Recent experience and an excellent article in CIO magazine have made me think about some of the things that are wrong with the Technology Culture.

CIO Magazine article “How to Save the Internet [http://www.cio.com/archive/031505/security.html]”, the hilarious post on March 28 (India Calling) on ​​the Landmark.org blog (I found them because they had subscribed to my “Blinking Cursor PC Security Newsletter”), my own experience with “Support” HP Tech Support and Western Digital Tech Support about an external hard drive all have something in common.

They all highlight the fact that technologists (software and hardware companies) don’t understand that the vast majority of their consumers are not technologists!

One of the points made in the CIO article (on improving Internet security) is that technologists should “treat end users like the fools they are.”

While the characterization may be offensive, the principle is legitimate (read the article).

For example, why should updating a computer system’s software to improve security (ie Microsoft SP2) NOT be automatic? (Yes, I know for SP2 as of April 12 it is, but it’s the principle I’m discussing.) Why should millions of computers owned by non-technologists be vulnerable to becoming zombies and hacker tools to invade and compromise other computers?

Yes, there should be an option for technologists to opt out (they have more complex needs), but the default should mitigate towards a higher level of security.

Another manifestation of technologist hubris is the information that comes with virtually any technology. It’s almost incomprehensible to anyone who doesn’t specialize in that particular aspect of technology. Try reading any of the Microsoft knowledge base articles. The necessary information is there, but it might as well have been written in cuniform.

I recently bought a Western Digital 250 GB external hard drive as a backup, following my own advice in my PC security e-book “Help! Something’s taken over my computer and it won’t let go!” Western Digital’s instructions for handling the hard drive’s file structure were incomprehensible to me, and even confusing and incomplete to Western Digital technical support.

Finally, there is the issue of outsourcing Technical Support to other countries.

I know, the first thing that comes to people’s minds is “Here’s an ‘America First’ guy who is biased against foreigners.”

My story believes in that perception. I am a former Peace Corps Volunteer, multilingual, and former Director of the Center for Human Rights in Portland, Oregon.

However, the issue is customer service, satisfaction, and the costs involved. As documented on Bud Stolker’s Landmark.org blog, there is a difference not only in language (yes, I know English is the primary language in India, where much of HP’s tech support is located, but only because is “English”) does not mean that it can be understood!), but also culture.

Here is the script to answer the HP support phone in India:

“Denku for irritating HB. Sor, it’s my goal to do zhur you ar gombleedly sadful doday, if a denny tell me you need me to sbeeg slowoor or rebeet zumding, I’ll be happy to do zo”.

That’s all very well, that they address beforehand that there may be some difficulty in communicating. How much better would it be if they REMOVED the problem?

Here are the other HP facts that should be considered:
1) If the average computer user calls tech support, they’re probably frustrated, annoyed, afraid their data will disappear, and usually have some sort of deadline on their hands.

2) They usually DO have to ask tech support to “sbeeg slowoor or rebeet zumding”, often many times. This costs the customer more time and stress and results in multiple support calls (costing HP more money and losing customers).

3) I was once told to “take my computer to Radio Shack”, an “HB authorized repair fazilidy where a benge tegnizhun will diagnose the problem”.

Does anyone know of a Radio Shack that actually has a “bench technician”? It was obvious that the tech support rep had NEVER been to a Radio Shack.

4) When I asked to speak to a supervisor, they told me they were all in a meeting. When I asked for the name of tech support, he said he couldn’t tell me. When I insisted, he said that his last name was “Pabellón”. How strange that it was the same as the name of an HP product. See Bud’s Blog for a similar situation.

In the US, most call centers provide a first and last name and often the identification number of a customer service representative at the beginning of the call.

The point is that Technology companies are insensitive to the fact that their Clients are NOT Technologists, they are ordinary people just trying to make Technology work.