Category Archives: Customer Service and Support
Geek Friday: Accessing Support Ticket Systems While on the Road
I have had an interesting week. However, it was a week that got me thinking. It also ties in with my increasing disappointment in Intuit in just about every area. To boil it down: How do I create invoices while on the road without breaking the bank?
I hope to look at some of these in the future. For now, I’m listing some of the more interesting. While I am specifically looking at support ticket systems, there’s a lot of overlap with any contractor that travels to customer sites, I’m sure.
Having Quicken on my laptop is nice, but there are times when whipping it out and emailing an invoice isn’t always all that convenient or cheap. The 3G stick is dead slow, but it will work … sometimes … when the signal is good. Furthermore, Quicken isn’t exactly a ticket system.
It’s Broke, but the Arrogant and Stupid Don’t Understand That (or Denial Is Not a River in Egypt)
the technique, method, or system of operating or controlling a process by highly automatic means, as by electronic devices, reducing human intervention to a minimum.
~ automation. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged. Retrieved February 21, 2012, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/automation
[Bolding mine]
Automation can occur a couple of different ways, but it almost always boils down to the use of computers, either as a controlling device for robotics or as means of running a program and crunching data.
However, automation is a means to an end, not an end of itself. After all, if there is no benefit, then there is little point in pursuing what hiring more human beings can do. It may be a means to reduce cost by replacing simple human action by a more efficient automated process. Perhaps it is a way to streamline getting a customer to the right expert to talk to, if not even to resolve the simpler issues. Whatever the reason, efficiency is surely part of the strategy, because if it is not, then the automation has failed. If the process requires constant intervention to keep it working, then it by definition is not efficient.
Let me repeat that: If it requires constant human intervention by someone other than an enduser, then it by definition is not efficient and is a failure. You would be better off with inefficient but adaptable human beings doing the process.
Google Maps Still Stupid Fail
I previously blogged about how “Google Maps Is Stupid”. Well, yesterday, I got an email saying it was “fixed”. They “fixed” it by moving my location on Broadview Road and putting it on Summit Blvd! So, directions to/from my place of business will still leave people wandering around the apartment complex one block over!
The more time goes on, the more I realize what a fail Google is for any business. They honestly do not care. They are too busy trying to do all things for all people to do any one thing right. Even searches have become problematic with them allowing sponsored sites that look official when they are really sponsored sites as was documented in The How-To Geek article “Important Warning: Be Careful Downloading Open Source Apps via Search”. I have previously blogged about the catastrophe that happened to my Blogger blogs, and most businesses trying to attract web traffic are going to depend upon a blog. Even Google Voice sometimes rings my cell phone and sometimes does not, I’ve noticed.
This is beyond annoying. Even if this weren’t a business location, it’s ridiculous to take three months and still not fix the problem.
Google Maps Is Stupid
OK, it has been two months since I first complained to Google Maps, and it took about two weeks for them to acknowledge something was wrong. Now, it is even worse! It insists that I take Broadview Road to Crescent Blvd, even though the two streets do not intersect at any point whatsoever. Furthermore, I tried to move the line to Broadview Road, and now it wants me to take Avery instead! This is stupid.
I am not going to use Google AdWords in protest of this until it is fixed. I find that Cleveland.com and Mimi’s are much better at publicizing the business anyhow, and a much better dollar value!
Like other huge corporations, Google has outgrown its original niche and usefulness.
Stupid Things Companies Do: Scripts, Rules and Customer/Employee Satisfaction
Without a doubt, this is a wacky world. I know someone who was a top seller, but she made a mistake. She forgot to silence her cell phone. So, they let her go. After all, rules are rules.
Who are the rules made for? The customer? The employee? The company? In this case, the customer didn’t really gain or win. The employee definitely didn’t win. The company might temporarily lose some upsale opportunities, so they didn’t win either.
As you probably know, I cut the cable. The representatives were very courteous. However, twice I was thanked for “choosing” their company. Huh? As in “choosing” to leave? I assume that they are required to use that phrase, though, and, after all, rules are rules.
Smoke and Mirrors Are not System Requirements
If you asked me how much memory was needed to run a program, how would you feel if I answered, “Enough memory to run the operating system and any programs you want to use”? I’d imagine your answer would be along the lines of, “Well, duh.” Yet, amazingly, that is almost exactly the description for a program I was trying to spec out.
I won’t name the program, but this is pretty frustrating. Does it use 1MB of memory? 1TB? Who knows? If you ask me, they are asking for tech support calls.
Let’s look at some other requirements they list to see how they stack up:
Rating Laptop Technical Support
Choices, choices. These days, there are a lot of choices when it comes to laptops. Just check out John D’s Computer Store to see just a few of the choices. So, how do you choose?
Well, the first fundamental has to be the features you need. Separate out your wants from your needs and concentrate on which laptops meet those needs. The “best” laptop in the world is not the best laptop if it doesn’t get the job done!
Dell AIO 942 Photo Printer and Windows Vista 64 Bit Disappoints
There are many things I like about Dell desktops and laptops. There are just as many things I do not like about Dell printers. However, after this weekend, I’ve lost even more respect for Dell printers because of the Dell support website’s lack of Windows Vista 64-bit support.
The Dell support site is head and shoulders above many other computer manufacturers’ websites. If you have a service tag number, you can find almost anything you want to know about the product. Even if you don’t have the service tag number, you can find out an awful lot just by knowing the model number.
That is, you can if it is a computer. Apparently, this does not hold true for printers. I wanted to install the drivers and software on Vista 64-bit for a Dell 942 Photo All-in-One. Here is the screenshot from Dell Support:
The New ATT.com First Impressions
OK, if I’m going to take the time to complain about something, then I’d better at least say something when corrective measures have been undertaken. AT&T recently revamped their website to make navigation easier and give the site a fresh look. It is in general a big improvement over the old site. It at least feels more like one unified company rather than competing factions.
Having said that, it isn’t perfect. I still was able to get sidetracked on viewing my Internet bill from one of the help pages. However, going in a different direction took me where I needed to be. I did require some assistance getting onto the site, though, as something about my login was screwed up.
Most disappointing, though, is that there is a “Want Combined Billing?” function that is hard to find and, from what I can tell, doesn’t do anything. It took me about 30 minutes to find it on the “lower right corner” because that portion of the sidebar (who puts anything on a right-hand sidebar if they want it noticed these days?) is so far down as to be cut-off by the bottom of the browser. Still, over a week has passed, and there still is no combined billing that I can see.
So, it at least is an initial stab at looking like one unified company rather than the disparate sections where you couldn’t find anything before. However, with two bills, it still feels like it isn’t one unified company.
