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Bad Tech Support, Demystified

by Terrence O'Brien on April 22, 2009 at 07:10 AM

Cracked Explains

It's no secret that tech support and customer service, in general, are deep black-holes of wasted time and unsolved problems. What you may not realize is that there are actual reasons for tech support's frequent suckiness.

For example, call centers are staffed with the absolute minimum number of agents, in order to save costs. And, while it may be annoying to be asked if your PC is plugged in or not, calls are monitored to make sure that the reps are precisely following the ridiculous scripts that require they ask such boneheaded questions.

The folks at Cracked do cover 'Why Tech Support Sucks,' in their trademark, snarky, vulgar manner, of course. But, while earning a good chuckle, they also help you to understand that your unpleasant experience is not always the support person's fault.
On a serious note, if you wish to actually accomplish something, it always helps to talk to an agent like a human being. Saying simple things like, "I know you have a script, but I've already tried a number of the things you're suggesting," or, "Would you mind putting me through to a manager or level-two support?" will help to ensure that you don't spend three hours on the phone chasing your tail.

The trick is to let the agent know you're not an idiot, while not coming off like a jerk. That being said, sometimes yelling and threatening to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau is the only way to get anything accomplished. [From: Cracked]

Tags: cracked, customer service, customer support, CustomerService, CustomerSupport, funny, humor, support, tech support, TechSupport, top

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