Tech Support Chat Person: "Hello,Bob . I’m Asha and I’m here to assist. How are you doing today?"

<my shoulders slump>

It takes SO. FREAKING. LONG. to do a tech support chat. I don't want small talk. If I answer, "Fine, thanks, and you?" I'll have to wait 2 to 3 minutes for a reply, and we haven't even started chatting about why I'm here.

If you design chat systems, DO NOT include small talk unless you seriously have enough support people to keep the conversation rolling without delays.

“I will not treat the user’s device as if I own it.”
The FIFO Networks Software Developer’s Code of Ethics, written ten years ago, is still relevant. Perhaps now more than ever.

Here’s the link.
https://fifonetworks.com/software-developers-code-of-ethics/

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks

Cybersecurity - Networks - Wireless – Telecom – VoIP

Success comes in many forms, and by my measure of success, I’m wildly successful. But when I got an invitation to appear on a podcast, it matters that they know exactly what they’d be getting. There is no insult or derision here. I’m genuinely honored to have been asked to participate in this podcast. The thing is, it calls for honesty and clarity. I may not be a good fit.

LinkedIn DM from a new connection:
“We host a podcast called Forged For Growth where we bring on leaders to share the real stories behind their growth. We’ve had some great conversations with people scaling in different ways, and I think your perspective would be a perfect fit. Would you be open to joining us as a guest?”

My reply:

"Hi [name redacted], thanks for asking.

"I’m open to being on the podcast, but first it’s important to make sure you understand what you’d be getting. I’m a sole proprietor, no employees, by design. I’ve been in business since 2003. During the first couple of years I brought in an employee three different times for short projects, and when the project was over they were gone (they knew they were hired for project-specific gigs from the start). After that, I decided to turn down any project that required more than just me.

"Since your podcast is called Forged For Growth, I may not be what you’re looking for. My business has been self-sustaining for 23 years, but it’s not, and never was, designed for massive growth. My business is designed to make me happy every day, and to sustain a comfortable lifestyle for my wife and I.

"I’m open to further discussion, but I want you to have the information you need to decide if I’m a good fit for your audience."

#podcast

Facebook, this is an astonishing amount of data. On June 1, I uninstalled the Facebook app from my Android phone. Before I did the uninstall, I looked at the amount of storage the app was using. Seriously? The app consumed 6.33 GB? That’s 6,330 MB. That’s as much storage as a full-length HD movie.

From now on, I’ll stick to looking at Facebook occasionally with a cookie-clearing browser. And no, I’m not going to stop using Facebook altogether, because it’s an important part of staying connected with family members around the country.

But I’ll make a public judgement: using that much of my storage for a social media app is either incredibly amateur coding, or an immoral use of the consumer’s digital resources. There’s no way I knowingly agreed to that much data use. No doubt “it’s all in the terms of service you agreed to,” but they’re doing something that they don’t want to be transparent about.

Steps for setting up a new phone system... are you helping a company replace their existing phone system? I just did this with one of my clients recently, and it occurred to me that it might be helpful to someone to have a brief overview.

STEP ONE: Call flow diagrams. Make call flow diagrams that cover business hours, after hours, line busy, and so forth. Does the call go first to an Automated Attendant (AA)? What will the announcement say? The flow diagram may include what happens with various options: “For Sales, press 2...” Get the diagrams all laid out and approved by everyone involved in the decision making process. BTW, the decision making process should include the people who actually answer the phones. For real. Ask them.

STEP TWO: Record the announcements. From the call flow diagrams, you now know exactly how many recorded voice announcements you’ll need. Get them all recorded in advance. Have the recordings approved by the decision maker(s). Store a digital backup copy of those recordings, separate from the folder you’ll use to upload the recordings.

STEP THREE: Train everyone. Before the new phone system is put online, let people know what will be different and what will be the same. Have a Quick Start Guide for every user. The QSG will have information they need right away, like how to transfer a call, park a caller, put a call on hold, adjust screen brightness and volume, speed dial setup, and so forth. And make sure everyone understands the call flow.

STEP FOUR: Activate the new phone system. Do the configuration. Upload the recordings. Go live. And stay close, because there will be hiccups. Some people won’t read the QSG. Some will read it, but won’t understand it. Some will get nervous when they have their first caller on the line. You be calm and cool, so they can be calm and cool. You’re not there to berate them, you’re there to enable them. And if one of them loses their cool, you don’t lose yours. You’re the strong one.

#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks

Cybersecurity - Networks - Wireless – Telecom – VoIP

From thisisme0403:
My therapist once told me to do something strange. He said, "Write everything down as if you're dying in 30 minutes." I laughed and said, "What? That's not true..." But before I could finish, he shouted, "Are you out of your mind? I said you're dying. Write it down!" His tone changed everything. I wanted to ask questions, but he yelled again, "Why are you wasting time on me? You have 29 minutes and 30 seconds left." So I picked up my pen and started writing. At first, I didn't know what to say.

Then I wrote to my parents, my friend, my siblings. I wrote everything I never said out loud. It was like all feelings came out at once. When the 30 minutes were over my therapist told me to stop. "Rest for fifteen minutes and then I'll tell you something." I sat there breathing hard, eyes wet and totally uncontrollable heart beat. mind racing. He gave me a glass of water and said, "Now read what you wrote." I read it slowly. Every word was full of love, regret, and things left unsaid.

He then asked, "Why didn't you write to your boss? Or your exes? Or the people you complain about?" I said, "Why would I write to them?" He smiled and said, "Exactly. If they don't matter in your last moments, why do they matter so much now?"