Getting lost with technology? Your not alone!

Information is good. Confusion is bad. Confusing information is disastrous. That’s why it’s so easy to get lost on the net without a cliff to fall off. Get it? A reverse parody. OK, lets move on. In my glory days at the computer help center, I would frequently have a line up of agents four to five deep for hours on end asking for help. It’s not that the technical agents didn’t know the answers, its just that they needed a little organization so they didn’t get lost in the myriad of information that was available to them.

They were bright, willing, industrious and anxious to give the very best service they could. Agents knew that when they lined up to see me I took great delight in heaping on suggestions that were practical, useful and got the job done. (I had a little secret) There are incredibly well written engineering type manuals that the manufacturer has created that the user will never, and I mean never see. They are in fact as close to a technicians bible as you will get. In detail these manuals show the exploded view of the parts, flowcharts of the way the operating system works, and even how to extract certain integrated chips to upgrade the machine if it needs it.

Of course, these exact manuals were available to all of the agents associated with a particular contract, but I had an edge over most of the people I worked with. I was trained as a field agent for the machines that I was now supporting. That meant that I had ‘hands on’ experience, thus giving me a tactile level of understanding that others did not have. I created a system, customized it so it could be easily e-mailed to the agents, then, listened to their challenge they were having with the client, and usually within 4 to 5 minutes I had a list of at least 10 suggestions for the agent by the time they walked back to their desk and checked their e-mail.

You see, almost everything needs some kind of organizational system in order to decrease stress and tension. I loved my system, but it did take me awhile in order for me to use it daily and with confidence. How do you organize your technology? Please feel free to share with us how you keep your sanity in your workplace. Do you use some kind of a flowchart? Is it easily remembered? Can you teach us in a few minutes? I and we would love to hear your story. Jot a comment down so we can see your brilliance. Looking forward to hearing from you. Regards, Rick and Pat