I spend a fair amount of time on the phone with technical support. Probably more than most people. With many different technology services, there is always something new and fun going on.

Also, I’m impatient. I don’t want to wade through technical bulletins and release notes. Things should just work. If they don’t, I’m on the horn to find out why they don’t. I don’t want to have to think any more than necessary.

Plus I figure as long as I’m paying for support, I may as well get my money’s worth!

Many of the support folks I work with are good. Some are not so good. A few are just plain awful. And fewer still are great. Here’s my list of 5 requirements for great customer support.

This is a story of how some of the tree people became the way they are.

A long time ago, when trees were people …

They were much like you and me.

There were many sizes of tree people.

There were many shapes of tree people.

There were many colors of tree people.

There were many families among tree people.

One day, Vine Maple was on the mountain as snow began to fall.

Vine Maple wanted to play a trick on the tree people.

One way to get somebody’s attention is to say something unexpected. Or even the exact opposite of what they expect. The listener now has to stop and think to make sense of what you’re trying to say. The key is that once you have your listener’s attention, offer them something worthwhile. You might only have one shot at it…

Why Nobody Listens Anymore
The world is full of people running around trying to influence other people. Our political system is founded on it. Oh yes, and the justice system too. It’s all about coming up with the more convincing argument. The case study. The statistical proof. The charismatic spokesperson. It’s a war for supremacy of your mind. Everyone is talking and nobody is listening. Nobody listens because there is no conversation taking place. It’s all one-way. My way or the highway.