Alright, seeing as we’re all pretty much tech experts, more often than not there is a consistent group of people always calling for help. So, IT specialists, do you have your favorites/people you’ll help first before the others? Do you have the opposite where you’ll do everything in your power before helping that specific person?
This is, of course, not weighing in the severity of the issue (or for some it might :x ).
17 Spice ups
When obvious differences in severity are not in play the people who are polite and willing to work with us get helped first. Something as simple as remembering to say thank you gets someone bumped over the person who treats us like our sole reason for coming to work is to serve them.
mdberman2
(Bermanistan)
3
Yeah, there are a few factors that might subconsciously or consciously influence me:
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Is it a one sentince question? Like for example, “My computer doesn’t work”. That usually earns the IT wrath.
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Did one of the users actually describe their problem in a way that I can actually see what the problem is, or do we have to play 20 questions to get the info I need (20 questions = IT wrath)?
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Is it a recurring problem that we have given them the solution to several times before (yes = IT wrath)?
There’s probably more, but after issue severity, IT wrath comes in to play. 
Justin.Davison wrote:
When obvious differences in severity are not in play the people who are polite and willing to work with us get helped first. Something as simple as remembering to say thank you gets someone bumped over the person who treats us like our sole reason for coming to work is to serve them.
+1 Absolutely.
All else being equal, the polite people will always get my attention faster. Even if it’s unconscious, I will want to help you if you are a decent individual. I don’t mind if the user thinks their CD tray is a cup holder, if they’re polite and patient I’ll deal with it all day.
The politically correct answer is No, IT people would never treat people calling for support any differently…
that said, hell yeah there are favourites 
Some people are just flat out pains in the a$$ and treat you like you are there to serve.
I prefer the people who ring up with stupid questions because they don’t know how to use a computer over the people who consistently Demand me to fix the problem in their time frame
A nice smile and body also helps - but that generally puts them in the category of take longer to fix
bthorp
(Brian Thorp)
7
Can I get some help over here, I have a 6-pack I need help finishing off.
j031013
(Lisa)
8
Andrew7048 wrote:
All else being equal, the polite people will always get my attention faster. Even if it’s unconscious, I will want to help you if you are a decent individual.
You couldn’t have said it any better!
Justin.Davison wrote:
When obvious differences in severity are not in play the people who are polite and willing to work with us get helped first. Something as simple as remembering to say thank you gets someone bumped over the person who treats us like our sole reason for coming to work is to serve them.
Exactly the way I feel. The people who are polite and cheerful will always take precedence over the ones who want you to “fix the internet now because I have important work to do! (like update my facebook status)”. Although I would also help out these people too if there was nothing urgent that needed attending to and provided they were polite about it. (bribery never hurts either 
)
garry0750
(Tekk Noir)
10
Much the same, severity of the issue first, but after that there are things that will get you bumped down the list…
Biggest issue for me is lies, when someone tells me they did X when they really did Y (And all evidence clearly indicates Y), they get less preferential treatment in future. Hate that with a passion, I know it’s a self-preservation reaction for the people who do it, I can understand that, but they just make unnecessary work in determining the real problem, when they could just be a grown-up and say “Yes, I did X, I’m sorry” and accept their metaphorical slap on the wrist.
kirk
(Dogs)
11
I have teams i help first i.e. payroll, finance, then I have people I like scattered about and ni have a shit list…
If your own that last list it will be done when i get to it. Does that make me a bad person?
I thought learning how to prioritise was a good skill
Brian Thorp wrote:
Can I get some help over here, I have a 6-pack I need help finishing off.
be right there flying dust from fast moving feet
yes, i have favorites and people that i ignore as long as possible
ivanidea
(ivanidea)
13
The directors always take priority.
Then the easiest jobs get done first.
Bottom of the list are the ones in the smelly factory.
gwen2
(GwenA)
14
The people that come in and say “If you aren’t too busy I’m having a problem…” are always helped over someone that says “This piece of #$*& still isn’t running right, why is it I always have the &^%@#$ problems? Computers HATE me!”
Yeah, me too
Huw3481
(Huw3481)
15
Severity first.
Then get the quick fixes out of the way so I’m not keeping anyone hanging around more than necessary.
Then by politeness.
The only people allowed to pull rank are the directors and the wife provided there’s no serious issues going on.
amended
I’m sorry, I’ve just been told that the only person allowed to pull rank is the wife, regardless of what’s going on…
The one with the most dark choclate to offer wins!
The ones that stop you in the hall with “hey, I need you now…” always lose. I tell them I call my dog by name so you can learn mine (after 5 years), or suffer the wrath.
Remember:
A mistake on your behalf does not constitute an emergency on my behalf.
That being said, the boss cherry-picks the work orders he wants to fix for the people he likes and leaves the left-over jobs (or people he hates to deal with) for me…
We use Spiceworks for our work order system. If it is not important enough for someone to fill out a work order then they don’t even belong on the list of people considered for support. Unless they sign my ppaycheck.
For the ones that play nice and submit work orders, the intent is to do them in order according to priority. If someone has a login problem and their work roder is at the top of the lsit then we intentionally fix it first.
Modifiers to priority are inevitable. Payroll problems are always going to the top of the list.
But, in honesty, we frequently do some ahead of others. Most of the time it’s because it is an easy fix, we can do it remotely, and we can doing it while working on bigger problems.
The problem we actually have is stifling the urge to ignore the beligerently self-important people. I think it’s normal to want to put them off, and I think it is unprofessional to do so just because they have no redeeming social skills. We have to work harder to make sure we don’t allow ourselves to not support them.
People who go out of their way to treat me with respect get more love. I’m far more eager to help them.
