Users won't give me their full address

Posted by OnlyWest1@reddit | talesfromtechsupport | View on Reddit | 27 comments

I am currently responsible for shipping certain equipment to end users.

I will ask for their shipping address in the ticket. Yes, we have an HR system with addresses, but people move and don't tell HR.

The users never send the complete address. I have very tight windows to ship, and if I wait until it is time to ship to realize the address isn't complete - the user isn't always available to correct it.

So what I do it is - at the start of the day i message whoever is getting something, "Please make sure you address is complete in the ticket." They get annoyed, tell me they did it. I go about my day and get to the point it's time to ship. But guess what - the address isn't complete and the person is tied up in a 3 hour meeting. Which means I can't ship until the next day.

Which affects shipping cost or them getting their stuff late.

I'm clearly asking you to double check your address for your own benefit.

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amodrenman@reddit

The ticket should have input fields for the address that prevent submission of the ticket until they are all filled out.

I, too, don't know why people see an address line and put in half their address only.

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OnlyWest1@reddit (OP)

It isn't this cut and dry. People don't request hardware. We troubleshoot and determine they need hardware. Then we get the address. If we had a request form - everyone would just request new hardware when they don't need it.

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amodrenman@reddit

Oh I get it. I've been there too. But it would solve the address problem.

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Kinowolf_@reddit

Replace "Please give me your address" with "I show your current address as XYZ, is this right?"

You prompting a user for info = them going "Pfft it already has my stuff, this can wait"

You sending them info just to confirm = a simple yes, or an Oh fuck this is wrong i need to fix it! - creating a bit of panic, which actually makes people send info.

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OnlyWest1@reddit (OP)

I do that, but I can't always work a ticket right away and when i get to it - the person may be in a meeting or away. So at the beginning of the day i send a reminder to make sure the address is correct or it will delay shipping. Then when I actually get to the ticket I won't have to say, "I show an incorrect address." I'm saving myself a headache later.

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Kinowolf_@reddit

i short handed, and there are parts being inferred. but if we want to try to actually phrase it in a one-message resolution

You in your original post - which is deleted btw? not sure if you did or mods, but is gone - your primary concern seemed to be the lack of reply as a whole.

i would, in full:

Message before day-of, to avoid the issue youre having of "oh theyre in a meeting"....ideally, two business days. In this, I would do whatever flowery language is appropriate for your environment along these lines:

You are soon going to be new equipment, our last records show an address of XYZ. If this is incorrect, please respond here (I would actually make here a hyperlink to whatever internal personal info update system you use, wherein the employee can fix their shit - and also have clicking it notify you their address is incorrect, which cold either A prompt you to go pull it or B, have it pull automatically from hr records for you to have....) or, for the super lazy, add boiler in that they are required to nofiy HR and you about incorrect personal info per (whatever fucking handbook section it is)

Id then add a seperate section for Failure to properly update this info may result in delay or improper shipping if no timely respond received.

Then, as youre doing, day-of, id re-send it out while tagging their manager.....but id add a line at top that mentions they were notifed once before and this is second attempt. This creates the paper trail towards their management of "I am IT and doing my job, your person is a fuck up...."

So that inevitably when they fail to change thier shit and it goes to the wrong address and you get blamed, youve got multiple pieces of proof you ddi your part.

in summary: Remove or limit any chance of the human element of the targt employee. Any single decision, choice, or good faith "surely theyll do this" needs to be taken out. You as IT need to stage things in a way that the employees only action is to provide you desired info, or by inaction create a papertrail that they did wrong ad not you.

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Harry_Smutter@reddit

This. Won't work all the time, but definitely better than the former.

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OnlyWest1@reddit (OP)

It almost never works. In Op what I am saying is - I know i won't be able to work a ticket until later and if the address is wrong I'll have to respond with I see an incorrect address, can i get the correct address.. And odds are, the person will be busy or away.

So at the start of the day I send a reminder to make sure the address is correct so when I get to the ticket - i don't have to send a follow up and delay.

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Loko8765@reddit

If your goal is to ship quickly and remove toil from users, put the address you will use in the message. This removes the toil of finding the ticket, logging in, etc.

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ApplicationHour@reddit

This is exactly how it’s done. At 3pm, the equipment will be shipped to the following address.
1224 user street Apartment 29b Etc

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vinyljunkie1245@reddit

It is how it should be done but I bet OP would start getting the blame for not checking the addresses are correct before shipping

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OnlyWest1@reddit (OP)

Their suggestion would cause a panic and if anything went wrong not related to the address - they'd look at the ticket and assume the problem was because I sent to the wrong address.

In what we do you have to word everything a certain way. users get confused and communicate the wrong thing happened.

I can't just say - I will be shipping to {this address that is clearly wrong} at 3PM.

What is happening in my post is - I know I won't have time to check the ticket until later. And at that point the user will be unreachable. I am just saying - hey, verify the address is correct so that when I get the ticket, I have everything I need. I'm giving them an extra chance to get it right.

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OnlyWest1@reddit (OP)

I don't always have time to check right away and just remind them preemptively. I'm being proactive so when I can check - it's right. I am always VERY busy.

LOL The mods said this wasn't tech support. But like I gotta set up the devices - which is tech support.

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OnlyWest1@reddit (OP)

LOL The mods said this wasn't tech support. But like I gotta set up the devices - which is tech support.

Sometimes I am VERY busy and don't have time to look right then so I just remind them when I have time an when I know they are free so when I do have time to look - it's there. It's just an extra proactive step.

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beerbellybegone@reddit

If it were simple, everyone would do it.

Except users

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OnlyWest1@reddit (OP)

LOL The mods said this wasn't tech support. But like I gotta set up the devices - which is tech support.

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OnlyWest1@reddit (OP)

LOL The mods said this wasn't tech support. But like I gotta set up the devices - which is tech support.

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Ringbearer31@reddit

Consider adding an example to your macro?

"Hello office drone,

Your equipment details are as follows: ... ...

Please include your full shipping address in the USPS standard: Name Address City, State, Zip code.

-Thank you"

Ya know? Be really specific for what you need.

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OnlyWest1@reddit (OP)

This is already on the form.

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Gadgetman_1@reddit

Talk to their immediate manager. Tell them that user xxxxxx is deliberately trying to avoid doing their job by making certain you can't ship their required tools to them.

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Fluffy-duckies@reddit

Might be a bit over the mark to assign intentions to their actions. Better to just report the actions and consequences. "User has not followed instructions to provide full shipping address despite reminder at Xam. This has delayed shipping by X days / increased shipping costs by $X amount. This may directly affect their ability to perform their assigned tasks."

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Moonpenny@reddit

"$group can always be trusted to do the right thing, once all possible alternatives have been tried."

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FriendlyBrother9660@reddit

People are dumb. I dont understand why its so hard to answer the question asked.

I ask people what their wifi info is and ill get an adresse or a phone number