NationStates Jolt Archive

There's a Calvin & Hobbes from 1995, where Calvin's dad says, "It used to be that if a client wanted something done in a week, it was a rush job, and he'd be lucky to get it. Now with modems, faxes, and car phones, everybody wants everything instantly! Improved technology just increases expectations. These machines don't make life easier - they make life more harassed. If we wanted more leisure, we'd invent machines that do things less efficiently." And in the background of the last panel, Calvin's reading the back of a box and saying, "Six minutes to microwave this?? Who's got that kind of time?!"

I'm not advocating a return to the 19th century or even the 20th before, say, 1985, but it is true in the modern workplace that there's an expectation of instant response just because there's the capability for delivering the questions instantly (e-mail, Blackberries, cell phones, etc).

Do you think this is a less than positive trend? And short of abandoning technological progress, which ain't gonna happen, what's to do?

I would say it is a bad trend life is so stressful nowadays we demand everything right now yet we forget the meaning of patience I wouldn't say we should go back that would be impossible maybe we should just realise that we do have the time

could be peak oil be a good thing you might ask....maybe

I try to keep in mind that just because they want it 'right now' doesn't mean I can or should stop everything and provide them with whatever it is they want.

I have found that it pisses people off when they say "email me that today" and I say "I can't really until tomorrow", but part of time management is making sure you don't bow down to other's ideas of what you should do when.

It's all relative.

Some of our modern conveniences are just making our lives more complicated, but, other ones are enhancing them. We have to take the good with the bad.

Things like Blackberries and cell phones make the workplace bigger, not necessarily badder. If I normally go down the hall to ask a question and that person is away from the office, I can still ask the same question on a cell phone or by email. If he's on vacation, he should turn the thing off.

Computers, on the other hand, have increased the expectations for 'perfection'. In the old days, we could type a letter, proof it, retype it and be done. Unless there were major changes to be made, a small error or two could either be tolerated or whited-out. Now, I not only have to fight several different reviewers, but I need to fight with MS Word, as well. My engineers spend too much time with the details of formatting documentation, when they should be doing the details of design.

I try to keep in mind that just because they want it 'right now' doesn't mean I can or should stop everything and provide them with whatever it is they want.

I have found that it pisses people off when they say "email me that today" and I say "I can't really until tomorrow", but part of time management is making sure you don't bow down to other's ideas of what you should do when.
But part of customer services requires that you make them happy. And even if we don't all have cash customers, we still provide services for other parts of the company. Those people become our customers.

But part of customer services requires that you make them happy. And even if we don't all have cash customers, we still provide services for other parts of the company. Those people become our customers.
meh, I haven't had a "customer" job in years, so, I forgot about that. I basically have clients, and people who want me to do stuff. My clients get top priority if it doesn't interfere with my home life, and the other random people who want me to do stuff, can just wait until I can do it. It's not like anyone can fire me, I work for myself. I would rather skip out on some money and not neglect my kids and be stressed out.

meh, I haven't had a "customer" job in years, so, I forgot about that. I basically have clients, and people who want me to do stuff. My clients get top priority if it doesn't interfere with my home life, and the other random people who want me to do stuff, can just wait until I can do it. It's not like anyone can fire me, I work for myself. I would rather skip out on some money and not neglect my kids and be stressed out.


I agree with you, I work in IT support and the thing that people forget about computers is that they are just machines. They are as good as whoever is using it, and if you can't use a computer properly then expect to have problems with it. Heh the whole time thing, well I get soooo busy that I get around to people...eventualy!

I agree with you, I work in IT support and the thing that people forget about computers is that they are just machines. They are as good as whoever is using it, and if you can't use a computer properly then expect to have problems with it. Heh the whole time thing, well I get soooo busy that I get around to people...eventualy!
Wow! What a lousy attitude about _your_ customers. I sure hope you aren't the typical IT 'professional'.

Wow! What a lousy attitude about _your_ customers. I sure hope you aren't the typical IT 'professional'.
Nobody in business has to like their customers. They just have to make their customers think they do. In fact I dare say most people in business are pretty annoyed that customers want high quality at low prices, the opposite would be much better for them.

Nobody in business has to like their customers. They just have to make their customers think they do. In fact I dare say most people in business are pretty annoyed that customers want high quality at low prices, the opposite would be much better for them.
I'd suggest that you have never depended on customers for a job. Like them, or not, one has to provide a reason for customers to want the service you provide.

Wow! What a lousy attitude about _your_ customers. I sure hope you aren't the typical IT 'professional'.
My husband is an IT professional and he is all about customer service most of the time, he really has a drive to do right by his customers and make sure they are getting the type of service that he would want if he were in the same situation.

His job is different than mine because his customers call him when they need help "right now", mine need help all the time but it's hardly ever urgent. He does get the occiasional "we need this fixed right now!!!!!!!!" when they really don't and other people who do need something "right now" are fixed first.

I have turned people away after I have called them all tax season to get their stuff in and then they call me frantic on April 15th at 11pm at night cussing and mad because I won't drive 30 miles to to their return "right now" but I really don't care at that point, it's not my problem that they failed to plan well.

I'd suggest that you have never depended on customers for a job. Like them, or not, one has to provide a reason for customers to want the service you provide.
there is a line between trying to make every customer 100% happy all the time, and providing acceptable customer service while running a good business.

Some of my clients will never be happy, that is the way they are, I provide consistent service to everyone, but I will not spend all my time trying to make a grouch happy if it runs into time that I could be helping other people who need me more.

there is a line between trying to make every customer 100% happy all the time, and providing acceptable customer service while running a good business.

Some of my clients will never be happy, that is the way they are, I provide consistent service to everyone, but I will not spend all my time trying to make a grouch happy if it runs into time that I could be helping other people who need me more.
Of course all customers can't be totally satisfied all the time, but they should be mostly satisfied all the time. Otherwise, they are going to find a competitor that will offer them what they aren't getting. My business depends on customers that are willing to spend anywhere from a few thousand to a few million dollars, but our effort is always to give them what they have paid for.

And after I've said that, I'll tell you that we have walked away from more than one potential customer because they expected far more than we could deliver for what they were willing to pay.

Of course all customers can't be totally satisfied all the time, but they should be mostly satisfied all the time. Otherwise, they are going to find a competitor that will offer them what they aren't getting. My business depends on customers that are willing to spend anywhere from a few thousand to a few million dollars, but our effort is always to give them what they have paid for.

And after I've said that, I'll tell you that we have walked away from more than one potential customer because they expected far more than we could deliver for what they were willing to pay.

Fuck 'em.

I've got one customer I don't even respond to emails from.

Of course all customers can't be totally satisfied all the time, but they should be mostly satisfied all the time. Otherwise, they are going to find a competitor that will offer them what they aren't getting. My business depends on customers that are willing to spend anywhere from a few thousand to a few million dollars, but our effort is always to give them what they have paid for.

And after I've said that, I'll tell you that we have walked away from more than one potential customer because they expected far more than we could deliver for what they were willing to pay.
exactly.

I have had clients call me and say "I need a copy of my tax returns for the past three years for a loan meeting in 20 minutes, I have to leave here in about 5 minutes email them to me"

and there have been times where I had to say "no", I am not about to spend my time searching through my files for their tax forms to rush and email them to them when I am busy doing something else, and they could have requested copies before "right now" especially since my policy is 1 week notice for things like that.

Well, the problem is that people want things instantly; we want to be able to buy all kinds of products from around the world, we want things to be shipped to us as fast as possible, we want to get our pizza in 30 minutes or drive to McDonalds and get our food right away, and we want to have our power restored as fast as possible after it goes out...all of these things are products of instant communications, and they're definitely worth the convienence of being rushed to do things.

Most people don't realize that much of what we have now would not be possible without instant communcations; too many people forget that life without these technologies would be vastly different and in many ways vastly more difficult than it is now. They complain, but they forget that their lifestyles are totally dependent on these technologies to function.

I honestly think being rushed and hassled by people wanting things right away is worth what we get in return; after all, we rush people all the time to get the things we want so we should be expected to do the same for others, right?

I honestly think being rushed and hassled by people wanting things right away is worth what we get in return; after all, we rush people all the time to get the things we want so we should be expected to do the same for others, right?

Of coarse we shouldn't. Others should do what we want RIGHT NOW. Others who want us to rush are bastards though. What do they think we are, machines? :p

I try to keep in mind that just because they want it 'right now' doesn't mean I can or should stop everything and provide them with whatever it is they want.

I have found that it pisses people off when they say "email me that today" and I say "I can't really until tomorrow", but part of time management is making sure you don't bow down to other's ideas of what you should do when.
Exactly.
They'll learn. Eventually.

Of coarse we shouldn't. Others should do what we want RIGHT NOW. Others who want us to rush are bastards though. What do they think we are, machines? :p

Yeah, I mean you'll see a person get pissed off and scream at the 17 year old kid working behind the counter at Starbucks or at a restaurant because their stuff is thirty seconds late, and then they go and complain to their coworkers or whoever will listen that they're tired of being "rushed" or "pressured" at work!

Maybe we wouldn't feel so rushed if we all decide that we can wait a little longer for things...even better, we get to keep the technology but we're still less rushed because everyone's more patient. Genius, I say! :p

(Too many people forget that these computers and Blackberrys are ultimately operated by people, and it's the people using the machines, not the machines themselves, that are speeding up our lives.)

I try to keep in mind that just because they want it 'right now' doesn't mean I can or should stop everything and provide them with whatever it is they want.

I have found that it pisses people off when they say "email me that today" and I say "I can't really until tomorrow", but part of time management is making sure you don't bow down to other's ideas of what you should do when.
That would get me so fired.:p

If I say you are going to have to wait two minutes, like I am technically supposed to, we lose customers. So, I juggle several things at once and fix them in a hectic haste. It may have been fairly difficult at first, but now it makes things so much easier. When the customer has to wait for me, they do the loggical thing and start bitching at the cashier. The cashier isn't allowed to bitch back at the customer, so she'll transfer the bitching to me. Mehates the bitching.:(

Do you think this is a less than positive trend? And short of abandoning technological progress, which ain't gonna happen, what's to do?

I suppose if we pick our jobs carefully those of us who dislike pointless rush can avoid much of it. I love hurried manic times when there really is a reason for rushing about. I hate it when it is needless or merely for show. I wont even own a cell phone or pager as I hate electronic leashes.

Wow! What a lousy attitude about _your_ customers. I sure hope you aren't the typical IT 'professional'.
Well, maybe he his the type that fix the computer the selves (read: DEAT all your porn viruses), instead of instructing you over the phone how to. If he was busy trying to please everyone, he wouldn't fix many computers.

Of course all customers can't be totally satisfied all the time, but they should be mostly satisfied all the time. Otherwise, they are going to find a competitor that will offer them what they aren't getting. My business depends on customers that are willing to spend anywhere from a few thousand to a few million dollars, but our effort is always to give them what they have paid for.

And after I've said that, I'll tell you that we have walked away from more than one potential customer because they expected far more than we could deliver for what they were willing to pay.
Well, there is a difference in customer service if the client is spending thousands compared to when the customer is spending $30.

And short of abandoning technological progress, which ain't gonna happen, what's to do?
I know what's to do: bring back vinyl.

Yeah, I mean you'll see a person get pissed off and scream at the 17 year old kid working behind the counter at Starbucks or at a restaurant because their stuff is thirty seconds late, and then they go and complain to their coworkers or whoever will listen that they're tired of being "rushed" or "pressured" at work!

Maybe we wouldn't feel so rushed if we all decide that we can wait a little longer for things...even better, we get to keep the technology but we're still less rushed because everyone's more patient. Genius, I say! :p

(Too many people forget that these computers and Blackberrys are ultimately operated by people, and it's the people using the machines, not the machines themselves, that are speeding up our lives.)
I've seen a customer chew out a cashier because his Lay' came up 2.07 instead of 2.04.

I know what's to do: bring back vinyl.
It's hard to fit 500 songs on vinyl in my pocket.

I've seen a customer chew out a cashier because his Lay' came up 2.07 instead of 2.04.

What does that bit mean?

I've seen a customer chew out a cashier because his Lay' came up 2.07 instead of 2.04.

Wow...just...wow.

This reminds me of an observation made comparing civilizations developing in tropical, temperate, and frigid zones. In tropical zones, civilizations tend to be primitive because living is easy, people become lazy, and there is no real incentive to grow and advance. In frigid zones, people are using every last ounce of strength they have just to stay alive and therefore there is no time for growth and advancement. The civilizations that grow and advance generally start out in temperate zones, where there is adequate stimulus to keep people moving while still having some time and energy left over for growth and advancement.

Technology seems to be turning the world into a "tropical zone". Rather than allowing people to get more done, it is allowing people to do less, creating a society where people can become lazy and still live.

This is not to say that technology is bad, any more than hot or cold weather is bad. What makes the difference is how people react to it and the causes they make.

What does that bit mean?
Sorry, that is supposed to be Lay's (ie the chips)

There's a Calvin & Hobbes from 1995, where Calvin's dad says, "It used to be that if a client wanted something done in a week, it was a rush job, and he'd be lucky to get it. Now with modems, faxes, and car phones, everybody wants everything instantly! Improved technology just increases expectations. These machines don't make life easier - they make life more harassed. If we wanted more leisure, we'd invent machines that do things less efficiently." And in the background of the last panel, Calvin's reading the back of a box and saying, "Six minutes to microwave this?? Who's got that kind of time?!"

I'm not advocating a return to the 19th century or even the 20th before, say, 1985, but it is true in the modern workplace that there's an expectation of instant response just because there's the capability for delivering the questions instantly (e-mail, Blackberries, cell phones, etc).

Do you think this is a less than positive trend? And short of abandoning technological progress, which ain't gonna happen, what's to do?

It's actually a wonderful new way to assert pecking order. The higher up, the longer for a response. Lower down must respond faster. Good or not? I guess it depends on where you are in the order ;)

Technology is only good if its green-friendly, like my flatscreen LCD monitor. Uses a lot less electricity and saves energy.

I hate cell phones and instant messenging. My parents forced me to get a cell phone and I hate it. I hate those stupid text messages and those stupid games on the stupid cell phones that play stupid fuzzy music while watching my peers worry about selecting their stupid ringtones while acting as if, "Hey! I'm like so individual because I can select my own ringtone and backround and I'm definatly not being streamlined!! Oops, 50 dollars down the drain. Hey, my phone is telling me I need more stuff, what's another 10 dollars? Oh no, my friend is sending me a text message, but I'm too much of a pussy to tell him that I don't want to be his friend anymore right to his face. I'll just send him a message where I spell certain words wrong on purpose and use numbers as letters and tell him that it's over and that I never want to see him again. I like, love technology these days."

I really hate all this new useless crap that's been coming out these days. I think I'm one of the few people my age that can sit in peace and quiet without saying, "ZOMG! I like need my iPod because if I don't have music I'm like so totally bored!! Lol!!!!"

This reminds me of an observation made comparing civilizations developing in tropical, temperate, and frigid zones. In tropical zones, civilizations tend to be primitive because living is easy, people become lazy, and there is no real incentive to grow and advance. In frigid zones, people are using every last ounce of strength they have just to stay alive and therefore there is no time for growth and advancement. The civilizations that grow and advance generally start out in temperate zones, where there is adequate stimulus to keep people moving while still having some time and energy left over for growth and advancement.

Technology seems to be turning the world into a "tropical zone". Rather than allowing people to get more done, it is allowing people to do less, creating a society where people can become lazy and still live.

This is not to say that technology is bad, any more than hot or cold weather is bad. What makes the difference is how people react to it and the causes they make.

This rings fairly true.

I hate cell phones and instant messenging. My parents forced me to get a cell phone and I hate it. I hate those stupid text messages and those stupid games on the stupid cell phones that play stupid fuzzy music while watching my peers worry about selecting their stupid ringtones while acting as if, "Hey! I'm like so individual because I can select my own ringtone and backround and I'm definatly not being streamlined!! Oops, 50 dollars down the drain. Hey, my phone is telling me I need more stuff, what's another 10 dollars? Oh no, my friend is sending me a text message, but I'm too much of a pussy to tell him that I don't want to be his friend anymore right to his face. I'll just send him a message where I spell certain words wrong on purpose and use numbers as letters and tell him that it's over and that I never want to see him again. I like, love technology these days."

I really hate all this new useless crap that's been coming out these days. I think I'm one of the few people my age that can sit in peace and quiet without saying, "ZOMG! I like need my iPod because if I don't have music I'm like so totally bored!! Lol!!!!"
I have to hate you for this. Being a techish nerd, it is quite easy to see why.

I think high-tech is fine as long as people remember they're its boss, and not the other way around.

Like Smunkee, I'm my own boss, so nobody can fire me.
And, I made darned sure to pick a business where there isn't any damned hurry to do anything. During the shipping season, the stuff goes out pretty quickly, but there's never what could be considered a "hot rush." Nor is there a need for direct contact: The orders come through my site.

When it comes to communication:
Emails--I get to 'em when I get to 'em. If some customer emails me in the morning, they'll find that I don't even look at the email until I wake up the next afternoon. Although, if they email at night, when I'm up, they can get a fast response if I happen to be online and notice their email come in. I do make sure to look every day, especially during the big selling season. But I'm not going to set any alarms to do it.

The Phone: I usually don't even have my phone on! So any incoming calls go right into the voice mail, to wait until I bother to listen to the messages.

For years, I refused to get a cell phone. The only reason I have one now is that it's cheaper than a landline, and offers more services for that price. So, I killed the landline and got a cell. But I've never let it become a leash. That thing is OFF unless I decide to call out! And that's always after 9PM, since I got the cheapest plan and therefore try to use the unlimited night minutes rather than my fairly meager "anytime" (really daytime) minute allotment.

Instant Messaging = NO WAY. I'm not instantly available to anyone.

A couple years ago, I let someone con me into trying it. My predictions were proven right: They would IM me without warning just to yap about the most inane stuff and wasted bunches of my time. I uninstalled all the IM programs very soon. Email is fast enough, and it seems to get people to not bother unless they have something vaguely worth saying. With IMs, if someone gets bored, they just pop onto it and yadda yadda yadda...never mind what the other person is doing, or that the subject has been talked to death already!

So I am firmly in control of when and how I'm contacted. I just don't leave any unacceptable options open.