The best way to settle SC-related ignorance.

[ShadowTiger]

Just a general discussion on some ways to dispel SC-related ignorance, such as when they're being kinda stubborn about something.


Hypothetical situation:

Originates from the first few lines of one of the latest entries from Not Always right.

Me: “Hi, how can I help?”

Call Center: “I want a new computer. My current one is Windows 95.”

Me: “Well, the current version is Windows 7.”

I immediately thought "But Windows 95 is greater than windows 7. Wouldn't that be a downgrade?" "No sir, Windows 7 is more modern than Windows 95 by about fourteen years." "But 95 is bigger than 7. You can't lie to me."

So what would you do in such a situation?

Myself, I'd probably say something like "Sir, who would you rather be correct in this case? The person you're calling for assistance who works in this field for many years and knows what he's talking about, or the person who walked in to get assistance from one of those people who knows better?"

But that's kind of rude. Maybe something short like "Who would you rather be correct, sir?"

[TelephoneAngel]

in the uk i would explain that its like car numberplates they go through the alphabet then back through the alphabet again for every years new car so a car with a number plate "B" is newer than a number plate "x" Same concept.

but in general just keep repeating what you said without changing it

"it is newer than that one"
"it is newer than that one"
"it is newer than that one"

[Indica]

I just explain that Microsoft Marketing people can't count.

95, 97, ME, XP, Vista, 7....

Looks logical to a marketing droid, I'm sure (and yeah, I'm sure I forgot one. I don't DO windows.)

[joe hx]

"Windows 98 like 1998, so this is Windows 7 like 2007."

[Hyndis]

Maybe something short like "Who would you rather be correct, sir?"

Yes. They would rather just be correct.

Because if they get someone to say yes and agree with them, the universe will instantly remake itself, laws of physics being rewritten and their machine magically being reworked to do what they want it to do, rather than what it was built to do and capable of doing.

Why do you deny them your magic by saying no?

[ShadowTiger]

It's a strange psychological trick. Either they say they'd rather the assistant be correct, and that would divert their struggles to the advice of the assistant which we know to be correct, or if they say no, they'd wander out and wonder why they'd ever bother coming to the store in the first place. Then they realize nothing has changed on their end, and will wander back in looking for a new system, and the cycle begins anew.

But the mind of the SC is a mystery on occasion; you never quite know what bizarre circumstances you will encounter.

[Lindsey]

I like to repeat myself over and over until they finally realize that asking me the same question again isn't going to get them a different answer.

SC: My frog is getting really skinny and my other frog died. I give them pellet food but they don't eat it.
Me: Some African Clawed Frogs are picky eaters. Try feeding them brine shrimp or bloodworms.
SC: Oh. But I got them this pellet food and they aren't eating it.
Me: Sometimes that happens. Try feeding them brine shrimp or bloodworms.
SC: But they aren't eating it.
Me: Try feeding them brine shrimp or bloodworms.
SC: Oh.
Me: ....
SC: Okay.

Hoooooooray SCs.

[Hyndis]

I like to repeat myself over and over until they finally realize that asking me the same question again isn't going to get them a different answer.

SC: My frog is getting really skinny and my other frog died. I give them pellet food but they don't eat it.
Me: Some African Clawed Frogs are picky eaters. Try feeding them brine shrimp or bloodworms.
SC: Oh. But I got them this pellet food and they aren't eating it.
Me: Sometimes that happens. Try feeding them brine shrimp or bloodworms.
SC: But they aren't eating it.
Me: Try feeding them brine shrimp or bloodworms.
SC: Oh.
Me: ....
SC: Okay.

Hoooooooray SCs.

The downside to this approach is that it wastes staggering amounts of time.

Just today I had a guy who refused to listen to me. The fix for his problem was extremely simple. He just refused to even try it. He also would not let me finish a single sentence, continually interrupting me saying it would not work, he tried it, it doesn't work, why doesn't it work, its garbage electronics, it should work, he spent so much time trying to get it to work.

On and and on and on and on.

For 20 minutes.



Guess what happened when he finally took the hint that I wasn't going to budget? I only repeated myself about 30 times.

He tried it. It worked fine!

[it'srefurbished?]

Being a tech, I generally have the ability to tell customers:

"Look, I do this for a living, if you want my help you have to work with me, OK?"

Seems to work for the most part.

[ShadowTiger]

Being a tech, I generally have the ability to tell customers:

"Look, I do this for a living, if you want my help you have to work with me, OK?"

Seems to work for the most part.

Retail sort of gets that perk at times. It helps to know what's out on the market. A few times, I'd help a person with a lightbulb question. They'd bring in a standard incandescent 40 Watt bulb, and tell me it was an outdoor bulb. (I look at the bulb, and the warning sirens go off in my head.) I take the bulb and compare it to one of the other Incandescent bulbs in 40 Watts I have right next to me. They look absolutely identical. They tell me that they've been using that bulb outdoors for a year, and it's worked perfectly up until now, and need a new one. But they won't take an indoor bulb, because it's indoors, despite that it looks and feels exactly the same as their old one.

They fought me pretty hard on it. I had to buckle and tell them that I've been using an indoor bulb in my own porch light for years and they work just fine. Seriously, it's just the weight of the bulb that makes a bulb outdoors, but if you've been using an indoor bulb outdoors, and it works, the more power to ya. o.o'