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I help people with tech problem all the time and I don't like it when they tell me what they tried in too much detail. It means I have to read through it all an

I help people with tech problem all the time and I don't like it when they tell me what they tried in too much detail. It means I have to read through it all and be sure I'm considering everything they said even when the likely problem and solution is already obvious. I'd rather they just say "I did this and then that happened." and if my obvious answer is wrong, then we can dig into the details. Perhaps that serves my interests more than theirs, but if you're trying to help the tech support guy, then why not?

jimkleiber 4y ago
I've noticed how much I write tends to depend on how long I think it will take to get a response. If I think it will be a live chat, I'll say just a sentence or two. If I think it'll be maybe a few hours to reply, maybe a paragraph or two. If a day or more, then often multiple paragraphs. If it's a day or more, do you still prefer they share just a little info or would you also prefer more info if a longer response time?
- sacrosancty 4y ago
  It's mostly over email with a day turnaround and I don't mind it dragging on. But I worry the customer won't like that!
  - jimkleiber 4y ago
    Ah, yes, I can imagine in such a customer service interaction the one being paid to do it all the time may not mind it lasting as long, or at least there may be a discrepancy in preference. I've been texting with someone over Whatsapp and she seems to treat it more like email: no read indicators, no set response time (sometimes minutes, days, or weeks), longer responses when she does. It can be so hard for me as I associate WhatsApp and texting with relatively real-time chat and the differences in expectations have caused conflict between us quite a few times.
SilverBirch 4y ago
Even ignoring the obvious "Users are idiots" chat, if you ever show a problem to someone else "Oh it works now" is almost always the answer.
- jlokier 4y ago
  Heh. I'm known for fixing things that don't work. I do it by looking over someone's shoulder while they show me. I don't have to say anything, just agree to watch. Then I walk away, all fixed. It's like magic.

jimkleiber 4y ago

I've noticed how much I write tends to depend on how long I think it will take to get a response. If I think it will be a live chat, I'll say just a sentence or two. If I think it'll be maybe a few hours to reply, maybe a paragraph or two. If a day or more, then often multiple paragraphs. If it's a day or more, do you still prefer they share just a little info or would you also prefer more info if a longer response time?

sacrosancty 4y ago
It's mostly over email with a day turnaround and I don't mind it dragging on. But I worry the customer won't like that!
- jimkleiber 4y ago
  Ah, yes, I can imagine in such a customer service interaction the one being paid to do it all the time may not mind it lasting as long, or at least there may be a discrepancy in preference. I've been texting with someone over Whatsapp and she seems to treat it more like email: no read indicators, no set response time (sometimes minutes, days, or weeks), longer responses when she does. It can be so hard for me as I associate WhatsApp and texting with relatively real-time chat and the differences in expectations have caused conflict between us quite a few times.

SilverBirch 4y ago

Even ignoring the obvious "Users are idiots" chat, if you ever show a problem to someone else "Oh it works now" is almost always the answer.

jlokier 4y ago
Heh. I'm known for fixing things that don't work. I do it by looking over someone's shoulder while they show me. I don't have to say anything, just agree to watch. Then I walk away, all fixed. It's like magic.