1

I have been at a new company for 13 days now. On the whole, everyone has been pleasant and polite. That’s expected usually when a new Admin or manager starts. However today something happened that litterally made me gasp. I honestly thought the user was pulling my leg when he came into my office.
It started out the usual way: “My computer is acting up. It’s giving me an error when I…” Blah blah blah. I started to zone out as we walked to his desk, but then he said something that knocked me for a loop. He goes on about his problem, then he says “So I went onto the (application) website and found the knowledge base. I found steps to resolve the problem, but it says a network admin has to do it. Would you mind?”
I almost laughed! I almost said “Yeah, right” and then he produced A PRINTED COPY OF THE KB ARTICLE and it was ACTUALLY THE PROBLEM HE WAS HAVING!!!
I’ve been doing this for 8 years and this is a first. I wanted to hug him. I wanted to go get a Baskin-Robbins ice cream cake and have a little party, just him and I. I wanted to get him a little trophy and print out a “Best User EVER” certificate that he could hang in his cube.
Clearly, I’m still in shock, and this happened over an hour ago. So, I guess my question is (in contrast to the rant thread and the myriad of “my users suck” threads) who else out there has had a user really surprise them (in a good way?)

17 Spice ups
2

It happens rarely so make the most of the moment. Also make sure the user knows how much you appreciate him doing that & what a difference it makes.

3

I’ll take it for a grain of salt. Maybe they were lucky they got the KB correct?

4

That’s so awesome. Of course, you’ve ruined that one in a million chance for the rest of us.

2 Spice ups
5

notice how noone else is chimming in with thier good story? SAM is right, thanks for ruining it for the rest of us!

heh but that is awesome though man

2 Spice ups
6

He is the chosen one!

3 Spice ups
7

It’s a trap.

trust me, they won’t always do this. or worse, they’ll not have the right ones and it’ll be a total hypochondriac diagnosis.

1 Spice up
8

I thought those users are extinct. It could just be chameleon.

9

SubyFly wrote:

I thought those users are extinct. It could just be chameleon.

actually, it is a broken and dispirited former sysadmin who has joined the ranks of the great unwashed in this miserable economic morass that we’re in…

(man, it’s time to call it a Friday!)

VM

10

That is awesome. I am always shocked when someone is more technically competent than I expected. Maybe they can be of use to you later. Someone who can assist other users with minor issues. Those kind of users are invaluable.

11

That’s pretty cool.

Unfortunately, I.T. people have become such negative beings… that said, here is my prediction. This user will grow to be the biggest pain in your butt some day. He is going to want everything, special software, configurations, access to stuff, and eventually admin right to his machine so “he doesn’t have to bug you all the time with stuff like this”

Down the road he will question you on how you take handle things and undermine your ability to implement things that he doesn’t agree with…

LOL,

1 Spice up
12

Thought it was cool when a client shared this long ago:

2 Spice ups
13

Probably was a sys-admin in a past life . . .

14

MikMok89 wrote:

That’s pretty cool.

Unfortunately, I.T. people have become such negative beings… that said, here is my prediction. This user will grow to be the biggest pain in your butt some day. He is going to want everything, special software, configurations, access to stuff, and eventually admin right to his machine so “he doesn’t have to bug you all the time with stuff like this”

Down the road he will question you on how you take handle things and undermine your ability to implement things that he doesn’t agree with…

LOL,

speaking from experience that’s exactly what happens I too had this happen (in almost the same respect anyways) a user was willing to trouble shoot the problem before calling me and almost had it resolved I was like sweet users here aren’t so technologically challenged… then it started I need access to this,… oh I changed this… well i set this up this way (your way is WRONG - not being stubborn just using my brain)… if we set this up this way (so ridiculously granular it would have cost us more in labor to manage)…

take it with a grain of salt as nice as it is sometimes its more irritating trying to back track

15

I agree with MikMok89 and spenceLK. This user could turn out to be trouble down the road. I have had similar experience with several users and once the credit and praise is given they believe they could do and tell you how you can do your job.

I have my fingers crossed for you though that this is not another one of those cases and that you have truely found “the best user ever”!!

16

In my 20 years of service industry and corporate IT, I have to say you witmessed the Most Rare of Events. DO MAKE A NOISE by prmooting this persons actions.

Closest I usually see is the Engineering type who decides they are an expert, quickly locates something they can attribute to a symptom, takes actions, realizes this was wrong, takes further actions, starts to sweat a little, takes 3 or 4 more actions in rapid fashion, and when the entire system tanks, calls you to say “HEY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY SYSTEM! FIX IT NOW… I’m going to lunch.”

17

OK own up - we all know you sold your soul for just one user with a clue.

18

RealityCheque wrote:

OK own up - we all know you sold your soul for just one user with a clue.

oh yeah, he got totally screwed then. one user for one soul? that’s a total waste. it’s gotta start out at 100:1, and be negotiated upwards.

1 Spice up