From Joe Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2000 05:28:40 -0700 Subject: Escalation Us Escalated (or Backline) support muppets get off more lightly than the frontline troops, if only because we don't have to *talk* to the customers - we talk to the frontline guys, who in turn talk to the customers. Occasionally they do need to talk customers through basic stuff. (The downside of Backline of course is that there are no standard brain-in-neutral responses in Backline - every call is a "It did WHAT to the entire RAID array? Cool!" moment :-) What you also get is some good feedback from the frontliners about common calls that they take. Here in *mumble* we support corporate users, so luckily a largish proportion of the people calling us are moderately Clued. The PHBs will order the stuff, then hand the BOFH a CD and say "I've bought us an integrated anti-virus solution. Go and make it work." Sometimes, on still nights, if I listen carefully, I can hear the gunfire from here... Sadly, though, there are a number of people out there calling themselves System Administrators *cough* who should be prevented, forcibly, from ever going within 200 yards of any piece of technology more advanced than, say, paint. NEED people are the bane of my life - not because there's anything wrong with the software, but because of either: a) The incredibly unsuitable uses they put it to: "Well, it's got this scheduling thingy in it, right, so I set it up to do my backups for me as well, and now..." or b) the frankly astonishing ways in which they break it. I'm only mildly joking. The worst of all are the ones who get the software and then... well, I can see them doing it. I *know* they're doing it. Scenario is as follows. "I am a Very Important Person. I am the System Administrator. Implementing a company-wide anti-virus solution is an Important Job, so it is fitting that I, as an Important Person, do it. However, because I am Important, this means I am Busy. Because I am the System Administrator, I am Clever. Therefore I do not NEED to Read The Fucking Manual[1]. So I will not read it. I am Clever, so I will be able to work it out for myself. Oh look. It Does Not Work. Because I am Clever and Important I cannot have done anything wrong. Therefore I will ring up the company and in tones of Righteous Indignation I will inform them that their software is crap because it Does Not Work. When asked to perform any troubleshooting or diagnostics, I will say 'I am very Clever so it is the software's fault. I am Very Important, therefore I am Very Busy, therefore I have no time to do any bloody troubleshooting. Just bloody fix it. Goodbye.' and I will put the phone down." [1] And they *honestly*believe*this*to*be*true*. AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH. Regards, Joe -- Espresso, Jack Daniels and Marlboros. Because breakfast is the most important meal of the day.