Settling In (Letters to Lane in 2006)

Day 1 - OK, so as I sit here in my new (VERY bare) cubicle, I just wanted you all to know, I miss you all already!

Day 2 - So.... Don't ever complain about passwords again! We have (get this, no lie!) 8 different log-ons/passwords. Some change quarterly, some stay the same indefinitely. Some log-ons use a user name (here it's called a 3x3 which is the first three letters of your first name and first three letters of your last name, unless of course, like mine it is already taken, then you add a number!) And some use a number (in some instances it is your ssn, some it's a random number assigned). Sometimes your user name has an ! (here called a slam) and sometime your log-on number has a # (called a pound sign) in front. AHHHHHHHHH!! I'll get it all strait, but just remember when you are frustrated about your three LCC passwords... think of me.

Day 3 - .....Is looking up. I found a coffee stand (Barry's espresso & deli) on the corner of 12th and Alder. Yesterday, I went to the espresso PRN in the hospital. Almost got lost in this 'Winchester Mystery House', and they don't offer a pre-paid card. So kind of inconvenient.

But Barry (well that's not the name of the guy working in the counter deli, but we'll call him that!) made me an almond latte and a scrum-dilly turkey & cranberry sandwich for lunch on some homemade bread (started with a C, can't remember the full name, but when he said it, it sounded oh so good).

I brought in my plant (thanks Betty!) and my calendar (I feel so lost without it) today. Screw it if I don't know which cubicle is mine!

Day 4- Casual Friday... I made it! And I'm back to jeans & a tee shirt (for today at least!).

Rode the bus (from home) today (fought the urge to change to the LCC bus at Springfield Station). Said hi to Barry (and got a coffee). And here I am.

Things are coming into focus a bit. It's a process. They (notice it's not we just yet!) have 7 different major computer systems, each running several programs that we support. Not that it is all complicated, but it's a lot to organize and wrap your brain around. Right not (and for the last few days) they have a "dummy" phone that they hook up a another rep, and when that rep gets a call, I scurry to their desk and "listen in". I will tell you this, and I think you'll be jealous. Here is what a user hears when they call:

Helpdesk: "(PeaceHealth) Helpdesk this is Shawna, how can I help you?" No imagine warm friendly, (I know, it's a stretch if you've never had this experience)
User: " Yes, this is Judy in imaging,"
Helpdesk: " Hi Judy, what can I do for you today?"
User: "I'm having a problem with my computer, it...blah, blah, blah..."
Helpdesk:" OK Judy, what's your user name?"
User:" it's...."
Helpdesk: "Great."
TROUBLESHOOTING OCCURS HERE. Since you aren't familiar with this because you have probably (NEVER!) had the phone person do this. This conversation continues is the most calm friendly, patience manner you can imagine. No REALLY! all week long I have listened to ALL of these guys smile, joke with users, laugh with them, make them feel at ease. They are not quick to "pass the buck", which in my opinion, helps make the user feel that the Helpdesk IS doing all it can, before it pages the issue out, if needed. They log on to a users machine and see what they see. They fix issues, which the user watches them do on their screen. No mystical, magical stuff happening. I think some computer people, in order to feel powerful, superior, make you feel like what they do is "too technical" for you to get. Mostly this is NOT SO!

Helpdesk:" Judy, it looks like your keyboard has some faulty keys, so I'm going to page your Desktop rep. (every emp. has one assigned) and he'll be in touch with you in the next 15-20 minutes.
User: "Thank you!
Helpdesk:" Sure, no problem. Have a great day! "


A TOTAL 360 from Lane where you here:

Helpdesk: "Help desk this is Patricia."
User: "Hi Patricia, this is Shawna from Advanced Tech."
Helpdesk: "uh-huh (if you get any response at all at this point)."
User "I'm having a problem with my computer...."
Helpdesk:" I don't know why THAT would happen. Are you sure your computer is turned on? Do you know how to turn it on? I'm gonna have to send someone over"
User: "Do you know when that will be?
Helpdesk: "I have no idea." SILENCE!
User:" Uh, OK, well I guess I'll wait..."
Helpdesk: "OK, Bye"

Just a little glimpse into what a good helpdesk should be like. Maybe it's better not to know what you don't have. But , sorry, too late! I love you all too much to let you live in the Lane way. This will help keep your sanity, when you question, "Maybe it's me, and this just is how it is." Nope sorry folks, it's not!

Day 5 - I just learned rule number three (apparently, I've made it into the club). So here it is...

Rule #3 - Don't piss off the Helpdesk. You have 8+ passwords that can all be reset by the Helpdesk.

No wonder customers seems so polite :) BTW -
Rule # 1 - Customers lie.
Rule # 2 - Think Simple

Day 6 - So for the past week I have never felt so utterly dumb! See, I think I have really fooled these people. Although, you know, I can usually figure stuff out if I'm shown, there is just SO MUCH here that it is pretty overwhelming. And, yes, there is a lot I don't know about computers, system, networks, etc. I am really good at customer service, but the technical skills will be a thing I learn and pick up (with my awesome mimicking technique) as I go. A lot of it (technical support) here is related to the network, which, what I know about Networks fits into a shot glass. So most people here don't know what I do and don't know, so I listen, smile and try like hell to take good notes! Trying not to let on to my weakness. :) Heaven forbid they figure out I'm a fraud and they change their minds about me. You see that whole 'Never get a second chance to make a first impression?' Yeah, well you also never get a second chance to prove your "technical" worthiness as well, to other technical folks. So my motto: "Fake it till you make it!" It works most of the time.

But today I have found the one system which (it appears) I know more about than anyone else on my team. I now have my "expert system" (Most people here focus on a system and become "expert" and all others refer to them for in-depth knowledge. It is how they master complexity, divide and conquer) So I am so proud to have this shining moment and wanted to share with you all first that I HAVE FOUND MY NITCH! What system you ask? I know you are dying to hear.... the Canon copier! YES!!! It jammed and you-know-who stepped to the plate and got it unstuck! :) You see, it is very technical, opening the various doors and removing the jams, following the screen prompts is well, complicated. Only my previous training in this qualifies me to perform such complex duties. Dixie says, " Now we know who do go to with copier problems!" Yes, I am the (WO)MAN and I'll try not to "flaunt" my apparent superior skills over my colleagues. Comon, pump your fist in the air for me, just once, OK? It's a good moment here today!

Thanks to LCC, I can count this as one of my skills! Gotta go! Look busy and such....

Day 7 - Well, here I go: I'm on the phone... took my very first call at 7:16 am this morning. I didn't die :) But now it's official... I now have a chain around my ankle under my desk. I heard it snap into place this morning..... Oh, gotta go there goes my phone again!

Day 7 Update - So are you ready for this (can you see me beaming?).....

I took 24 calls today
I personally closed (solved) 19 of them myself (with some help of course), paged out the remaining. Had SEVERAL VERY happy customers. Oh what fun it is! :)

I think they might actually let me stick around here awhile at the rate I'm going.

Just wanted you all to share in my personal success, as you have had to listen to me whine and complain for the last week.

TTFN from you cheerful Help Desk Analyst :)

Day 8 - It's a sad story when I pick up the phone and say..

"Advanced Technology Division (LCC) this is Shawna......" OPPS! :)

Day 9 - It is eerily quite here at times for a room full of 8-10 people......

I am becoming more and more comfortable with troubleshooting. I used to surf the knowledge base all the time between calls, and not that I know it all, but I know enough that I can get through most calls. I play a bit of solitaire or surf the net between calls. That's hard to get use to! Sit on the clock and play games??? At first you'd think it was neat, but boredom is setting in a little.

Month One - I'm settling into complacency here. I've read almost two novels in the last week. Now Don't get too jealous and think that this is all I do between calls, Oh contra ire, I've retyped the notes I've made on my (self created, of course) cheat sheets (highlighted and flag for easy reference), reorganized my pictures on my wall (twice), bought more (appropriate) work attire on-line, cleaned out my e-mail box (who am I kidding! This is the EASIEST job. It's virtually always empty!) and of course I regularly query my old calls that I page out to see what the TSOC (Technical Support On Call) did to solve the problem and close the call. I learn a lot from these solutions. Calls are heavy in the beginning of the week and usually in the mornings. I am averaging 25-35 calls a day. 2/3 of which I solve on my own. Most of these are password resets, but every now and then I get a hard one. Like the lady today who didn't understand the difference between a folder, a document and a program. No kidding folks! And I don't just mean the icons were confusing. She literally didn't know what a folder was. Or how to access her documents without opening a "dummy" blank document (which she thinks CONTAINS all of her documents). I spent about 20 minutes logged onto her machine explaining the difference, and creating shortcuts on her desktop, and trying to clarify which was which. Mostly, the biggest thing, for me is I'm not so nervous to take calls anymore. I feel confident that I know what I know, and what I don't, I can (and will) learn on the fly through calls, OR what to do with the calls I can't solve.

I got an e-mail from LCC, they want to set up a meeting. I suppose that means they have some jobs to offer me. I'm not all that anxious for this meeting, given the complete waste of time my last trip to campus was. And the fact, of course, that they eluded that what they would more than likely have to offer were positions that were less than 1.0 doesn't cause me to feel compelled to hear what they have to say. I think we all know this is just a formality at this point. Lets face it folks, even a 1.0 won't be able to touch my current salary and that aside, given Lane's current state of affairs, I'm not sure it would be a smart move on my part to hang on to the sinking ship (think scene in Titanic where Jack and Rose are on the railing and the ship is sinking FAST!). In fact I would prefer to, at this point, retain my recall rights for the year or so, and see how things play out with next years round of cuts and so forth. So I think it's fine that they can't place me. Who knows what a year will bring, for me, or for Lane. Time is really the only thing that I can ask for at this point.

I made it very clear that I would like to work in the field of education, and that I would like to work for Lane. But, I think even more than that, I hope that I can have an opportunity to have some (positive) impact on the IT system at Lane. I know, I know. A glut for punishment! I know this is a VERY slim possibility in the near future. Especially in light of the current bumping and reassignment going on in that dept. So for now, I am hear for a reason, and I intend to get something from this experience, and try not to lament and focus anymore on what was lost in all of this. I guess that's the hard part.... deciding to give this my all and actually ACTIVELY pursue getting something from this. Besides a paycheck of course. Everyone is doing their yearly reviews this week. One of my co-workers let me know today that I should keep track of things I do, so that next year when I do my self assessment for my review, I can have some things besides, of course, being ever so helpful and courteous on the phone. So there it is, there is more to this job. Specifically what, I don't know just yet.

Coasting here is easy, and in fact supported and expected. I can merrily answer the phones and in between read, surf, play, talk, whatever. For a while, this will be fine. It's nice to be low on the totem pole and have virtually no responsibility accept showing up and answering the phones. But alas, this is just the beginning. :)

Month 2 - Don't look now... But I have been invited to bring my first lunch (Chicken Tortilla Soup) for everyone! I brought it for lunch today and got several comments from the smells wafting from the microwave as I heated it up. Rick asked if I brought enough for everyone, and I said, no, but I could! Now, I'm not so sure why this excites me, but it does! I plan to turn it into a little potluck. Just like LCC....

90 days - I can only say this for sure because I just had to change all of my passwords for the first time. Otherwise this little milestone might have just slipped by unnoticed. Ironically, they also shut off my Lane e-mail this weekend too. Time really has just flown by. This irksome little reminder is only a minor annoyance. After all I was just getting use to my trusty password. But I am already trying to develop a system (or a group) of 6 digit passwords I can use to help my forgetful brain (sound familiar?). But if this is the worst of it than I will count my blessings.

Life at PeaceHealth is not much different than life was at Lane. I come to work and do my job and feel some satisfaction that I am helping people with their computers. Most people seem really grateful, and of course there are those that you just can't please, no matter what. And then there are those who you just cannot convince that the computer is NOT out to get them! These little nuances remain the same. Although, I must say, when the folks at Lane were perplexed about computer issues, I wrote it off saying, "Well these guys have worked in their industry (very blue collar) and computers were not generally part of their every day life." So I usually "got" why it was hard for most of the guys I supported to understand these incidentals. And, again, not much has changed. I still support a bunch of people who find computers mysterious and frustrating, to say the least. I am still often surprised, though, when a doctor calls and simply does not comprehend basic computer fundamentals. Didn't they go to school for a bazillion years? Didn't they have to use computers to learn all of the knowledge that they now possess that got them all those degrees on their wall? You ever hear that country song (The Talkin' Song Repair Blues by Alan Jackson) where the guy who goes in to get his car repaired and the mechanic talks all the car repair lingo that the guy just doesn't understand. Then when the mechanic finds out the customer is a musician, he says "Yeah, I've been writing a few songs myself. Can I get your opinion?" Suddenly the musician realizes that he can talk music industry lingo and turn the tables on this guy. Suddenly doctors don't feel so much like God anymore. Oh sure they know so much more that I do. And lets face it, nobody dies if our server goes down. But I don't find them so intimidating anymore.

The people I work with are generally like me. Imagine working with a bunch of Shawna's (with some variations of course!), scary huh! Most of them are more technical than I am. And of course more experienced. But I'm learning. Mostly I am content to keep a low profile.

Staying busy is still a bit of a challenge. I read a lot, surf the net, sometime I draw and I have been trying to write some. I have so much I want to do, but the constant interruptions are a deterrent. Speaking of which there's my phone.....

PS. my plant is still alive and actually blooming again. Yippee Skippy!