Look, don't blame me. This stuff happens to me all the time. I can't help it if I seem to attract all the cretins.
Like the mad, reckless fool I am, I answered the phone, didn't I?
Caller: "Hi, I get sent emails that I have to click on the link to log in for reports etc. Is there a way I can save those links because I keep having to search through my emails to find the link?"
Me: "You just need to bookmark the page."
Caller: "Bookmark? Bookmark what page?"
Me: "The web page that the link takes you to."
Caller: "So hang on, I click on this link and then it says welcome to...."
Me: "Yes, bookmark that page."
Caller: "How do I do that?"
Me: "Press Ctrl & d together; you should get a popup asking you where to save it."
Caller: "It says Favourites, but I don't have any favourites!"
Me: "Just click done. Can you see it in the favourites on your toolbar?"
Caller: "There's nothing down on the toolbar?"
Me: "NO! The toolbar on your web browser."
Caller: "Web browser? Do you mean the Internet?"
Me: "I'm going to have to put you through to one of the lads. They might need to log on to your machine to show you."
I just can't do 1st line support
If you know somebody that does 1st line support, give them a hug because cleaning out sewers is preferable to 1st line IT support.
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"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."
Image created by irisworld
My actual name is Pete. Here is why I have the username dickturpin.
You can also find me on Social Media
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https://mastodon.org.uk/@dick_turpin |
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https://castlecannon.house/profile/dick_turpin |
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https://twitter.com/dick_turpin |
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Create your license: Choose
Podcaster. FOSS, Linux & Creative Commons Advocate.
"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."
I have had this conversation, thankfully I am not in Front Line Support anymore, yeek!
Having provided IT support in one form or another since 1992, I feel your pain, brother. 👊
Thing is, it doesn't take much to get to a certain level, and the grief and friction (and cost in terms of wasted time!) it saves far outweighs the investment in a a bit of training/mentoring...
I used to teach basic computer literacy for adults in the late 90s - just as folk were getting online at home more. And the stuff we covered then would probably nail the issues you describe... 😆
From my experience, we've gone from offering basic familiarisation lessons to assuming everyone knows how to use a computer. For example, when someone says they don't own a mobile phone, how shocked are you? "You don't own a mobile? But, but, how do you manage?" 🤣
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There ought to be a basic level of training for anyone who needs to use a computer for their work. They need to know certain terminology to make it clear what they are doing. Somehow people manage anyway. Was this a young person? Some only use phones for everything.
!PIZZA
That's the thing. Some of us old farts remember the days when an interviewer would ask: "How many words a minute?" this, of course, related to typewriters, but the point was, it gave an indication that you knew how to use the damn thing. These days, employers don't even ask the most basic of questions; they assume people know how to use computers. Most SMEs don't have an internal computer training program, and they certainly wouldn't pay for training either because we're back to "..... assume you learnt how to use one in school."
You would be horrified at the appalling knowledge levels some people have where their job totally relies on the use of a computer. For example, if there are no icons on the desktop, they're totally screwed because they have no idea how to find Word, for example, via the menu! I kid you not.
There's few standards in most companies for this. In most companies they won't even teach you useful tips for common apps. People are expected to figure it out themselves. Actually one place I worked years ago gave us some lessons in Office, but then they did training for clients anyway. I learnt a few things from that.
Oh, by the way. I would say they were in the 40 - 50 range by the sound of the voice.
Okay, so they ought to have at least some computer experience.
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