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I just had a discussion with UM, and he says he wants me to take an actual call, using the inaccessible database interface, so he can illustrate to the client what exactly is going on.
What the hell?
For the sake of argument, (really, because I can’t tell the guy no), I’m going to have to attempt it.
But, as far as I’m concerned, there are too many uncertainties to start involving someone’s real-life problem in some sort of a guinny pig operation.
He says we can have someone y-connect to spot.
I’m not sure what that’s going to do.
How can you have two people taking a call.
He’s not registering that, if the client has refused to do anything up until now, despite the trouble tickets, despite the repeated and documented explanations of the problem, they’re not going to do anything.
And nobody’s even considered the logistics of handling a call whose first step, after giving the opening greeting, is fraught with problems.
John doesn’t even know, and he’s the one who trained me, and has worked for this company for at least five years.
I wish I could just quit, and leave, and say to hell with all of it.

Originally published at Customerservant.com. You can comment here or there.

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It seems as though we’ve tested all software, and the only thing that doesn’t work is the remote desktop client.
I’ll be looking for a Jaws-accessible telnet client at some point, but for everything else, it either works, or there’s a work-around.
UM says they’ll probably have me doing random odds and ends like cue management, entering exceptions into Digital Solutions, and whatnot, until they get the system fixed.
He still thinks they’ll fix the system.
It’ll do me no good to try to convince him otherwise, so I won’t bother.
This post is openly trackbackable, so leave your link and your trackback.

Originally published at Customerservant.com. You can comment here or there.

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I was late to work this morning because there was a huge accident on the way.
From what Christin said, there was a dump truck involved, and another car.
The dump truck hit the car, and completely destroyed it.
There were two ambulances, and the driver of the car had to be cut out.
I’m assuming that means the driver was still alive.
May Hashem bless them both with a refuah shlema.

Originally published at Customerservant.com. You can comment here or there.

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Thanks to the techno-shepherd on duty, I found a new report in the app that monitors the cue.
There’s an icon you can click on that will pull up the people in aftercall, witch is the state you need to be watching anyway.
Nobody else knew about it.
I had forgotten that the techno-shepherd showed it to me during the initial testing this morning.
I think today’s been very productive.

Originally published at Customerservant.com. You can comment here or there.

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I’ve spent the afternoon going through more software.
So far, I’ve only found one thing that absolutely doesn’t work, and that a remote desktop client.
I knew it would work the minute I found out it was remote desktop, because I don’t have a remote desktop license for Jaws, but I figured I’d go through the motions of trying anyway.
What harm would it do?
The woman who’s helping with the testing is very nice, but very stupid, and in serious need of a stick of deodorant.
She’s working under the assumption that I know just as little, if nor less, about computers than she does, so I’m being walked through every step, one by one, including “Press the start menu, then programs … ” ETC.
And then there’s the musk.
It’s sickening.
How do you walk out the door before work, knowing you smell like that, or will smell like that by day’s end?
And finally there’s the stupid factor.
I think we should start a colony on the moon, for the stupid people, and let natural selection take its course.
They’d either learn to survive, (some of them undoubtedly would), or they’d perish.
Either way, they’d be in the not-our-problem category.

As seen at: Third World County,

Originally published at Customerservant.com. You can comment here or there.

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During the time I’ve worked here, I’ve moved from sitting all the way at the front of the center to all the way at the back.
I could literally spit and hit the back wall.
I’m kind of hoping I can stay back here, because there’s a modicum of privacy here.
We tested the schedule viewer, and the only thing I can do with that is print schedules.
I think we have a few more things to test.
All and all, today’s been productive.

Originally published at Customerservant.com. You can comment here or there.

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I’m now sitting at the supervisor cube, and have tested some of the software.
The app that generates the call reports works, albeit with the Jaws cursor.
At this point, I don’t care.
Something actually works.
I still have to test some other software, for which someone else has to come over here with log-ins.
Definitely better than before.

Originally published at Customerservant.com. You can comment here or there.

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Today I begin testing out other applications to try to fill another position at work.
That’s a good thing.
I’m supposed to go into work, install Jaws on another system, sit at one of the supervisor desks, and see what works and what doesn’t.
Hopefully it will lead to something, but either way, it’ll give me something to do for at least part of the day.
I plan to try to participate more in the blogosphere today, since I’d like to try to boost my traffic, and just plain participate.
Yeah, I’ve done some of that over the last few weeks, but with nothing going on to actually write about, and my internet priveleges limited at work, you know what that can do to the blog.

Originally published at Customerservant.com. You can comment here or there.

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I’m sitting here listening to Vince Garcia on Super70s.  Jesus, these guys are so drunk.  I wish I was recording this so that, if he says something hilarious, (as he probably will, given his propensity to be the most entertaining when he’s trying the least), and then play it back later.  Either way though, I hope he has a happy new year all the same. 

Originally published at Customerservant.com. You can comment here or there.

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Yes, you read that right, I’m playing hookie. 

Why?

Because I just can’t bring myself to pay for a cab to go to work and sit. 

After paying all my bills, I’ll have over $200 left, and the only thing coming out of next week’s pay is the rent, so I can stand to miss the pay for today. 

I just can’t handle going in there and sitting all day, and paying to do it. 

Not motivated isn’t the right word for it. 

I’m way past that point. 

I won’t get to watch Star Trek today, but at least I won’t be sitting in a cube, doing what I could be doing at home. 

 

Originally published at Customerservant.com. You can comment here or there.

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It’s only just a little after 11:00, and I’m already so tired of this place it’s ridiculous. 

Not that I wouldn’t be tired of it if I was actually working, but not working makes it even worse. 

i’d really love to be at home, in the recliner, watching TV. 

OK, Star Trek isn’t on Spike today because of the James Bond marathon, but I’d find something else to watch. 

Either way, I wouldn’t be here, doing nothing. 

 

Originally published at Customerservant.com. You can comment here or there.

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This morning’s meeting with UM never happened.
He’s been in and out of the office, and is supposed to be out all afternoon.
John’s busy doing monitorings, so he’s unavailable too.
I went to UM’s office at around noon to see if there was any news, but there was none, and he sent a message to his boss, and said he’d come to my cube and let me know if anything comes up.
I didn’t think it would have been a really good idea to go back there and start trying to lay down the law without listening to what he had to say, if anything, first, and it turned out he didn’t have much to say at all.
I went to lunch around 1:00, and ate chicken, green beans and potatoes, and had tea to drink with it.
The chicken was a little burnt, but not very much, and the potatoes and green beans were awesome.
The tea was like concentrated sugar.
I could definitely use a nap right now.
I put my name in the drawing for a huge TV they’re giving away.
It would be funny if I won it.

Taken from customerservant.com

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I’m going to work this morning, and John, the upper management type, and I are going to have a chat about all this, specifically the counting my average handle time against me.
I’m going to explain that that battle’s already been fought and won, and then I’m going to ask why there’s a need to rehash it.
I’m also going to explain why my AHT isn’t being counted in the first place, and I’m going to explain, in detail, the legal ramifications of all this, namely that the company has backed itself into a corner with this, and that if they can’t get the interface fixed, then they’ll have to put me in another position, even if that means creating one in the local center.
They can’t ask me to move to take another position somewhere else, and they can’t ask me to even apply for it.
Since they created this problem, it rests on their shoulders to fix it.
I’m not going to be threatening about it, I’m just going to explain the facts.
I’m going to explain that I’m not going away.
They can’t fire me over this, and I’m not quitting.
All of my dealings with this individual make me very suspicious, and seem to justify my being so jaded.
He gives off the creepy corporate vibe, and It is my belief that all this about my AHT came about out because they’re grasping for straws.
I’m thankful that I have people like Ze’evi, who have been through this before, to give advise.
He’s never proven to be off the mark on this sort of thing.
I just wish I didn’t have to deal with any of this, and that I could just do my job like any “normal” joe.
I’m not looking to create a storm here, but since I’m already in the middle of one, I might as well make sure I don’t get trampled by it.

Taken from customerservant.com

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Looks like I’ve got my answer about the upper management type I mentioned in yesterday’s post.
He spouts just as much BS as everyone else around here.
He fed me a whole bunch of crap about how we need to maximize my potential, and how he wants to find a way to put my many talents to good use, and how he’s talking to his people, who are talking to their people … and they’re supposed to have a solution sometime tomorrow.
He tells me he’s going to get them to rewrite the whole damn interface.
Right.
And I’m Jesus Christ.
This guy has told me everything except that he lives in a van down by the river.
I’m starting to choke on all this.

Taken from customerservant.com

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I met with the upper management type at around 2:30 this afternoon, and he gave me the “I want to help” motivational speech.
I’m not totally sure whether I should believe it or not.
I’ve heard from other people he manages to get things done, but I heard that about everyone who’s ever occupied any upper management position here.
He recommended that we test out all known browsers, so we did, and none of the others tested worked.
Firefox, Netscape, and Opera were all no-goes with Jaws.
Back to the drawing board.

Taken from customerservant.com

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I just came back from talking to the HR director.
I asked him if there are any other positions available in order to get out of this accessibility rut I’m in, and keep finding myself in.
He says there aren’t any in the local center, and that I can always apply for some other position in some other ConUs center, but that ConUs doesn’t relocate agents, so that would be my problem.
I’m supposed to talk to the upper management this afternoon.
Basically, I’m going to go back to the bigger management cubes, and then the upper manager here is going to call his boss, and we’re going to sit and talk about how the client doesn’t want to set up the mirror to the old interface, because that would cost too much money to maintain for two people, and we’ll be back at square one.
We’re going nowhere fast, and what worries me is that this will be used as an opportunity to tell me to have a nice day.
It’s definitely the path of least resistance, and right now I’m in the middle of a fight between two corporate whores who are more concerned about maximizing their profits, and could care less if one or two cube-dwellers get trampled underfoot because of something that was never their fault in the first place.
I’ve been yelling (figuratively) about this accessibility issue for the last three years, and it’s getting me nowhere, and looks like it may even signal the end of the line for me at this job.
Cary isn’t really helping matters.
He’s content to just follow the directives of his supervisor, take calls, then call the support team to do the work after clicking around awhile, and making the caller think he’s actually helping.
His justification is that they’ll monitor him eventually, see he’s screwing things up and then fire him, and then he’ll be out of the situation.
He’s taking it one day at a time, so that it doesn’t encroach on his sanity.
Whatever floats your boat.
Personally, I’m a fan of self-preservation.
I hate this job, but I can’t afford to lose it.
If I could afford it, I would have quit long ago.
So I’m interested in not only fixing the current crisis, but preventing future ones so that I can save myself future headaches.
I don’t think that’s too unreasonable.
I’d love to be able to just sit back, not worry about all this, and just wander aimlessly throughout life.
But in order to do that, I’d have to have no ambition, or even a desire to keep from slipping into the multitude of blind and visually impaired people who are unemployed.
As much as I hate my job, being unemployed is infinitely worse.
I detest having to rely on the charity of others, regardless of the level of sincerity.
It’s not that I wouldn’t be appreciative, and it’s not that I think people are incapable of giving wholeheartedly.
At this point in my life, I want to be able to provide for myself, without undue stress, and without having to worry about whether or not my livelihood is going to be jeopardized by some company’s pet technological abortion that lived.
Is that really too much to ask?

Taken from customerservant.com