09:00-09:30 – Fixing email problems
09:30-11:00 – Working on website – added Google analytics to SSI, updated speakers page and a few other things
11:00-12:15 – Weekly SSI staff meeting
12:15-12:45 – Lunch Break
12:45-01:40 – Editing Business Track manual
01:40-02:00 – Tech Grant Meeting
02:00-05:45 – Ordered tech equipment
Tech Grant Meeting: We received a grant late last year to purchase a number of technology items for our office, including computers, software and other electronic items. So far we have a new video camera (for the Media Track students to use), a new server and software upgrades for all our machines (just received them in the office a week ago, we’re getting some help installing everything next week or the week after), some new computers on their way, and today I ordered a wireless mic and CD recorder, as well as a laserjet B&W printer. The reason there is almost 4 hours on my worklog today for ordering tech equipment is that nearly 3 of those hours were spent on the phone with HP ordering the printer.
We have an account with HP, so we should be able to log in to their website and place an order. I tried to do this today, and the password didn’t work. So, I clicked “retrieve my password”. But, that didn’t work either, it said my email address didn’t match an account in their database. So, I call them. I explain to person A what my problem is, and that I want a new password so I can log in and place my order, since my account has our tax exempt status already on record, and it’s a pain to take care of that for a new account. They tell me they can’t help me, I get transferred. Now repeat that for 2.5 hours! Finally, the last person said that if I will just place the order over the phone, I will get an instant rebate on the printer instead of a mail-in rebate, and then the person he transfers me to will help me with the password issue. I say ok. The person he transfers me to will 1) not give me an instant rebate and 2) not fix my password issue. So, I just ordered it from their website. And now I have to deal with taking care of our tax exempt status again.
Nearly three hours. I wasted nearly three hours because HP’s call center can’t tell me right off the bat that they can’t fix my password issue. Plus, they tell you things that then aren’t true. If they fixed those problems with their company, thereby saving 3 hours of time for every person with a problem, they could cut their costs and prices in half. And the funniest part is, they’re paid to handle problems, but they kept trying to get me to spend my time and their time by ordering the printer over the phone instead of online, thereby increasing the waiting time of everyone else with a problem that may have actually been fixed. (Although, at this point I’m not sure if they fix problems or just put you on round-robin transfer until you hang up and buy your printer somewhere else.)
Corporate inefficiency at its finest.
If you work for an inefficient company or organization, fight against this kind of stuff – it’s such a waste of time and money and resources for all concerned, it drive up prices, it drives up costs, and gives everyone a headache. If you run a company, don’t let it come to this. It’s such a terrible experience I will look elsewhere for printers from now on, and if I buy HP printers it will be through a reseller, not through them directly.
Unfortunately, many days in small offices like ours where there are only 10 people and 20 people’s worth of work to do this kind of stuff happens, and so my list of 15 items I wanted to get done today only went down by 2. I would guess many non-profits are like that – low number of employees and more work to get done than can be accomplished. Does anyone work for a company where you actually have enough time to do what you need to do and you rarely fall behind?
