Interacting with me on a daily basis can sometimes be a challenge. I am starting to gauge my willingness to be personable in direct correlation to the number of questions I receive about printing issues. It continues to bother me that we are so attached to paper that we will have a complete anxiety attack if our printer fails, runs out of paper, or flashes a low toner warning.
Imagine that I am a 911 operator taking a call for a printing issue.
Me: 911 print rescue- What is your emergency?
Caller (heavy breathing in the background)- I am trying to print and nothing is happening. My (insert superiors name here) says you need to come fix this ASAP.
Me: I understand. What is the issue?
Caller (sounds of paper bag inflating and deflating): It won't print.
Me: What does your computer say?
Caller (ragged, emotions flowing through the phone): Nothing it, it doesn't say anything. We need you here now!
Me: Have you tried shutting down the printer or the computer?
Caller (screaming): YES! I SHUT DOWN THIS PIECE OF JUNK AND STARTED IT AGAIN! GET OVER HERE BEFORE (superior person in the company, shamelessly referenced here) FINDS OUT! ISN'T THIS YOUR JOB?
Me: I am just trying to solve your problem caller. Please be patient.
Caller (Sounds of knives being sharpened): I said this is an emergency. WE ARE TESTING!
Me: On my way.
Imagine that I am a 911 operator taking a call for a printing issue.
Me: 911 print rescue- What is your emergency?
Caller (heavy breathing in the background)- I am trying to print and nothing is happening. My (insert superiors name here) says you need to come fix this ASAP.
Me: I understand. What is the issue?
Caller (sounds of paper bag inflating and deflating): It won't print.
Me: What does your computer say?
Caller (ragged, emotions flowing through the phone): Nothing it, it doesn't say anything. We need you here now!
Me: Have you tried shutting down the printer or the computer?
Caller (screaming): YES! I SHUT DOWN THIS PIECE OF JUNK AND STARTED IT AGAIN! GET OVER HERE BEFORE (superior person in the company, shamelessly referenced here) FINDS OUT! ISN'T THIS YOUR JOB?
Me: I am just trying to solve your problem caller. Please be patient.
Caller (Sounds of knives being sharpened): I said this is an emergency. WE ARE TESTING!
Me: On my way.
First it is worth mentioning that I am not a help desk. I am an instructional designer. For those not in the know that means I create the training documents, sessions, presentations etc. that we use to teach our staff how to problem solve their technology and curriculum. So you could see why a call like the one above, which I have received by the way, could up my blood pressure.
As a society we have to stop making excuses or panicking when something doesn't work. Technology isn't going away and when you hit a roadblock it isn't funny when a person blames the technology, yells at someone trying to help or brags that they are illiterate with tech. When I get a call like this or someone brags that they don't use technology, they have just made themselves irrelevant and antiquated. Why should I rush out the door to help?
I went to school to be a teacher. An endorsement in technology meant I knew how to use three programs in Office 97. I kid you not, the grade I received on how to make a great bulletin board was worth more in my curriculum than being able to access the internet. I was required to take a class that showed me how to fix an overhead projector. When it comes to tech I am entirely self taught.
Instead of name dropping, hyperventilating, and in some cases cursing me out the above caller should have been proactive in learning their technology. The attitude of waiting until it happens has to cease in our society. We must stop being afraid of technology and hope it goes away. An emergency is when someone is bleeding out, experiencing a heart attack, or runs out of coffee. Don't make an emergency out of printing. It isn't worth it.
The end result of the call above? I drove to the campus out of breath, fearing the state testing board was going to send bolts of lightening down to strike me dead for not being able to print something on statewide testing day.
Me (huffing and puffing): What are you trying to print? What is the problem?
Caller (red faced, waving arms about, about to start flying): Hit Print! Nothing happens.
Me: These are certificates for the awards banquet.
Caller (Uncomfortably close, fists clenched): AND! They have to be printed!
Me (Shaking my head): Isn't that in two weeks? What does this have to do with testing?
Caller: Nothing. I need these right now.
Me: All right let me turn the power off and on.
As a society we have to stop making excuses or panicking when something doesn't work. Technology isn't going away and when you hit a roadblock it isn't funny when a person blames the technology, yells at someone trying to help or brags that they are illiterate with tech. When I get a call like this or someone brags that they don't use technology, they have just made themselves irrelevant and antiquated. Why should I rush out the door to help?
I went to school to be a teacher. An endorsement in technology meant I knew how to use three programs in Office 97. I kid you not, the grade I received on how to make a great bulletin board was worth more in my curriculum than being able to access the internet. I was required to take a class that showed me how to fix an overhead projector. When it comes to tech I am entirely self taught.
Instead of name dropping, hyperventilating, and in some cases cursing me out the above caller should have been proactive in learning their technology. The attitude of waiting until it happens has to cease in our society. We must stop being afraid of technology and hope it goes away. An emergency is when someone is bleeding out, experiencing a heart attack, or runs out of coffee. Don't make an emergency out of printing. It isn't worth it.
The end result of the call above? I drove to the campus out of breath, fearing the state testing board was going to send bolts of lightening down to strike me dead for not being able to print something on statewide testing day.
Me (huffing and puffing): What are you trying to print? What is the problem?
Caller (red faced, waving arms about, about to start flying): Hit Print! Nothing happens.
Me: These are certificates for the awards banquet.
Caller (Uncomfortably close, fists clenched): AND! They have to be printed!
Me (Shaking my head): Isn't that in two weeks? What does this have to do with testing?
Caller: Nothing. I need these right now.
Me: All right let me turn the power off and on.
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