Users who just leave their desk while you work on their machine
Posted by ado97@reddit | talesfromtechsupport | View on Reddit | 62 comments
This seems to be an apparent symptom with many users I have encountered.
They open a ticket, you contact them via chat or phone, you start fixing their issue and maybe even talk whilst doing it, and suddenly you are done fixing the issue and ask the user to test the functionality.
No response.
Poof.
The user is just gone.
You then ask.. Hello?
Can you try?
Message them..
Nothing.
Then 20 minutes later that same person just replies over text "it still doesn't work"
like nothing happened.
Like, is my job such a plumber type of activity for you and think that you are not needed during the process , is it that you don't value my time at all? Is it because you don't understand that you need to verify that it works? Is it because you seem to forget that at times I might need your password to proceed?
At this point, once I see a user do something like this, I let their ticket rest.
I let them know, that what they did is inefficient for both parties and then let them suffer slowly.
I am too old for this.
Thank you for reading my little rant.
GodOfUtopiaPlenitia@reddit
I've always asked "What am I allowed to do to help?" Sometimes, you - the user - learn that you can actually fix it yourself! Saves your time, saves TS's time, and you look good to your Supervisor when they stop playing Candy Crush/Invaders Legacy long enough to avoid demotion.
AgentExpendable@reddit
Sometimes we get called by the boss for a meeting because the boss thinks that we can multi-task while tech support is doing the heavy lifting. Busy lives.
Jonathan_the_Nerd@reddit
I can work and pretend to listen at the same time. Unless the boss wants me to leave my computer and walk into a different room. Then I can do Sudoku and pretend to listen at the same time.
pagso3000@reddit
had a user once ask me to to help her set up her new PC. We use windows autopilot so it should be a nice and simple process for the user to do alone, but they really wanted help and i had very little to do that day. So i tell her what to do and she quickly decides that i know best how to do this and just leaves me to set it up alone... then 2 minutes go by and she needs to log in, i send her a message and she comes back, types in her email and PW. she then walks off again. then the 2FA pops up and she comes walking back again. long story short she walked back and forth like 5 times in total and made the setup take twice as long as it needed to because she thought it would be faster if i just did it for her.
Pizza-love@reddit
Well, isn't that the case in a lot of things, helping usually slows down the pro?
pagso3000@reddit
Point was that it would be faster if she either stayed there for the entire setup, or just did it herself
Pizza-love@reddit
Have you asked her to stay with you?
pagso3000@reddit
I did ask her to at first but when she kept wandering off I got petty and just let her do it knowing she would have to come back in a few minutes
Dense_Dress_1287@reddit
In this type of situation when they walk off, and you are stuck at a prompt, don't go after her, just sit there, scroll on your phone, etc.
When she finally comes back and sees you're still stuck at step 2 and wonders why you aren't finished, tell her it's because SHE walked away from a process that needs HER input, and there is nothing you could do till she got back. You are there to help the user, not chase them around the office.
Better solution in examples like this is to be more teacher than tech. Don't sit at the keyboard, force the user to do the work, you're just there to guide them, stand behind them. Since like you said, this is something the user could have done themselves, have them do it. If they have questions at any step, of course explain what needs to be done, but don't let them walk away
ozzie286@reddit
Dude, that's when you get to wander off.
pagso3000@reddit
Nah then I give them something about me to complain about. In this way it’s all on them
kheltar@reddit
I usually just ask, do you want me here or do you want me to go away?
I'm the one that gets regular and reliable help from our admins though, amazing what happens when you treat people like people.
pagso3000@reddit
I would have told you to stay in this scenario as it would get us both back to our normal tasks faster. It’s also nice having someone to chat with while waiting for windows to do its thing.
Crumfighter@reddit
This works better if you also set up the phone at the same time. I check if mfa by phone is on and just ask for their phone and get to work.
However the best is just setting everything up before the worker had their first day, that way you have all the time.
Impossible_IT@reddit
I would’ve powered on the computer and walked away when she did. And if she said something, I would’ve said “well, it is your computer, I cannot input your username and password as well as your 2FA info. If you can’t be bothered to stay and finish setting up your new computer, why should I.
AgentExpendable@reddit
I honestly don’t mind this at all. Our jobs are getting rekt by AI and the more walking back and forth with an actual human the better chances to keep us employed.
bflaminio@reddit
I got that a lot. They'd come back, "sorry, I got a call". EXCUSE ME? You were already on a call. With ME.
Dense_Dress_1287@reddit
So when they finally come back, say "oh I have a call, and put them on hold for 20 min, while you go for a coffee"
ado97@reddit (OP)
It's like, sometimes I get the feeling that we don't seem important enough for certain people. Like our job is nothing for them. Very sad. But if we don't help them they've got a massive problem.
Willblinkformoney@reddit
Not to defend these people at all - but I can see how it happens. I wouldnt hover over someone who was coming over to fix anything at my house, so it may not be logical to sit on your PC. The issue of course, is that when someone is at your house, they can easily get you when needed. So perhaps whats lacking here is establishing some norms of how to be reachable, for example through text.
nl_dhh@reddit
As an end user, I'd simply ask: "hey, prefer me to stay around or prefer to work on this alone for a bit and you call me if you need me?"
As a data engineer, sometimes I prefer to work on something in peace, other times it's helpful to have a user on the call to provide details or test solutions.
To quote any consultant ever: "it depends..."
Willblinkformoney@reddit
I get you, but i wouldnt expect everyone to have that awareness.
Tight_Syllabub9423@reddit
Of course you're not important. You're a service drone.
ado97@reddit (OP)
Very sad perspective on careers, but yes, people are like this.
I hold massive respect for everyone who is a hairdresser, for example. There are people who see those people as uneducated service drones, as you mentioned.
And we apparently are the arrogant service drones. Because we, in their books, can't be dumb because we can work these magic little boxes — but this is, in their perception, likely because it's all we've got going in our lives.
I had someone once tell me — completely out of context — that while I was playing around with PCs in my youth, he was playing around with chicks.
Yeah.
herr_arkow@reddit
Once had somebody who decided it was a good time to walk with the dog for over half an hour.
TWFM@reddit
But I can see taking a quick five-minute break for that reason. When a dog needs to poop, they don't understand "Hang on, I'm rebooting".
Dense_Dress_1287@reddit
Just close the ticket, say user left and didn't come back, you have other tickets to work on.
They can open a new ticket and let them start all over again
revchewie@reddit
Honestly I prefer when they walk away rather than sit there watching over my shoulder.
Cmd_Line_Commando@reddit
Or just as you are about to start working on their issue, they start cleaning their work area.
Geminii27@reddit
That's pretty much it. They don't want to be involved with the process, and they don't want to have to tell their manager "Well sure I could have been doing other work but I stood around like a goober while IT did IT stuff."
They genuinely aren't familiar enough with troubleshooting to realize that they often do need to be part of the process. I mean, you can drop your car off at the mechanic and they don't ask you to oversee the repairs, you can drop your relative off at the hospital and they don't ask you to oversee the surgery. Unfortunately, computers don't have as limited range of functions to test as cars (which often make weird noises that give a clue), and relatives can usually tell the docs what the issue is or at the very least where it hurts. Computer 'problems' can often be extremely subjective, if it's not actually on fire.
seimungbing@reddit
"Ticket closed. User not available."
sheikhyerbouti@reddit
If the client has abandoned their workstation while I'm working on it, I document what's been done and close out their ticket.
If they still need assistance, they can always reopen it.
ado97@reddit (OP)
yeah, that’s exactly how I usually deal with it too, but my main point is that it’s just super inefficient for everyone. a 20-minute issue easily turns into 40 with all the back and forth, trying to find a new time, etc.
I like having a clean workdesk. when I have stuff lying around just because someone was too important to stay for 5 minutes to test something with me, it honestly infuriates me.
and the worst part is that this kind of delay can prevent you from fixing actually important issues, just because you’re stuck on something that should’ve been resolved already. sure, you can tell people to stay available, but many still just dip anyway.
at the end of the day, neither me nor you can change this — but it really grinds my gears, and I honestly don’t know when I’ll start to snap because of it.
sheikhyerbouti@reddit
The way I see it is that the user is wasting their own time, not mine.
If the user wants to play a stupid game, they win a stupid prize.
If they complain about how long it takes for their issue to be resolved, I remind them that I require their active feedback to resolve most issues - but since they stepped away, it communicated to me that their ticketed issue wasn't a priority for them.
Strange_Compote_2951@reddit
yes
GoingAllTheJay@reddit
Plumbers catching strays out here.
I would talk with my plumber on what we needed to have done, how best to accomplish it, and what alterations may need to be made to the plan as the work developed.
Guess most people need to feel superior to someone else.
LupercaniusAB@reddit
I didn’t take it that way. I think that they meant that a plumber can test the functionality of their fix without the client present. Obviously you’d want the client to sign off on it, but they don’t need to be there for the repair.
GoingAllTheJay@reddit
Yeah, and some issues don't require presence in the office either.
Reducing a plumbers job to "the toilet is clogged, go to work," is the same over simplification that gets posted here for tech support.
When I was doing complete home renovations, the job required by the plumber changed depending on how things fit as each party did their tasks in series.
tacticalpotatopeeler@reddit
You don’t need a password to flush the toilet. Or maybe you do, I don’t know I’m not a plumber.
ado97@reddit (OP)
I didn’t reduce the plumber’s job to anything. This is all your perception. I simply stated—objectively—that a customer typically doesn’t need to be present while a plumber is working, aside from possibly overseeing the process. Naturally, there are exceptions where alignment is needed, but those cases usually only arise if things haven’t been clarified beforehand.
My example wasn’t meant to downplay the profession or compare it to other jobs—it was simply a clear example of a type of work that can usually be done independently once everything has been agreed on in advance.
In contrast, tech support rarely works that way. Problems often arise spontaneously and require direct interaction or feedback from the user, unless we’re dealing with structured project work like rollouts, maintenance, or similar planned tasks.
ado97@reddit (OP)
that's exactly what I was trying to say.
ArkofVengeance@reddit
This annoys me to no end as well, my solace is that we bill by the hour.
If the customer makes me wait, i wait with the clock running and make a remark in the ticket. If their boss asks why it was so expensive he'll be told exactly why.
People may not value my time but their bosses sure value their money.
shasta59@reddit
One place I did a support contract at for a while had a good policy. User must stay at their desk the entire time their machine was being worked on or their ticket would be closed and they would start from the bottom again. Unless the tech said they were not needed at all. And no, they could not write their password etc down on a piece of paper and leave it etc if it was a onsite call. They needed to be present. If it was a phone support call with remote support they must attend to the support call the entire time.
After a few cases of this happening the word got around and users stopped 'wandering' off. It had been, I found out, a real issue in the past with multiple tickets for the same issue due to the user not being around when needed to test.
MarvinPA83@reddit
Totally different field.
Intermittent fault. Me: OK, next time it does it don't touch anything, come and get me. I have to see it with the fault. Hours pass. Operator collects me, we walk to the machine. Operator: If I do this, it works again. Repeat from top.
bob152637485@reddit
I'm an industrial electrician/technician, I feel you 100%.
Margali@reddit
7 years inside outside mechanic, I feel both of you. Nuke plant work... Turn wrench sign and date, every certain number of steps get qai in to check ... 5 minute job can be 4 hours .
bno000@reddit
Had a user who was notorious for this. I went and scheduled a time to do a pc fix on her lunch break. She toddled off for lunch. Went and found her in the lunch room to tell her the work was done. Before I could even get a word out she snapped that she was on lunch and I’d need to come back later. I walked out and closed off the request. Costs nothing to be decent.
bob152637485@reddit
Moving forward, I'd just schedule my "lunch" to be the exact same time.
bno000@reddit
Nah. Every time there was ICT work that needed a contact point from the department she worked in I’d put her name forward. 😂
Bcwar@reddit
I'm petty .. i close the ticket and document that the user was too busy at lunch to verify problem was fixed
Jamie00003@reddit
It’s because some users are just looking for an excuse to get out of work
techie_1412@reddit
If you get no response abruptly without them saying anything that they will be away, then hang up and call them back immediately. You will have a valid justification that there could have been some issue with the call and you couldnt hear them. If they pick up, you continue.... if they dont, they will eventually call back.
Curben@reddit
Or is it their boss is going to ride their ass for being unproductive so they go take care of other things while they can't use their PC.
emax4@reddit
Can't you just say, "Don't go anywhere"?, or even be bold and add, "Otherwise it'll take a few hours for me to revisit this."? I'm referring to repeat offenders. You could also say, "I'll need your input such as you putting in your password, so we'll be going back and forth a bit."
EvanWasHere@reddit
They don't care. They will still leave, get on another call, start talking to others, etc
emax4@reddit
Keep closing out the ticket with, "User was not present. Will have to resubmit per their availablity." When they start to complain, get their supervisor involved.
EvanWasHere@reddit
You still get blamed, especially when the entire team is waiting on the presentation or other task that this user couldn't work on until their issue was fixed.
emax4@reddit
Sounds like a management problem then. Fwd the ticket to your supe. If the user is getting paid to not do their job, why should only they reap the benefits?
JackTheBehemothKillr@reddit
Gotta set expectations. Ive been on both sides and when someone is remoting in I'll ask if they think they will need me. If not I go do something else and stay near to check in.
robjeffrey@reddit
As annoying as this is, I've found it to be a self correcting problem given time.
If I start working on their issue and they disappear, I'll continue working on it until I need their help or confirmation it's resolved. Once I get to the stage where their involvement is needed, I just move on to the next issue for someone else.
Just like someone going to a bank teller or government office, as soon as you leave the line to get another document or form filled out, you go back to the end of the line and have to wait all over again. Unless it's quiet most tellers don't let you jump the queue or push off the next person waiting to let you back in. They may finish off the one they are helping and let you in before the next in line, and that's what I try to do.
For the most part people are understanding when this happens. If they aren't and raise a stink, your actions are justifiable to their supervisors. So as long as you are polite and explain the workflow I find most will correct their behaviour.
I can't help everyone at the same time. Please use me while ya got me!
KennanFan@reddit
If you do tech support for a managed services provider, that time is billable.
nico282@reddit
Yes