IT expectations

I assume most of the people here work in the field, but if not i'm sure you have IT people where you work. I'd like to hear from both; people in the field and not in the field. My question is pretty simple, what is expected of your IT people besides the obvious? I have heard of other IT people having to change light bulbs and assemble chairs and tables, but what other things have you(in the field) had to do? For those not in the field, what do you generally expect of your IT people?

 

To be able to understand them. Not just foreign accents but tech jargon.

 

I usually only call them when I've exhausted all possibilities open to me and need them to give me Administrator access so I can exhaust the rest currently unavailable :-D Usually they tell me I haven't left them anything to do

 

Our IT Dept is large and separated into groups. IT supports 7 locations and numerous companies in the group. IT is just IT but that now includes our phone sys since connected to our PCs. We're happy if the PCs, Internet, Network are up and speedy, they can kill the phone line anytime *grins*

We also have a Service Desk (five troubleshooters), install software, take care of small user issues, install new PC hardware. Also, troubleshoot any equipment that is not under a service contract but most is under contract. They do some low level network stuff too.

Most areas have a designated IT liaison to keep calls/tickets down to a min., abuse is seldom and nixed fast. A lot complain about IT but don't give IT the info needed to fix the issue, most complaints are re home laptop and work network problems and user error.

None of the companies I've worked for expected IT personnel to do other things. Full-time job with a small shop w/o eight hours of IT work might require the IT person to pitch hit. Smaller companies expect more versatile employees due to lack of resources. I think most would find more constructive work for the IT person in downtime than chair folding though but it could the person is in a smaller co. and IT sets up presentations (chairs, tables, equip and changes the light bulb if needed).

Just a heads up, at most of our major functions everyone from CEO down serves the employees and help clean up. Our co. mentality is we do it together or not at all, everyone pitch hits when the task is too much for one dept. So if IT needed more bodies for equip. inventory...they would get assigned help from other less busy depts.

 

I always call my IT if I cant solve the problem by myself. They help us with hardware and software too. Of course they look after what we install on our PCs and so on. But I have never heard about changing bulbs or seembling chairs
To be honest, people from IT are a little bit laizy. They wont do anything untill they know that you wont give up and continue calling them hehehe

 

Well, for us, we are a firm of about 100 people. In addition to maintaining desktops and laptops, we also are expected to fix the telephone system, fix people's non-work laptops, give out free technical advice for non-business related IT stuff.

 

be wary of the "Miscellaneous duties assigned" item when you accept the job. It's tantamount to indentured servitude. You work there under contract, probably for a handful of years, and your compensation is a paycheck. However, you are abused, your salary or pay rate diluted by extraneous tasks unrelated to your skill-set or primary purpose you were hired.

Anytime you are asked to perform a task that it outside the scope of your role, you lose money; and by "outside your role" I mean things that you mentioned like mopping floors, changing light bulbs and assembling furniture when your role is, perhaps, something like a system administrator etc. The reverse is the same. Those who's job it is to change lightbulbs etc shouldn't be doing your job. We're hired for a specific role and they slap this "Misc duties" crap in there ALL the time. It's a way of saying "Yeah.. we'll hire you for this reason and we have other things that need to be done that we don't want to hire 1 guy for and pay overhead for an employee when it's an infrequent task; We also don't want to list it on the job description, but no one will apply. So please be a sucker and send us your resume' ".

Be smart.. say no to "Misc duties" unless they are within your field of expertise and is stated in a declared document; such as a sys admin, maybe fixing a printer or something when no one is available. Still computer related but you're not mopping the floor. Get it in writing and that must be signed.

 

They're hosing you. Telecommunications is a distinct field. It's NOT your job to fix this shit as an IT administrator or technician. I don't care if it's VoIP or POTS. Fixing outside laptops is a no no. If they're personal machines, you make sure that they wave any rights to file any grievances against you because that is PLAINLY outside the scope of your job since it is not a company machine.

Technical advice? meh... just make sure you say "It's my opinion, but you need to do your own research", and you're off the hook.

 

I'm my own IT dept as i don't work at the moment, so i get asked to do the hoovering, wash the pots and pans,make sure the dog is fed and watered and walked, and also do some shopping from the local supermarket at times, because when the wife comes in, it would be :duck so assembling a few tables and chairs, and changing the odd light bulb, would be the least of my worries ! LOLLOLLOL

 

Yep - Any work on Telephones in Australia, at least, by a non-Telstra Technician is illegal, so I'm very clear on that one. You wouldn't believe how many people ask me to "Just take a look at the phone". My answer is always the same, "How about NO! If you your phone is bust, then buy a new one. If it's the phone line that's flaky, call the Co. Either way, not my problem and would be illegal of me to even offer advice other than what I've just said".
Personal I.T. stuff, fine - but expect to pay me or find another sap. And if company and Govt. contracts take precedence, then tuff, unless you like the idea of paying me the same as the contract is worth, (yeah, right rolleyes ).
Doing a friend a favour is fine, but in my business, everyone wants to be a "friend".
There's no such thing as 'free advice', since time is money.
These rules may appear harsh and more than a tad selfish, but unless you have some guidelines, pretty soon everyone wants to join the free gravy-train. Which is why I usually insist on paying friends for any services rendered as well.
I like helping people. Including for free, but it doesn’t pay the bills, so the inevitable reality of the monetary system has to take precedence over good-will – which is usually just a matter of someone wanting a freebie, or dirt-cheap job. I don’t include the few genuine friends out there in this.
As for the other tasks mentioned. If I wanted to do any of that shiz for work, I'd have joined Nanny School, not University.rolleyes

 

We call those people "Spooners".. "Please, come fix this MS word problem for me.. I forget how to make a word bold"... lol

 

:-D
actually I didnt speak about such easy things I am rather good with computers and usually dont need any help with lan, network, shared files and so on. But in my office there some people who afraid to push th ebuttom if they dont now what will happen next. They just do the routin and if meet something unexpected PC's reaction, they become like a baby: "Pls, help me, help me":-D
to my mind admins should be patient and understand this people too and try to help or explain what to do in such situations

 

I wish it were that simple. We have a phone guy that comes in and does our extension moves, since we don't have a patch panel for that. What I have to do is troubleshoot why someone is forwarding all their calls to another extension, but doesn't realize how they did it in the first place. lol

As for laptops, I got smart on that one early on. After 3-4 charity cases and not so much as a Starbucks as payment, I started charging for it. I mean, it's outside my scope as an employee here as you said, and I make that known to someone that I will be glad to fix their machine, or attempt to do so, but that I have to do it on my own time, away from the shop, and that means I will charge for it, since that's my personal time I'm giving up. it has worked well. In fact, today is a payday for just such a thing for one person.

I tell them that the Geek Squad knows everything about computers....

:liar:kissmy

 

In my mind, people should be properly trained to use the tools they're given. Admins are not there to train people. They are there to address specific tasks of their given field. If someone doesn't know what "Button A" does
1. They probably shouldn't be pushing it or
2. Call the trainer. No trainer? oh well.. figure it out; get the manual.
3. Maybe send a PC Tech down to be nice (if there is time).

Sorry, 5 years of this crap soured me on 90% of the office work force. However, as an junior admin, I DID hold classes. I PERSONALLY trained people on how to use "Windows" and how to work in the operating system because it made my life easier in the long run.

 

IT guy: "Ok, let's try once more, but use lower case letters..."
Customer: "Uh, I only have capital letters on my keyboard."

:-D

 

Well, if you are a boss then you know who to engage, which skills people should have to get this job. But if you are not a boss then you have to work with people that are hired by boss. If they are not qualified enaught you have 3 options:
1. Tell your boss about it and let him solve the problem with training people or dismiss them from office
2. Try to explain (not train!!!) what to do in particular events. F.e. if their computer is frozed. So next time this person wont interrapt you once more. If you dont want to do it you have the option №3
3. Help him any time he/she has problem without any explanation, even if it happens 100 times a day. Then this people will never learn how to use pc and you ll have to solve their problem any time they need help.
Actually I do agree that you dont have to train people or explain them something. This is not your job. But we are all people, and we should understand that some of us just dont have skills to learn how to use this or that program or PC, even if they try hard. The more you help them, the more gratitude you have later
Hope I explained well. Sorry for my english. I am not a native speaker :-o

 

I am the IT dept for 18 locations. I have what I consider a lowly title for my job of "Field Tech" since our corp office is states away. But I have to deal with servers, laptops, cellphones & smartphones, VOIP, projectors, sound systems, printers,copiers, network connectivity, cable & DSL, fiber & other devices that connect to a PC. All systems are leased and I have to swap them out.
I had to layout the wiring for our new office and meeting rooms. But the 'odd' jobs are moving desks & buying refreshments for the office. I volunteered for that one after finding out we payed $20 for a case of water & I am always out and about where I can stop and buy stuff.
Was much of this described to me in my interview? I don't remember it.
But IT seems to be the catch all department.

At my last job, the in house IT guy did lights & plumbing, but he really worked his way in with the boss - he'd show up at 11:30 and be gone at 5pm. One time they came to me to set up a projector for a meeting & I couldn't find it. I called the "in house" guy & he had it at home and told me to tell them they just had to wait. Really.