A pearoast in QOTW?
Call at approx 16:30 on a Thursday Office closes at 17:30

Customer : We need some help setting up (our system xxxx) on a pc

(for the record, it normally runs on a server with client pcs accessing the databases/programs,etc)


Me: Ok, do yo know where your main system runs from, then we can get the installation files over the network and have you up and running in few minutes

C: We only have one machine for xxxx, this is a new pc to replace it.

M: Ok....do yo still have access to the old pc so we can get the system from there?

C: No, it's gone "poot", thats why we had to get a new one

M: So, the old xxxx machine is completely dead?

C: Yes. Everytime we tried to do anything on it, it just locked up so we got rid of it.

M: Right....did you take a backup of the xxxx system before you got rid of it?

C: A what?

M: A backup...a copy of all the customer information and jobs, etc you had already entered, just in case something terrible happened to the pc.

C: I think we did once....we have a xxxx installation disk. Does that help?

M: Erm...no..thats just to install the database engine so you can access your data.

*insert chat with my manager covering the above events*

M: Ok..the most important thing is to get your jobs onto the web system so the rest of the network knows how to handle the jobs. Do you have internet access on a pc there?

C: No, it was only this pc that was set up to do all that.

M: Ok...we would stongly recommend you try to get that sorted...evenif it means you have to take the info home and enter it on a pc there...its important this information gets entered or the network might fine you, etc for not entering information for jobs yo want them to handle.

C: Hang on, we do have a back up.

M: Brilliant! Do you know how old it is?

C: Not sure, we just found it in the back of the cupboard

M: Well we cant use that...it wont have half of the information and wont have the latest software releases and will more than likely do more harm than good.

C: Cant we get the information of the old pc?

M: I thoght it had gone "poot"

C: Well its still here...its jsut really slow...

M: *blink* Weeeeell....if yo can get it to run at all, we might be able to get them to network -

C: Oh no..i do know we only have 1 network card and thats now in the new pc...

M: -or if it has a cd-writer or similar we can do that....

C: It does, but everytime we use it, the pc freezes up

M: *Puts customer on hold for a minute to bang head on desk in frustration to general amusement of co-workers and has chat with manager*

M: Ok, as we said earlier, the most important thing is to get the info onto the web system...we can try and sort the rest in the morning (its now 17:15 and will take a lot longer than the 15 mins left)

C: Oh while you were away mr C2 has got the old pc up and running again with the network card in it....

M: Really? Fantatic, you can use that to enter and uplaod you jobs as normal.

C: Oh we cant...our router has gone down and we dont get a new one till monday. Cant you just get us a blank system to enter stuff into and we can sort it out afterwards?

M: without internet access and the short time left....no...not really...

*At this point the call was passed onto my manager and then his boss who suffered with this for the next 2 days. I went and wept in the corner...*


Yes it's lengthy, but some people like it that way.
( mooglemania Please disregard this sig., Fri 25 Sep 2009, 15:39, Reply)