Working as a senior member of the Network and Desktop Support Group I was normally called for those ” tricky ” calls that required a little tack and an amazing about of patience.
One day I was asked to please take an urgent call from the Executive Assistant to the CEO. This was because all the other members of the team have dealt with her and we a little intimated by her demeanor. She wanted the problem fixed ” yesterday ” and made damn sure the technician knew it. Privately called a ” high maintenance” user by the team they would cringe when she called for assistance. Not having dealt with this person in the past I agreed to take the call and made my way upstairs to ” carpet row ” not knowing that all my team mates watch me go and mumbled amongst them selves that I would return a ” broken man ” shaking from the experience.
Upon my arrival to her Office I could her in this loud Scottish accent, cursing her PC and blaming all the world problems on Tech. Support. I gently knocked on the door and introduced myself as a member of that accursed Support Team. I knew immediately what the problem was just by looking at her completely disorganized desk with paper and other things all over the desk. Before I could tell her the problem and fix it I was scolded by her that all computers are the same. They never work properly when there are deadlines to meet. In desperation, she about to tell the problem, when I quickly removed her coffee cup from the spacebar on her keyboard and all that ” beeping ” from her PC stopped.
With her mouth drooped open, I calmly said have a good day, and please keep you keyboard free from any objects that may interfere with the proper use and care of a workstation. After that day on her attitude towards tech. support changed and to this day we are good friends.
Johnny Frederiksen, Mount Albert, Ont.
