Thursday, November 3, 2011

PICNIC error


Nurse Egg is making pork chops right now. I took advantage of an amazing deal at the grocer and scored us about $70 worth of free meat. The power of thrifty shopping at work. Our freezer is full again and, thanks to my somewhat more steady employment, I was able to buy groceries for once. That was a fairly awesome feeling of actually being able to contribute to our household.

On my first day of orientation for the new job, I applied for an internal job listing. The vacancy is for an employee coordinator. Basically, I would interview applicants to determine if they should be considered for a second interview with the proper department manager. I would also send them out for a drug test upon successful completion of that second interview and even determine their training schedules/classes. I like that stuff. I would really like to get this job. This would be a staff position which means not only will I have a salary but I will also be able to utilize direct deposit - something not available to hourly production employees in either technical support or customer care. I do not understand that policy at all, by the way. Anyway, I didn't realize I was eligible to apply for internal listings so quickly. Usually, there is a standard probationary period of at least 30 days and potentially even a year before new hires are permitted to apply for or be considered for these internal job postings. I was surprised on the first day of orientation when the classroom instructor encouraged us all to review these postings and apply for any we were qualified for. I didn't need any more encouragement, especially when I saw this particular posting for employee coordinator. The posting closes on the 10th of this month, so I should hear something sometime after that. In the meantime, I'm enjoying my classroom time and learning all about my new job function as a Tier II Technical Support Technician. To give you a general idea of what that means, I consulted wikipedia on your behalf. Observe:

Tier/Level 2(T2/L2)
This is a more in-depth technical support level than Tier I containing experienced and more knowledgeable personnel on a particular product or service. It is synonymous with level 2 support, support line 2, administrative level support, and various other headings denoting advanced technical troubleshooting and analysis methods. Technicians in this realm of knowledge are responsible for assisting Tier I personnel solve basic technical problems and for investigating elevated issues by confirming the validity of the problem and seeking for known solutions related to these more complex issues.[8] However, prior to the troubleshooting process, it is important that the technician review the work order to see what has already been accomplished by the Tier I technician and how long the technician has been working with the particular customer. This is a key element in meeting both the customer and business needs as it allows the technician to prioritize the troubleshooting process and properly manage his or her time.[6] If a problem is new and/or personnel from this group cannot determine a solution, they are responsible for raising this issue to the Tier III technical support group. In addition, many companies may specify that certain troubleshooting solutions be performed by this group to help ensure the intricacies of a challenging issue are solved by providing experienced and knowledgeable technicians. This may include, but is not limited to onsite installations or replacements of various hardware components, software repair, diagnostic testing, and the utilization of remote control tools used to take over the user’s machine for the sole purpose of troubleshooting and finding a solution to the problem.[6][9]

I can not talk about what company or products I will be personally troubleshooting in this role, but I can say that it is a major global client. There are no Tier I technicians on site. They do, however, call in to us from various locations and vendors in order to better assist a customer who has a problem beyond their limited technical ability to resolve. There are a handful of Tier III technicians on site to assist us when we've exhausted our technical ability as well. God help you if you need technical assistance beyond that. You have to speak to the manufacturer/designer at that point. You should probably just give it up. You simply aren't meant to use this technology.

It's been fun learning about the technology. We've reviewed the first of the many systems I'll be using (possibly simultaneously for each call) and a line of products and features we will be responsible for implementing and servicing. I'm a little excited. Also, my inner geek is coming out. Halfway through Wednesday, I decided to start using cursive again on my class notes. I'm a little surprised how much neater my script is than my print. I haven't used it in a decade and it's still naturally preserved inside my brain and just as beautiful as it ever was. I had a lot of fun with that. I believe I did mention my inner geek is resurfacing. This is obvious. I have already learned some delightful tech slang for dealing with the most common technical error we will have to deal with: humanity. Again, I have consulted wikipedia on your behalf. Observe:

A user error is an error made by the human user of a complex system, usually a computer system, in interacting with it. Although the term is sometimes used by Human Computer Interaction practitioners, the more formal human error term is used in the context of human reliability.
User Error and related phrases such as PEBKAC ("Problem Exists Between Keyboard And Chair"), PICNIC ("Problem In Chair Not In Computer"), PIBCAK ("Problem Is Between Chair And Keyboard") or ID-10T error ("Idiot error") are also used as slang in technical circles with a derogatory meaning.[1][2] This usage implies a lack of computer savvy, asserting that problems arisen when using a device are the fault of the user. Critics of the term argue that the problems are caused instead by a device designed in such a way that it induces errors.
The term can also be used for non-computer-related mistakes.[1]

As I said, this has been a delightful experience so far. My inner geek has been doing the robot dance for four days now and I love it.

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