number for the help desk for IT issues.
After all of that, you would think that they would call the help desk. Nope, they come and ask me about an issue which (in my mind) is clearly a help desk issue. User is getting a proxy authentication box popping up on an internal web page. I asked if they called the help desk, they just looked at me like I shot their dog. I handed them a business card which contains all the contact information and apologized that it was not within my abilities to handle the issue.
Comment: Satisfaction vs. Solution...
I have learned through the years of tech support that many times people with a problem are seeking immediate satisfaction, not a solution.
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Something is wrong, they feel stress and anxiety, and they look for the quickest way to alleviate those feelings. Logically, solving the problem is the solution. And many users will argue that is what they want.
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In reality, what they want is that feeling of stress to go away, whether or not the problem is solved in the process. Calling the Help Desk, waiting on hold, running through various "try this..." scenarios only adds to their level of stress.
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From a purely time-based point of view, their problem may be solved most quickly this way. But people don't measure solutions in seconds, they measure it in stress. From their point of view, any solution that makes their stress level go down is the better solution, regardless of how long or inefficient it may be.
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A non-computer example is driving in traffic. Most people would rather drive 30 minutes on back roads to get home instead of sitting in 15 minutes of traffic on the highway. And that's even with knowing exactly how long the delay may be. Sitting in traffic is stressfull; driving on back-roads is not.
KirkW – Fri, 10/23/2009 – 09:08
Comment: Learned behaviour
The problem that I have, is that often the problems that people call into the help desk for, are one that I am responsible for resolving.
In time, people start to realize that if they call the help desk, they will just be transfered to me, so they just avoid the middleman, and call me direct.
My problem with this, is then I have to make a service ticket, and resolve the problem. I also get alot of problems that would normally be sent to other analysts, but since I am now on the speed dial, and it is withing my capabilities to help them, I do.
Some weeks, my boos questsions my support hours logged, but since I always create service tickets, I am at least covering my butt.
Genxcat – Fri, 10/23/2009 – 12:14
Comment: You're asking for trouble...
First, what exactly is your job? From earlier postings it sounded like it may be helpdesk, but not anymore. In either event, it may be best with some users to just act as the contact between helpdesk and user than to say "it's not my job" and leave them with the problem. Trust me, from experience I say this: it will come back to bite you.
Second, just because you give users a phone number, a shortcut on the desktop, an e-mail messag (e, and a business card with the information to contact the helpdesk does not mean that they will ever get it!