Too Passive Aggressive? My IT FAQ's Sign ~ Bauer-Power Media

Dec 30, 2011

Too Passive Aggressive? My IT FAQ's Sign

1:00 AM

Paul B

I haven't been in the IT business as long as some of you, but I have been in it long enough to know that users like to do "drive by" walk-up support with their issues. Some people are worse at it than others, and what those people that are guilty of the "drive by" fail to realize is that they are cutting in line in front of people who actually follow the rules and use the proper channels of getting IT support.

Almost every single "drive by" abuser asks the same thing with their walk-up. "Do I need to submit a ticket for this?" or "Do you want me to create a ticket for this?". Guess what Jack? The answer is, and always will be YES!

I think the big misconception is that if they do a walk-up they will get their support faster. If there is a true emergency, this might be true, but if it's a simple Outlook issue, then that isn't the case. These "drive-by" gangstas don't realize that it actually behooves them to submit a ticket. Why? Because if an IT person has a ticket in their queue they have to close it. It's a part of their DNA that keeps their mind thinking about the all powerful queue at all times. If their ticket queue is empty, they can go back to surfing Facebook and Youtube. If their queue is full, they must now work to close tickets to get back to Facebook and Youtube. It's simple really.

If one just walks up and tells the IT guy their issue, chances are the IT guy who is thinking about their queue, Facebook and Youtube will forget their request, and the "drive-by" gangsta's computer problem will ultimately get forgotten, and go unsolved. Well at my work, I came up with a solution for these "drive-by" gangstas so they can remember to submit a Help Desk ticket to ensure they get the support they need. I decided to put up a sign featuring IT's frequently asked questions or FAQ's. Here is a picture of it I took with my smart phone:

IT FAQ