I 
had to make a call this week to an IT Help Desk. It came as no suprise that the local number I rang was answered by a customer service representative in another country.
The representative on the phone was cheerful and welcoming and had a distinctive american accent, which was interesting given that the country he was based in was India.
My problem was simple. I was rebuilding a PC and I could not complete the reinstall of some software because the license key could not be reactivated. Well, I thought the problem was simple but clearly my friend on the phone did not agree. If there was anything simple about the call – it was me.
It seemed what I clearly needed was someone to walk me through the install process. After two attempts to restate my problem, I decided to go with the flow. I had phoned a free call number, had some spare time, interrupting seemed to be delaying the inevitable and sooner or later he would get to the ‘activate the software’ part of the process. So with short concise explanatory sentences, he walked me through the A to Z of how to install the software on a PC. At last we got to the key part.
He said:”‘Enter your activation code”. I stated my problem. He took some action. It sorted the problem. My license key was accepted. The software installation was completed. I thanked him for his assistance….until next time.
Thinking about it, the service desk is not a new concept and it has definitely become a necessary, if at times frustrating, part of our lives. It seeks to solve an age old problem that has, in different guises, been with us throughout the ages:
Filed under: Technology
