Has It really been that long since my last post? yep it has. There has been a lot going on...

Will update later.

 He's back. He's here.

http://viewofthesea.blogspot.com/

With appologies to the Observer magazine;-)
I have been thinking a lot about support today. One thing is for sure. It is a diabolically difficult thing to get just right.
I have done it for quite a while now. And although now free, I was chained to a first line support phone for nearly ten years. That is a long time to spend listening to people moaning at you about how their lives are going down the tubes. The tubes literally because we do support for film and video products.
This means that the instant on, flit here and there, impatient creative types get somewhat bored and near hysterical when things dont work the way they figure they should; ie- it just should.

Doing it for a while, and doing it reasonably well, allows you to filter what works, and generate a few pithy aphorisms and thoughts on what makes it tick.
This is my incomplete list. Discard where inappropriate.

1\Dont assume people calling in know less than you do.
Humility and service are a real asset in your work.
2/Dont be dismissive, impatient and rude.
Most of all, dont be disinterested. If they are not calling, you dont have a job. Give a damn.
3/You are not a computer wizard, nor a technical God.
Always be ready to learn something new. Take a deep breath, and be patient with those that are slower. Be assured, a special place in hell is reserved for those that have that special combination of ignorance,arrogance and rudeness.
4/Always have a plan when you are troubleshooting a problem.
You are not there to wander about their binary landscape in search of a solution to a problem. Always know where you are going to go next. Make sure you avoid the -"lets try this. lets try that" rather go for "ok, forst we will do this, then do that".
Think about it: If you are not confident that you are going to sort out the problem, how can they be?
5/Always check the basics and the really dumb things first.
- Like Q " stupid question Bob, but is that +++++ powered on?" A -" yeah yeah of course it is - oh I cant see a light on the front". Bingo.
6/Never assume anything. Check.
7/The primary goal to making progress in troubleshooting a problem is narrowing it down.
Once you have drawn the line in the sand between say a hardware or a software or indeed a component vs a system problem you are halfway there. Divide and conquer.
8/It is easy to make a mistake.
If you have- ADMIT IT. It is so boring and annoying to see techs not admit that they got a version wrong or mis-installed a driver or an app.
9/Be thoughtful about how you talk to people about a problem.
Dont say something like "you must have done this, or clicked that"- Rather you need to take the non-accusatory approach and rather go along the lines of- "ok this or that has occurred".

Finally some broader considerations:

*There will always be someone claiming to offer what you do - for a cheaper price. You really need to be better to justify your price tag.
*It is easy to become irrellevent by not wanting to go the extra mile for your clients. Go the extra mile. Keep them grateful. Keep them yours.
* Keep the conversation going with your clients. When you stop talking to them, they will go somewhere else.
*If you dont enjoy what you do, get another job.
Nothing is worse in a crisis that dealing with someone that doesn;t give ****.



---------enough meandering for today------------- Please leave me a comment.