Note to Self
I hate calling tech support. By the time I start looking for help, I usually know more about the problem than the person whose help I need. The good news is that when I do resort to others, I often solve my own problem while explaining it to them. Apparently, I'm not alone.
From Solve problems by writing a note to yourself | 43 Folders:
The funny thing I eventually realized was that I could and often did find the solution to my problem — part way through writing the email in which I was asking for help. I realize this sounds kind of silly, but the next time you’re having trouble figuring something out, try writing a note to yourself.
I don't necessarily address those emails to myself, but I've written many an email that doesn't get sent, or gets moved over to our documentation blog instead, once I've added the solution.
I think there's some good advise here. I should probably send this link to everyone at work. Hmmm...
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SARS
well, its actually kinda an inside joke with my 3 friends that i have SARS because they are asian and we were talking about all the sicknesses they gave us, and then i coughed. And now me and monique, who is full chinese, think she gave me SARS because I have had this cough for like a month. Yesterday I got a cold, so I looked up the symptoms to see if I had SARS. haha.
Visit my Xanga! www.xanga.com/wasian_princess
I hope not!
So you looked up the symptoms but what did you learn? Usually when I do that I end up that I'm convinced that I have whatever it is that I looked up no matter how weird or obscure it is. Hope you just found out that you have a cold -- and I hope you feel better soon!
The real value of tech support
I agree with Mike on tech support. I've had this happen dozens of times. I'll be on hold (for a long, long time) waiting for the tech support person to come on the line and keep looking at the problem while I'm waiting since it doesn't really work to start on something else that might have to be interrupted at any minute. And about 8 times out of 10, I figure out what the problem is while I'm waiting just by playing around and trying different ways to get at it.
Writing an email describing the problem works for me, too. Very often just in the process of trying to describe clearly what happened results in my thinking of something that might explain the problem. What this indicates to me is that most people who call tech support haven't really thought the problem through. And my admiration for the majority of support people continues to grow, although I do admit that there are some who are real dodos. Like guy who was helping me via a real-time chat rather than over the phone and told me the first step in the diagnosis was to power down the computer. Couldn't quite make him understand that I was very likely to lose the chat connection with him if I did that. But the person I talked to on the phone after I gave up on him was excellent and helped me immediately (after the 45 minute wait to get to her).
calling tech support
I really relate to the business about figuring something out while trying to explain it to others. I can't say that it's happened a lot with my personal computer (apparently, I don't ask very sophisticated tasks from it!), but this happened to me time and time again while I was working for a living. Most often it would be during a phone conversation or in counsel with another employee. Just having to lay out the problem in a rational order often showed the way to solve it. So I agree with Micah and Luanne that thought needs to be applied to the details of whatever needs to be overcome, rather than just panicing and expect someone else to take care of it. And I agree that most of those who work as support techs are simply saints. I'd last about 20 minutes at that, I'm sure. Vicki