Running into trouble on a computer is easy for me. I pretty much expect to have to make another one of those agonizing calls to an overseas ‘tech’ who is actually a teenager on day one of their training and for whom English is a second language.

For a great laugh, watch the Outsourced Movie on Netflix

First off, I didn’t get the “we are experiencing a heavier than normal call volume . . . ” message that I always hear. Nor did I get put on hold.

Voilà , a real guy ANSWERS THE PHONE ! In a cadence so slow that I thought he must somehow know I’m hard of hearing.

I learn that I’ve linked up with Jasper Clint ‘Foggy’ Harris who lives in Missouri and is 61 years old. He led me through each software step so visually I almost felt that he was standing behind me. I complimented him on how good an instructor he was and it turned out he is an ex-teacher like me (grades 7 through 12) who also like me, gave it up when we both learned that we weren’t teaching anymore. At least not the way we knew we had to teach the things our kids need to know to survive high school and beyond.

Ordinarily support people don’t say things like, “Hell, Bruce, this is cool !!”. Or, “That’s just crappy!” Or, “DUDE! You’re on it ! !” This made the call so much more charming and memorable.

The call lasted over half an hour and he would have gone on even more but I was worried his employer might record or monitor calls for training as they always warn and that this chatter might get him in trouble. I told him so and asked if he would send me an email when he got off work so we could correspond. It came while we were talking, with his two personal email addresses, his business email address, his cell phone number, and an invitation to contact him directly if I had any future support questions. Can you believe this ???

So now I have a ‘pen’ pal from back when people used pens.
What a sweet support call ! !

May all your Tech Support calls be like this one!