Soooo much time has passed…
Well, a few have asked and a few have even commented on the fact that I have not been around and I haven’t updated in what seems to be FOREVER. What can I say other than, “I’ve been a slacker and extremely busy”; not that that vies as an excuse, but it’s the best and most accurate I have for the moment.
I guess I should begin by sharing the most recent relevant info, about my current status. I am happily employed at the moment; working as a sub-contractor to a company that sub-contracts to Dell, as a warranty service technician. I run about in a defined territory providing repair and service work on Dell desktops, portables, and TVs. I really enjoy it, as I am for all intents and purposes my “own boss”. As any “self-employed” business person knows though, you are never completely “self-employed”. Customers and those for whom you provide service to always want and even expect more than you yourself foresee yourself providing. In addition, I find myself suffering many of the same frustrations many bloggers and customers have commented on dealing with Dell’s India support desk team. I have always and will continue to say that if you want an inexpensive computer system with outstanding warranty and customer support to go with a Dell. I now however, add the disclaimer that if you should have the fortune (or misfortune in some cases) of dealing with the India support desk, keep in mind, that just as with any company, they are simply trying to ensure that their warranty policy isn’t abused and taken advantage of by those customers who would attempt to take advantage of their warranty policy and who would act with less than scrupulous intentions. In addition, I too have found (as many technologically savvy professionals have) that on occasion I become overwhelmingly frustrated in some of the advice or troubleshooting practices engaged by some of the technicians I speak with.
One such situation that comes to mind is a customer who called to report a “no-post” situation with their desktop computer. The customer told the technician upfront that they were not comfortable with opening their case and “fiddling” around with its internals, but the support agent assured them it was OK. During the troubleshooting process, the support agent asked the customer to remove the RAM and “touch it to the stone floor”. The customer having a great sense of humor, laughed, thinking it was a joke, and simply replied with laughter, “Ummm… I’ve got hardwood floors.” Much to his surprise the support agent replied, “No sir, you will have to find a stone floor” (with a very thick Indian accent I might add). The customer a bit shocked explained that they did not have stone floors, and now not laughing had the experience of having to debate the issue as if in defense of himself, with the agent. The agent then advised him to go outside and grab a “rock”. Now, keep in mind this in the middle of winter just following a rather intense Illinois winter snow storm. The customer became a bit enraged at this point and though he knew little about electronics and current conductivity knew this wasn’t right. He then insisted in speaking with a supervisor which the agent was extremely reluctant to do. The customer did finally manage however, to get to a supervisor who seemed equally disinterested in providing customer service but reluctantly conceded to sending a tech (me) to the customer’s house to replace a motherboard. Once I arrived, I found the true nature of the issue to be the power supply was not providing any current. It wasn’t even lighting the LED on the motherboard. This should have been a rather easy and simple case to troubleshoot and shouldn’t have taken more than about 30 minutes max to diagnose and issue a dispatch for. Instead the customer spent 3.5+ hours on the phone, and had to go through the ordeal of having to wait till I could come out and troubleshoot the system, as well as make a return trip to replace the power supply.
I have to be honest when I say, I find this and similar types of customer aggravation and misdiagnosis to be heavily associated with the India support team, however I am in no way saying that this is an everyday scenario, nor is it to indicate that India support is incompetent in their troubleshooting practices. To say such would be racist and unfair to the technicians there who do not fall into this category. We must keep in mind that no call center, especially in the tech industry, is completely staffed with knowledgeable infallible tech support. Every company has its shortfalls, and also, keep in mind, these guys are attempting to diagnose and troubleshoot systems on the phone with no ability to see all of the symptoms and issues presenting themselves on a customer’s system. Finally, if you have any type of tech background with the general public, you know as well as I do, there is at least 50% if not more of the issues customers call in with that are directly related to customers using and expecting their systems to run beyond tolerances for which they were designed. I can’t tell you how many systems I have opened up with enough dust and pet hair inside them to clog even a 15HP 5 gallon shop-vac. In addition, I can’t tell you how many systems I’ve seen with programs such as Limewire or other utilities known to propagate Spyware and Malware, as well as providing the opportunity for a customer to bypass their firewall and virus protection and download seemingly legit files and programs to their system.
To suggest however, that a customer place their RAM on the stone floor, is well, insane to say the least. I have thought at great length as to the motivation behind such a suggestion and my only conclusion is perhaps a misunderstanding by either the agent or the customer or both. Perhaps the agent was intending the customer set the RAM down, for safe-keeping. As any person with any type of electrical knowledge knows, RAM is sensitive to ESD (electro-static-discharge). Placing the RAM on a stone or “grounded” surface is not just wise it’s imperative. Perhaps the agent was reading this line in their script, and in the midst of struggling not just with the conversational language barrier but with the struggle of relaying the information to the customer failed to do so appropriately and accurately. In addition I have the feeling the agent likely did not understand or have a complete understanding of electro-static properties or conduction. To compound the issue, we have to take in mind that the customer admitted to me he could not understand much of what the agent was saying, thus it is entirely conceivable that the customer misunderstood what the agent was asking him to do (i.e. instead of “touch” the agent may have said “place”). If the latter is true, then again it is an issue of the agent not being well versed or knowledgeable of ESD, as if this were the case, the agent too could have found laughter in the scenario, and explained the hardwood floor would have been acceptable as well, or better yet, a paper-towel.
My suggestion for customers who have difficulty in dealing with India support team whether it be for Dell or any other company now outsourcing its Customer Support to India or other countries outside of the US, to take a moment and recognize you are dealing with a potential language barrier. These agents for the most part are just as interested in providing you with superior customer service as their American counterparts. I would even go so far as to say that in general they are more so inclined to be of assistance as it is a matter of “pride” and “honor” for them. Their cultural and sociological upbringing encourages a greater sense of accountability on a personal level than we find in Western culture many times. In saying that though, I also encourage you to make it known to your politicians, CEO’s and corporate directorship, that you find this trend in saving money by outsourcing such service to “third-world” countries frustrating and irritating. Perhaps if we as a nation were to place more emphasis on truly understanding the motivations and personally felt positions that our “leaders” hold we would not be so quick as to elect or place them into positions of control or influence over our lives. To elect a political figure into office, just because they have affiliation with our “party” or to base it on one issue rather than the full-spectrum of issues, is again as insane as an agents advice to “touch RAM to a stone”.
During the latter part of the Clinton administration, President Clinton and his wife encouraged such outsourcing under the guise of “we have been giving fish to the world at great expense; we should teach them to fish”. Then, through the media and their influence they introduced new tax laws that in essence gave tax breaks to companies who outsourced their technological needs to such countries as India, Mexico, and several others. While the idea seemed logical, many in the industry saw this as a potential headache for the consumer, but the media, and a number of CFO’s pushed the idea, and for the most part snuffed out that word of warning. Many CFO’s saw enormous bonuses in the following years as they had saved enormous amounts of money allocated to Customer Service. Thousands of Americans lost their jobs and companies such as Convergys (once a leader of American Call-Center customer Service) all but folded up. Added to it was the deregulation of telecommunication companies, and increased taxes imposed on them, thus creating a sudden spike in telecommunication costs for US based call centers.
Now nearly 10 years later we are seeing the impact of so many poor decisions. In addition, in many large companies we are seeing a new team of CFO’s, as the CFO’s of 10 years ago have become wealthy enough to retire. These new CFO’s are charged with the knowledge that their companies are losing money because of fewer customers (people don’t want to buy a product that increases their frustration when something goes wrong and they are forced to call Customer Service), and the cost of bringing their Customer Service back to the States is enormous. In some cases (though I have not been able to confirm but have heard more than one rumor of such) such as India, these companies had to sign contracts (in some cases up to 40 years) in order to hire a reduced rate workforce. In a tech related business such as Dell the average pay-rate for a phone agent is about $8 - $15 per hour. You then add Worker’s Compensation Insurance, Medicare and Social Security matching by the employer, and numerous other costs, and you find yourself in a situation of paying $30 or more per hour per employee. Conversely, you can hire a person in India for an average cost of $15 per hour with no other costs (the agent makes about $6 - $10 per hour and is revered in their community as having a very lucrative and honored (even coveted) position.
Our ability and desire to bring these services back to the US or at least improve the quality of support of the representatives we speak with on the phone lies fully on the shoulders of us the consumer. We need to make our voices and thoughts not just heard but felt by our decision-makers. So many of us are content to just complaining rather than initiating the action required to impress our thoughts and feelings. We need to be actively engaged in writing letters to CEO’s and CFO’s of corporations, expressly relaying our dissatisfaction with the service we are receiving. We as a society need to be more focused on placing accountability and demand disclosure from our politicians. We need to be more influential in conveying to our media, to tell more than just one side of a story. We need to teach ourselves to be less drawn to sensationalism and reground ourselves in truth and reality. Not the reality that provides “shock and awe” rather the reality that causes us to question and ponder relevance and insight to past, current and future events and conditions.
Anymore, the media has become a spotlight of ignorance and emotional stimulating filler that has little or no true impact on our daily lives. The consistent highlighting of the police chase down LA streets with added dramatic commentary by the news anchor in the helicopter encompassing an hour or more of news time, or the blatant disregard for news stories such as the amazing and encouraging reports of men and women service members assisting in war-torn areas (such as the Marine division in Falluja who being comprised of reservists with the technical and physical know-how, not only designed, but also built and introduced a power station to an area that had been without power for over 20 years under the reign of Saddam Hussein. In addition, they went to each home in the area, and wired their homes with lights and light switches, and taught a few locals the basics of how to maintain it on their own… all of this in their “spare” time, with much of their own funds and gathered resources). Instead, our media focuses on the one terrorist who was killed after ambushing and attempting to kill innocent people and service members, and has his story sensationalized as an atrocity because he was killed as he was ducking back into a building claimed to be on “holy ground” (never mind the fact that all of the locals have said that it is only “holy” to the extremists within its walls).
It goes beyond even just the news services, it’s in our homes. So many of our young people are left to be attended by computer and console game systems that are nothing but storyboard after storyboard of violence and first-person shooting. I myself, being a “gamer”, play the game World of Warcraft for entertainment purposes, however I would never allow a child or anyone under the age of 18 be left alone for hours with the game with no involvement on my part. I certainly would not encourage anyone, old enough or not to play a game that involved a story board that encourages breaking the law (i.e. Grand Theft Auto) or dramatizes war or actions of war as being “cool” or “acceptable”. Our children are becoming stimulated for hours on end with graphics and adult content to such a degree that by adulthood they are requiring even greater sources of stimulation to feel “complete” or “alive”. The stimulation provided by such graphics and images release chemicals in us such as adrenalin and nero-toxins that give us sensations of euphoria. Just as with any drug or chemical not present in the body under “normal” circumstances, prolonged exposure and repetitive exposure desensitizes us, and our bodies require more and more in greater and greater doses to give us that “high”. The result manifests itself with individuals making poor and even unimaginable decisions all in an attempt to recreate and experience that “high”. Adults of all walks of life including doctors, lawyers, law-enforcement, and more (normally reputed as persons of upstanding social and moral fiber) are finding themselves in situations of disrepute. A scan through your local TV station will undoubtedly lead you to a program highlighting such behavior as part of its “shock and aw” programming. Yes it’s true we need to make the public aware of the misdeeds and growing trend of society to act in a manner that corrupts and destroys the basic moral fiber our society is based on. I feel however, that it has become more an issue of ratings through applorible and disturbing sensationalism, rather than an effort to inform and make the public aware. Ironically, many of these same station programming and media decision makers also engage in reporting and even attacking what they deem as “overly stiff” laws and consequences, jail terms and fines for such unsocial behavior. Not to jump on a soap-box regarding any particular media source (I know I am currently on a soap-box; but I’m soon to get back on topic) but the Turner/Time Warner group is in my opinion probably the most horrific in this engagement, with Fox following a close second.
If I may, I would just implore and encourage you, consider the points which I have entertained hereto. Consider it the next time you choose to watch a TV program or movie. Keep it in mind the next time you buy a computer game for your children or leave them alone in a room with a remote and expect them to be entertained by the television. I encourage you to not only become more engaged with your family. Take the 30 minutes to an hour once a day to spend with them. Even if it something so simple as sitting down as a family for dinner, or going as a family to the local McDonalds for ice-cream. Maybe, you might want to even consider engaging in the age old tradition of becoming active in church (God forbid that you might gain some insight about moral ethic and family values). I’m not saying become a “Holier than Thou – Bible Thumping Evangelical” who attempts to force your opinion and sense of values down your neighbors throat. Rather focus on yourself. Take to heart the value found in Matthew 5:43-48 that encourages you to “…Be ye therefore perfect”. I take this message in correlation with Matthew 7:1-5 that clearly admonishes us to “judge not, that ye may not be judged…”. While it is important for us to be judgmental as to the persons and things with which we associate ourselves with and to call to repentance those who would chose to live their outside of the teachings of Jesus Christ, it does not give us the authority nor the right to “puff” ourselves up or to compare ourselves with other’s imperfection so as to highlight our own self-centered and prideful sense of self-perfection. There is but one perfect person ever to exist in life, and unless we ourselves are perfect in all ways we have no right to think we are perfect in any way. That being said, I now will attempt to continue my “topic” of where I am with my life, and leave the soapbox…at least for the moment (hehehe).
In addition to a new job, I have also purchased a new car. The Lexus I had (actually still have) decided to give up the ghost a few months back. Though not completely “dead”, you might say it is in need of Intensive Care. While making my way from one customer to the next a unusually warm day in January of this year, I looked in the rear view mirror to see a rather large plume of white smoke billowing from my exhaust. The plume was such that one might expect thunderclaps to begin emanating from its center. After talking to several trusted sources that evening I came to the conclusion that I likely had either a blown seal or worse yet a cracked block or head. Not wanting to have the ordeal of replacing the engine entirely should it be just a seal, I chose to purchase a new car. The expense in excess of about $2000 was just too much for me to absorb at the time and not to mention with the cost of gas and the fact that I drive on average 250 – 300 miles a day, I needed something just a bit more economical. I purchased a 2004 Chevy Cavalier. I should have some pictures of my little white baby soon.
My new baby is not without its own costs though. Being an “economical” car it came without any frills or thrills. In fact, my ability and time to write as I have is as a result of my “down-time” as I have had to get an alarm system and front-end work (brake rotors were a bit out-of-round… believe it or not, she has 52000 miles on her and over 50% of her pads left from the manufacturer). Now I know some of you can see the need for the front end brake work, but why on earth would I be getting an alarm system. Well, that leads us to the next topic; glad you asked.
Come Easter weekend, I will be moving back to the DC, NOVA, MD area. Yep, that’s right, I’m coming home… again (LOL). It is also my intention to be re-baptized Easter Sunday. I was originally baptized when I was 14 into the Mormon church, however after much prayer and fasting as well as some deep feelings from within, I have felt impressed to return to the church with whom I felt so much love and compassion and divine spirit and become a member of its congregation and renew my vows (now with clearer purpose and commitment than I feel I had at age 14) with Christ. I have found a bit of concern and discouragement by some of my family members still affiliated and active members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-Day Saints, and have even been visited recently by some of the Missionaries; however, I feel it is something I need and am supposed to do. I pray consistently that I am making the right decision and that God would see himself into my life in such a way as to bless me and protect me from doing anything that might be against his will for me. I believe that God talks to all of us through his agent the Holy Ghost, and that it is the Holy Ghost that impresses our hearts and minds and spirits to be able to discern good from evil, right from wrong, and inspires us as to which path we should follow. We have the free-agency to either accept or reject that council and to act according to our natural desires, understanding that no choice we make as earthly creatures and sinful before God, is without its consequences. For me, the feeling of renewing my vows with Christ and aligning myself with a church family such as the family I find at Pohick Bay Church is beyond any feeling I have as yet experienced in my life.
Well, I believe that’s about it for now. Wow, this was supposed to be just a general “hey I’m still alive” but as is usually the case I have spent nearly 4 hours talking about just about everything under the sun. Before I go, I would like to thank the customers and friends I have made in and around the Illinois area which I have worked. Many of you have been such an encouragement and blessing to me, I find it difficult to say thank-you in mere words. There is the gentleman in St. Charles who I will have the pleasure of providing service for once more before I go, who seems to be busier most of the time than a hamster on crack in an exercise wheel. The difference being of course that just as he encouraged me and assured me one day I will “go places” he to is always moving forward and I’m certain will ultimately be successful even greater than his own expectations.
There is the lovely staff at Office Max of Dekalb, who no matter the turmoil of the day always are able to greet me with a smile and friendliness that just makes you wanna hang around and buy something. You guys are awesome, and I certainly hope to in some way keep in touch with you guys.
There is the customer I have dealt with over the past week, who despite inconceivable disservice by our favorite Dell Support Team overseas, somehow still manages to look at me and talk to me with a smile. You know who you are, and I owe you such an expression of gratitude for your patience with me and my attempt to right the wrongs you encountered. I only know partially the endurance you have had to have in your situation and I know that it was even trying for me to a point of just wanting to give up, but you encouraged me and I hope we have seen it through to its end. I definitely hope to keep in touch with you as I move on and hope that one day our paths can cross again on a less professional nature.
There have been so many people who have been inspirational and supportive; I can’t begin to name them all. I hope for those I have not named you understand that I in no way value your brief moment in my life as any less valuable than those I have mentioned. I thank you all, and wish God’s blessing of joy and happiness to you all. Thank you! ~erik
