(I work in a tech support company that is outsourced by some of the largest ISPs in the country to provide IT support to their customers. The average customer knows almost nothing about computers. This is a sample of a conversation that happens with several customers, too often to count…)
Tech: “All right, now I’m going to ask you to open the start menu and go to the Control Panel.”
Customer: “So where do I click?”
Tech: “The start menu.”
Customer: “And where is that?”
Tech: “It’s that little round button with the Windows flag on it, usually on the lower left corner of your screen.”
Customer: “So, do I open the Internet?”
Tech: “No, the start menu.”
Customer: “…”
Tech: “Do you see the time and date? On the lower right corner?”
Customer: “Yes.”
Tech: “On the opposite end of the task bar, which has the time and date… all the way to the left… What do you see?”
Customer: “I see… Oh, I see a ball with a Windows symbol inside. Is that it?”
Tech: “Yes. Click there, please.”
Customer: “Do I click once or twice?”
Tech: “Once.”
Customer: “Left or right mouse button?”
Tech: “Left.”
Customer: “Ok, I clicked it. It opened a rectangle on the left with many options.”
Tech: “Ok, so if you look closely you’ll see that rectangle is divided in two columns, correct?”
Customer: “Yes.”
Tech: “And on the right column you can read ‘Documents’, ‘Pictures’, ‘Computer’, etc… And if you continue going down you’re going to find the Control Panel.”
Customer: *taking an unusual amount of time to read half a dozen options on a menu…* “Oh, yes, I see it. Do I click it?”
Tech: “Yes, please.”
Customer: “Once or twice?”
Tech: “Once.”
Customer: “Left or right mouse button?”
Tech: “Left.”
(By now, it had been like five minutes, and all we had managed to do was open the Control Panel. And that was when we were lucky enough to manage even that! These calls weren’t free. And we often had to hear the customers complaining that they’re “spending a lot of money and the problem hasn’t been solved yet!” Well, at this pace, it’s no wonder…)
