I'm guilty of having once asked someone (help desk staff) to do this for me, watched them do it, and hence worked out (i.e. seen in action as they took over control on my screen) the algorithm/flow chart. (and went, d'oh, sorry, I could've done that, silly me, internally while saying 'gee, thanks!' externally).
and then felt even worse when the confirmation email of the call and (slightly later, typing time) an email confirming its resolution came though 15 minutes (and 16 minutes) later, after they had filled in all the ticky boxes on what they had been spending their time on.
in my defense, my first question was 'do you happen to know how to do x', rather than 'can you spend 30 minutes looking though menus which might lead us in the direction of finding out how to do x.'
But in retrospect, even if they had happened to know and could have answered me immediately, they, it becomes apparent, would still have had to fill in 15 minutes-worth of forms saying that I had asked that. and another minute saying that they had said 'you do y'.
This kind of thing really annoys me. If I ask tech support/computer literate friend "Do you know how to do this?" I am expecting the answer yes (and then tell me) or no. I do not want them to follow this algorithm - I can do this myself.
because a lot of other people can't or don't or won't follow that algorithm. I think it's understandable when help desk staff do this; computer-literate friends a little less so.
Strictly speaking I don't think they necessarily would have had to fill in all the forms just for advice; but ITSD is keen on stats and success stories so there is a certain encouragement to solve the problem and then fill in the stats tooty sweety.
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chiming
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Date: August 24th, 2009 08:12 pm (UTC)From:and then felt even worse when the confirmation email of the call and (slightly later, typing time) an email confirming its resolution came though 15 minutes (and 16 minutes) later, after they had filled in all the ticky boxes on what they had been spending their time on.
no subject
Date: August 24th, 2009 08:48 pm (UTC)From:But in retrospect, even if they had happened to know and could have answered me immediately, they, it becomes apparent, would still have had to fill in 15 minutes-worth of forms saying that I had asked that. and another minute saying that they had said 'you do y'.
no subject
Date: August 24th, 2009 08:53 pm (UTC)From:that's probably not what other people mean though
Date: August 24th, 2009 09:51 pm (UTC)From:Re: that's probably not what other people mean though
Date: August 24th, 2009 10:49 pm (UTC)From:Re: that's probably not what other people mean though
Date: August 25th, 2009 07:54 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: August 24th, 2009 09:49 pm (UTC)From: