I understand the frustration... not the conclusion

Post #80,698 by cwbrenn 2/10/03 5:22:00 PM Reply	I understand the frustration... not the conclusion The conclusion being, "these end users are a pack of idiots." There is a difference between feeling frustration because your level of understanding is much higher than the people who are asking you for information, and reaching the conclusion that therefore, the people asking you for information have the collective brainpower of charred toast. One does not follow the other, the frustration involved has nothing to do with the fact that the end users are STUPID, it has to do with them not being where the the IT people are in terms of experience. "We are all born originals -- why is it so many of us die copies?" - Edward Young
Post #80,707 by boxley 2/10/03 5:43:32 PM Reply	well I have been accused of when asked the time I explain how to build a sundial. What I always ask (if I have time) probing questions to establish what they do know and always preface with If you know this please interupt and I will move on. thanx, bill will work for cash and other incentives [link\|http://home.tampabay.rr.com/boxley/resume/Resume.html\|skill set] questions, help? [link\|mailto:pappas@catholic.org\|email pappas at catholic.org]
Post #80,737 by tseliot 2/10/03 6:25:09 PM Reply	Ah, I get it now. And mostly agree. I would simply add the caveat that it's often unintentional from the perspective of the techie; the user perceives they're being talked down to and treated like a child. User: It's broken in this way. Tech: Fix it like this. User: Why? Tech: That would take hours to explain. User: So you think I'm stupid? It's even worse when the User hangs up (or walks away, etc) without saying the last line, just assuming it. Which is why I said what I did about education. The techs need to understand they're being perceived this way, and the users need to know it's par for the course and not personal. Some techs, unfortunately, are so tired of addressing this issue they've simply turned up their filtering system a notch or two to actively discourage addressing it. The easy way to do this is: yes, you are stupid, go away and stop bothering me. Then most businesses decide to put non-techs in between the two groups, and we approach Helldesk. Obviously, there are many variations on this answer. Many fears are born of stupidity and ignorance - Which you should be feeding with rumour and generalisation. BOfH, 2002 "Episode" 10

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