Scene: A busy sales office in Michigan. The Helpdesk team is overwhelmed after a storm caused power outages. A young intern fields a tech support call from a confused employee.
Technician: Hello, this is Oliver Bleak at Technical Support. Is this a new issue? Or do you have an existing support ticket in progress?
Customer: Thank God you finally answered! I really need help troubleshooting a new issue.
Technician: Sorry Sir. We are experiencing longer than normal response times due to the big storm last night. How can I help you?
Customer: Well, my computer simply won't turn on. I just see a blank screen. Worst of all, I have an important report due at 10:00. So I may need you to escalate this issue. I believe that sort of thing is covered in SLA.
Technician: No problem. Let's see if we can diagnose the problem or else find some other workaround like sending over a new machine until we get this one fixed. Loaner machines are covered under the warranty periodCustomer: Great.
Technician: Okay, when did this problem first occur? Have you recently run Windows Update? Did you see the infamous Blue Screen of Death?
Customer: No. Nothing like that. I just came in to work today and the computer wouldn't start. I know there was a power outage last night during the big storm. But everyone else's computers are working fine. So weird. One guy's PC was stuck, but he said he solved it with a quick reboot.
Technician: Hmm, yes. Did you check the power plug? Is it placed firmly into the back of the PC?
Customer: Yes. It's plugged in. I'm looking at it.
Technician: Did you turn off your computer last night before you went home?
Customer: Yes. I always turn it off before I go home. Unless of course I need to connect from home with remote access.
Technician: How do you shut it down? Using the button or by clicking the "Power Off" option in the Start Menu?
Customer: Well, I always just click the little square button just below the screen. That normally does the trick right away!
Technician: I think I see the problem. The button on your screen is just the power switch for the monitor. The computer is something else. Do you see a large white box under your desk or perhaps under the monitor?
Customer: Yes. There is a large beige hard drive or hanging under my desk.
Technician: And is there a button on the front of the device, similar to the other one you pressed?
Customer: Yes. The light is off.
Technician: Try pressing that button, Sir.
Customer: Wow, when I pressed the button on the hard drive, then the computer started making noise and doing something. Now it's booting. Wow, thanks!
Technician: You're welcome. The device you call your computer is just the monitor. And the device you just referred to as your hard drive is actually the main computer. It does contain among other things a hard drive, though. When you leave work at night, you should really lock your computer. Otherwise anyone can turn on your monitor and access your PC data. I will email you instructions on how to do that.
Customer: Great! Thanks! I was so worried that I might have lost all my data.
Technician: No need to worry. Your data is kept on the network and backed up regularly. Have a nice day, Sir.
Customer: Thanks again! Have a great day!
End of dialog. Note: Support technicians often have other responsibilities when they're not helping end users. Always check the knowledge base or community forums first—and treat tech support with respect!
- Have you ever worked in a tech support position? If yes, what was it like? If not, do yiou think it would be fun or boring? Why?
- Have you ever contacted tech support? Why? And for what purpose?