When Technical Meets Non-Technical
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So I was just trying not to argue with a co-worker over a matter that I wanted some feedback on. We are dealing with issues on a T1 circuit with a provider for one location for a store. We received an email from the provider stating it'd be good to clear the counters on the router to get totally fresh stats not muddied by previous stats. The counters are on the Se0/0/0 interface, and it's basically for path code and line code violations.
Now for most clients we have to create an ESR (elective service request) to do something like this but for this one client we have a bit more free reign. Now there are two counters, usually one that is no more than the past 10-15 minutes of data and another that's a rolling 24 hours of the past 96 15-minute results combined. My co-worker says I "clear counters too much without asking". Well, for the client that we have some more free reign over, I only do it when troubleshooting with a provider, and for this particular step, it's not that often.
However, because it's a rolling 24 hours as it is, and they don't log the historical data, if we are trying to correct an issue and we need to see if the path code violations have cleared, which are what indicate an issue on the provider's end, it's a good way to see if after the provider has done X if that has solved the real problem, even if the circuit is already up.
They said I don't consult with my co-workers enough when I go to do this, but my question is what's to consult on? We don't require any permission to do this and can do it at our discretion. If it's a logical step towards a resolution long-term, what's to consult on?
The other issue is this co-worker is not IT and has a totally non-technical degree. When I try to explain the technical reasoning behind something, or even the business side of why as an MSP we do things a certain way, all I get is argument. If I knew they were someone who understood all this, I'd take their viewpoint into consideration more heavily but because they have a non-technical degree, which is in a field that works completely differently, I get frustrated trying to explain two aspects of the job that I have massive amounts of experience in to them, when they has none and all they say is I'm wrong.
I'm also pretty sure they are making up stuff about what the client has said in certain matters, because I've talked to the client before (or our contact I should say) and have never had an issue. Any advice on how to handle this situation? I should hopefully be moving to a different shift soon, so I'd only see them maybe an hour or so a day, but that hasn't happened or even been confirmed as happening yet.
I should add I had @Minion-Queen look at this ahead of time and we tweaked it some before I posted it, and I'm really looking for direction here. Thanks
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Do you have any ability to select which coworkers you consult with? Are you limited to that one? What is their job that they are a non-technical coworker that you are being asked to talk to?
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@scottalanmiller said:
Do you have any ability to select which coworkers you consult with? Are you limited to that one? What is their job that they are a non-technical coworker that you are being asked to talk to?
No, I don't have to consult with this one co-worker, but the point is that there is no policy stating we have to consult with each other or this client for performing this action. My co-worker, I feel, is probably misinterpreting something they heard about something else due to their non-technical nature and background.
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Do I understand that you approached this co-worker for feedback, and that's when they disagreed with your lack of confirmation with other co-workers before acting?
Does you MSP run solutions by committee? The few I've worked with don't. The tech assigned generally makes all the calls as needed, when they don't know they escalate.
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@Dashrender said:
Do I understand that you approached this co-worker for feedback, and that's when they disagreed with your lack of confirmation with other co-workers before acting?
Does you MSP run solutions by committee? The few I've worked with don't. The tech assigned generally makes all the calls as needed, when they don't know they escalate.
Remember that not all MSP's operate like NTG does working as a TEAM to cover for each other.
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@Dashrender said:
Do I understand that you approached this co-worker for feedback, and that's when they disagreed with your lack of confirmation with other co-workers before acting?
Does you MSP run solutions by committee? The few I've worked with don't. The tech assigned generally makes all the calls as needed, when they don't know they escalate.
A case I was working yesterday (when it first opened) was handed off to them today from the previous shift. An email was sent to our distro list by the provider recommending we clear the counters. I just asked them if they'd seen the email with the request by the provider, and that's when they went off on me about this and how I do this totally wrong. I kept saying how I just wanted to make sure they'd seen the email and I wasn't there to argue and kept trying to leave it at that, but they wouldn't drop it.
We don't really run solutions by a committee. If it's something we don't know how to handle, we ask co-workers and escalate as necessary. We can also have duty managers take over cases, etc. But as a rule, whoever has the case makes the call if it's not a specified policy on what to do.
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@Minion-Queen said:
@Dashrender said:
Do I understand that you approached this co-worker for feedback, and that's when they disagreed with your lack of confirmation with other co-workers before acting?
Does you MSP run solutions by committee? The few I've worked with don't. The tech assigned generally makes all the calls as needed, when they don't know they escalate.
Remember that not all MSP's operate like NTG does working as a TEAM to cover for each other.
Yeah, I miss that.
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@Minion-Queen said:
@Dashrender said:
Do I understand that you approached this co-worker for feedback, and that's when they disagreed with your lack of confirmation with other co-workers before acting?
Does you MSP run solutions by committee? The few I've worked with don't. The tech assigned generally makes all the calls as needed, when they don't know they escalate.
Remember that not all MSP's operate like NTG does working as a TEAM to cover for each other.
Same for internal IT. Some teams, like where I am now, take team ownership of projects and everything is done while consulting each other. Others, like the large bank I was at, had projects and systems with individual owners who took individual responsibility for systems.
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@handsofqwerty said:
@Dashrender said:
Do I understand that you approached this co-worker for feedback, and that's when they disagreed with your lack of confirmation with other co-workers before acting?
Does you MSP run solutions by committee? The few I've worked with don't. The tech assigned generally makes all the calls as needed, when they don't know they escalate.
A case I was working yesterday (when it first opened) was handed off to them today from the previous shift. An email was sent to our distro list by the provider recommending we clear the counters. I just asked them if they'd seen the email with the request by the provider, and that's when they went off on me about this and how I do this totally wrong. I kept saying how I just wanted to make sure they'd seen the email and I wasn't there to argue and kept trying to leave it at that, but they wouldn't drop it.
We don't really run solutions by a committee. If it's something we don't know how to handle, we ask co-workers and escalate as necessary. We can also have duty managers take over cases, etc. But as a rule, whoever has the case makes the call if it's not a specified policy on what to do.
Did a manager say you were doing things wrong? Or just someone non-technical outside of your job?
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@Minion-Queen said:
@Dashrender said:
Do I understand that you approached this co-worker for feedback, and that's when they disagreed with your lack of confirmation with other co-workers before acting?
Does you MSP run solutions by committee? The few I've worked with don't. The tech assigned generally makes all the calls as needed, when they don't know they escalate.
Remember that not all MSP's operate like NTG does working as a TEAM to cover for each other.
Not sure what you mean? If I hire and MSP I fully EXPECT them to work as a team to cover for each other, otherwise why am I with you? Only exception is a one man shop.
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Most MSP's really do work based on an Account Manager being fully responsible for the client. And honestly most of them are such small shops they really don't have a team to rely on.
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@scottalanmiller said:
@handsofqwerty said:
@Dashrender said:
Do I understand that you approached this co-worker for feedback, and that's when they disagreed with your lack of confirmation with other co-workers before acting?
Does you MSP run solutions by committee? The few I've worked with don't. The tech assigned generally makes all the calls as needed, when they don't know they escalate.
A case I was working yesterday (when it first opened) was handed off to them today from the previous shift. An email was sent to our distro list by the provider recommending we clear the counters. I just asked them if they'd seen the email with the request by the provider, and that's when they went off on me about this and how I do this totally wrong. I kept saying how I just wanted to make sure they'd seen the email and I wasn't there to argue and kept trying to leave it at that, but they wouldn't drop it.
We don't really run solutions by a committee. If it's something we don't know how to handle, we ask co-workers and escalate as necessary. We can also have duty managers take over cases, etc. But as a rule, whoever has the case makes the call if it's not a specified policy on what to do.
Did a manager say you were doing things wrong? Or just someone non-technical outside of your job?
A peer who works the same client. I've never had a manager approach me saying anything in regards to anything I've done wrong with this client and my technical work has never been scrutinized. I've just had them (my managers) update me on policy stuff, such as who I should have reached out to instead, or in addition to, etc.
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@Dashrender said:
@Minion-Queen said:
@Dashrender said:
Do I understand that you approached this co-worker for feedback, and that's when they disagreed with your lack of confirmation with other co-workers before acting?
Does you MSP run solutions by committee? The few I've worked with don't. The tech assigned generally makes all the calls as needed, when they don't know they escalate.
Remember that not all MSP's operate like NTG does working as a TEAM to cover for each other.
Not sure what you mean? If I hire and MSP I fully EXPECT them to work as a team to cover for each other, otherwise why am I with you? Only exception is a one man shop.
That's definitely not the norm. But you also have to realize that lots of clients don't want team work, they want accountability. It is very common in IT to "expect" a certain behaviour without it being stated but rarely does that match what many customers want.
The idea behind an MSP is not to make the work be a team. That's a benefit that some MSPs, like NTG, provide for you. But remember that the average MSP is only one or two people and so conceptually getting a team rather than a person isn't even possible. Often an MSP is a one man shop too and has to do all the business stuff AND the IT stuff so you are only getting a part time IT resource.
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@Minion-Queen said:
Most MSP's really do work based on an Account Manager being fully responsible for the client. And honestly most of them are such small shops they really don't have a team to rely on.
My guess would be that 90% of MSPs don't have more than a single full time IT person (but many might have one full and one part.)
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@handsofqwerty said:
A peer who works the same client.
A peer would imply that they are an IT resource.
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@scottalanmiller said:
@handsofqwerty said:
A peer who works the same client.
A peer would imply that they are an IT resource.
They do the same kind of work I do, but they do it from a procedural standpoint. They know if they get alert A, they do X, Y and Z. They don't really understand what they're looking at, and honestly, they don't have to for the position they're in. They just have to know what to look for, and if it is what it's supposed to be, do this. Otherwise, do that.
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I want a part timer
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@handsofqwerty said:
@scottalanmiller said:
@handsofqwerty said:
A peer who works the same client.
A peer would imply that they are an IT resource.
They do the same kind of work I do, but they do it from a procedural standpoint. They know if they get alert A, they do X, Y and Z. They don't really understand what they're looking at, and honestly, they don't have to for the position they're in. They just have to know what to look for, and if it is what it's supposed to be, do this. Otherwise, do that.
They don't seem to be a good candidate for bouncing ideas off of then.
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@scottalanmiller said:
@handsofqwerty said:
@scottalanmiller said:
@handsofqwerty said:
A peer who works the same client.
A peer would imply that they are an IT resource.
They do the same kind of work I do, but they do it from a procedural standpoint. They know if they get alert A, they do X, Y and Z. They don't really understand what they're looking at, and honestly, they don't have to for the position they're in. They just have to know what to look for, and if it is what it's supposed to be, do this. Otherwise, do that.
They don't seem to be a good candidate for bouncing ideas off of then.
I don't. If I have a question, I never go to this person. They had a case assigned to them this morning. An email came in regarding taking an action on the case, and all I did was ask if they'd seen the email. Then all this started.
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So they don't even know if you are consulting with other people or not?
