I hate my job
Jun. 16th, 2004 12:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
elizillaSo I took a case, it was flagged as urgent, payroll down, call them right away because it's an emergency, blah blah.
The constellation of products I support contains about 30 different software packages released over the last ten years. Every one of these products is something I could spend a lifetime learning all the little details about, and still occasionally get stumped.
It turns out that this customer is having trouble with a product that hasn't been sold in five years, and only a few dozen customers ever bought it even when it was sold. It was discontinued due to massive lack of customer interest. So hardly anyone knows this product at all. I myself had never even seen it. Of course, when they opened the case they didn't say this is the product they are having trouble with, so this was not noted in the case notes.
So I call the customer, and without telling me what product she's using or what she's trying to do, she starts telling me about how she types the social security number, hits enter, and it turns red, etc. I can't think of any product that looks like this, so I dialed into her system and had her show me. At which point I learned that it was this obscure product that no one knows. I don't even have any manuals for this product! So I asked her to hold while I got someone that specializes in this product.
I don't even know who, in my department, would know this product. So I started ringing phones, calling people who worked here at the time when the product was sold, looking for someone who could point me to someone who knows the product. I tried all the technical advisors and all of the managers. But it was noon, so a lot of people are at lunch, and even when it's not lunchtime, 3/4 of my coworkers don't answer their phones. After 20 phone calls, I had yet to find someone who would answer. And since I'm remote, I can't just go walk around and find someone, either.
At this point I'd had the poor user on hold for about ten minutes. I don't like to leave people on hold forever, so I went back to let her know I hadn't forgotten her. When I went back to her phone, she was gone, and in her place was her manager, who immediately started screaming at me. "Every time we call for support on this it's like this! Your support is terrible! Doesn't anyone there know anything? We are about to sign a quarter million dollar deal for more of your software and your failure to support this software we already have is putting that deal in jeapordy. No you can't put me on hold again, and no you can't call me back, get me someone right now! Now! I'm going to conference in all these other people so they can hear just how bad the support is!" etc.
What does this guy think, that he can conjure product knowledge into my head if he just get enough people to help him yell at me, or if he makes the right threat?
I politely pointed out that I was trying to get him someone to help, however there are 50 or more people in our office, many of them are walking around working with other people in person at other people's desks, and at this time (just after noon) some of them are at lunch. I said that I was trying to get him the right person, and that I can do this more effectively if he will allow me to go look for them.
He just kept ranting.
So, while he ranted, I sent frantic email to my manager, hoping against hope for rescue. She rarely replies to my email, and she hadn't answered her phone three minutes before when I called. But since my phone was tied up with this guy I didn't have any other recourse. Wonder of wonders, she answered! She asked for the case number and I gave it to her, as the guy ranted.
I told the guy that my manager was getting someone to help him, so he finally let me off the phone.
I quickly put some case notes in about what had happened, so the next person who called this customer wouldn't be blindsided like I had been. I put in an internal note (invisible to the customer) about what had happened and that the customer was terribly upset. Because unfortunately things like this sometimes get moved to people who can't do anything more than I can, and I didn't think it would be good for another person who doesn't know this product to call up there. The next person to call better be someone who knows something, and they should be aware that this customer is in a rage.
So then my manager sent email yelling at me for putting in that internal note. I suppose her manager sees them, and it makes her look bad that I have been left hanging like that. Then she sent another email yelling at me for telling this guy everyone was at lunch. Grr. I myself rarely even get lunch, and most of the people here that do eat usually go to the cafeteria, get something, and bring it back. I told my manager that while I try not to ever admit to a customer that people here might eat lunch, I did point out to the guy that it is noon.
I was really upset by this whole thing. I went downstairs to refill my Dr Pepper, and Michael was there. I vented about it to him and he got all enraged too, he cut me off and said I should have just told the guy to fuck off then. Michael is sick of hearing me complain about this stuff.
I feel lost and alone.
I swear I am better off if I just blow off the customers, leave them on hold for years, surf the web all day, write in my live journal, whatever. If I don't take calls I don't add to my caseload.
My phone is ringing. I won't answer. I am letting it go to voice mail.
The constellation of products I support contains about 30 different software packages released over the last ten years. Every one of these products is something I could spend a lifetime learning all the little details about, and still occasionally get stumped.
It turns out that this customer is having trouble with a product that hasn't been sold in five years, and only a few dozen customers ever bought it even when it was sold. It was discontinued due to massive lack of customer interest. So hardly anyone knows this product at all. I myself had never even seen it. Of course, when they opened the case they didn't say this is the product they are having trouble with, so this was not noted in the case notes.
So I call the customer, and without telling me what product she's using or what she's trying to do, she starts telling me about how she types the social security number, hits enter, and it turns red, etc. I can't think of any product that looks like this, so I dialed into her system and had her show me. At which point I learned that it was this obscure product that no one knows. I don't even have any manuals for this product! So I asked her to hold while I got someone that specializes in this product.
I don't even know who, in my department, would know this product. So I started ringing phones, calling people who worked here at the time when the product was sold, looking for someone who could point me to someone who knows the product. I tried all the technical advisors and all of the managers. But it was noon, so a lot of people are at lunch, and even when it's not lunchtime, 3/4 of my coworkers don't answer their phones. After 20 phone calls, I had yet to find someone who would answer. And since I'm remote, I can't just go walk around and find someone, either.
At this point I'd had the poor user on hold for about ten minutes. I don't like to leave people on hold forever, so I went back to let her know I hadn't forgotten her. When I went back to her phone, she was gone, and in her place was her manager, who immediately started screaming at me. "Every time we call for support on this it's like this! Your support is terrible! Doesn't anyone there know anything? We are about to sign a quarter million dollar deal for more of your software and your failure to support this software we already have is putting that deal in jeapordy. No you can't put me on hold again, and no you can't call me back, get me someone right now! Now! I'm going to conference in all these other people so they can hear just how bad the support is!" etc.
What does this guy think, that he can conjure product knowledge into my head if he just get enough people to help him yell at me, or if he makes the right threat?
I politely pointed out that I was trying to get him someone to help, however there are 50 or more people in our office, many of them are walking around working with other people in person at other people's desks, and at this time (just after noon) some of them are at lunch. I said that I was trying to get him the right person, and that I can do this more effectively if he will allow me to go look for them.
He just kept ranting.
So, while he ranted, I sent frantic email to my manager, hoping against hope for rescue. She rarely replies to my email, and she hadn't answered her phone three minutes before when I called. But since my phone was tied up with this guy I didn't have any other recourse. Wonder of wonders, she answered! She asked for the case number and I gave it to her, as the guy ranted.
I told the guy that my manager was getting someone to help him, so he finally let me off the phone.
I quickly put some case notes in about what had happened, so the next person who called this customer wouldn't be blindsided like I had been. I put in an internal note (invisible to the customer) about what had happened and that the customer was terribly upset. Because unfortunately things like this sometimes get moved to people who can't do anything more than I can, and I didn't think it would be good for another person who doesn't know this product to call up there. The next person to call better be someone who knows something, and they should be aware that this customer is in a rage.
So then my manager sent email yelling at me for putting in that internal note. I suppose her manager sees them, and it makes her look bad that I have been left hanging like that. Then she sent another email yelling at me for telling this guy everyone was at lunch. Grr. I myself rarely even get lunch, and most of the people here that do eat usually go to the cafeteria, get something, and bring it back. I told my manager that while I try not to ever admit to a customer that people here might eat lunch, I did point out to the guy that it is noon.
I was really upset by this whole thing. I went downstairs to refill my Dr Pepper, and Michael was there. I vented about it to him and he got all enraged too, he cut me off and said I should have just told the guy to fuck off then. Michael is sick of hearing me complain about this stuff.
I feel lost and alone.
I swear I am better off if I just blow off the customers, leave them on hold for years, surf the web all day, write in my live journal, whatever. If I don't take calls I don't add to my caseload.
My phone is ringing. I won't answer. I am letting it go to voice mail.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Anyway: you're good at your job. In the past, haven't customers specifically requested you for support?
Some people are just bound and determined to be angry about something. It has nothing to do with you.
Some people forget that there's an actual human being at the other end of the phone/e-mail. They're idiots. It has nothing to do with you.
Some people are just assholes. It has nothing to do with you.
I recommend you give yourself a treat tonight for doing such a good job in putting up with this people.
no subject
Date: 2004-06-16 07:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-06-16 08:24 pm (UTC)This looks like something you could post to
Hope your day gets better.
no subject
Date: 2004-06-17 05:46 pm (UTC)You may be lost, but at least you're certainly not in this alone. You have friends who care about you a lot.
You should take a ride on the Sabre. < soothing voice> Come back to the Dark Side. It's nice here. We'll take care of you. < /soothing voice> (evil grin)
no subject
Date: 2004-06-19 08:34 pm (UTC)Some customers really do need a non-standard support method.