Comments on: Get Me The Geeks!

How Tricky Technology Is Giving Rise To The Geeks

[recerebrated]

Geeks are all around us. They have an amazing ability to think through the morass of parts, wires and software of our computers and most things we buy today that take batteries or plug in. We have a fantastic program in our area called the Kramden Institute which uses local geeks to refurbish used computers and give them to hard working middle school students who cannot afford PCs, leading them across the digital divide. These geeks in our area, some 450 in number and growing spend hours working on computers and peripherals for no pay, just the satisfaction of helping kids in the community and the enjoyment of working at our Geek-A-Thons(r) where we bring together about 100 geeks over a weekend, about 250 donated computers and pizza and we have 200+ PCs ready for donation at the end of the weekend. Geeks are different, but they have HEART. (see www.kramden.org).

[Justadakaje]

Apologies for the triple post (ouch!). The page wasn't refreshing. There seem to be alot of haters out there (cwfepl) but apparently you haven't had time to realize the changes taking place. You have one image of a bad experience stuck in your head and do not realize just how big the picture is. Imagine for a second that you are in control of a large corp like BBY. Your job, this weekend, is to release to the entire company a new standard operating platform, a way to do business. How smooth do you feel this transition will be? You are now a Geek Squad Agent. You have several ideas. The way you think you should be helping a customer, the way you've been trained to help customers and now a totally new way you're being taught to help customers are all floating around in your head. People tend to stick to a comfort zone, right? What of these 3 things do you think is going to prevail? Of course, after a bit of Performance Management, supervisors will make sure that the entire company is operating on the same platform. However, when a single Agent feels the need to stray from this idea, or has not yet had adequate training because he is also attending college, you feel the need to label this Agent as the posterboy of what ALL Geek Squad Agents are like. I don't buy your attitude. Quit attacking, you're only making yourself look bad.

[thomderr]

No offence, but I have my own 'geek squad.'

Myself, wonderful on-line publications such as "Windows Secrets" and the plain old 'Google Search.'

And friends in our IT department. Sometimes, common sense helps, also.

[Justadakaje]

BostonGeek - What age are most high school students? most usually under 18. Yeah, we don't hire people under 18. We had 1 high school senior working in our Precinct for the holiday season as a Seasonal Agent. Fact is, there aren%u2019t enough of the people Geek Squad wants applying for jobs. This particular high school agent may not have had alot of customer service experience, but he'd been working with computers since he was 8. He was born and raised with computers. What's not to appreciate about that?
ProfPesh - You make a very important point! If you haven't noticed, Best Buy has taken a whole new approach to the customer. Instead of being a product driven company, they're trying to put the customer first in everything they do. VERY true of the services Best Buy has to offer, hence Geek Squad.
Jeff Yablon & PC-VIP.com %u2013 Keep in mind that in Best Buy stores, and I'd imagine the Office Depot stores as well, there is not only Old PC business (repairs), but also New PC business (prevention). Geek Squad offers to completely set-up AND deliver a new PC to a client's home. We offer In-home training on just about anything from Basic PC knowledge to complex Digital photo/Video Editing. If preventing virus and spyware infection and training clients how to use their technology isn't "addressing the real problem", well then I eagerly await to see what this Break-through business of yours that doesn%u2019t open for another 3 months will offer the masses

[cwfepl]

On the back of my chair at work, facing staff who come into my office to speak with me, I have one word, in black & white: "THINK"

Is it really that hard?

[Justadakaje]

BostonGeek - What age are most high school students? most usually under 18. Yeah, we don't hire people under 18. We had 1 high school senior working in our Precinct for the holiday season as a Seasonal Agent. The fact is, there are not enough people applying that Geek Squad ask for. This particular high school agent may not have had alot of customer service experience, but he'd been working with computers since he was 8. He was born and raised with computers his thing. What's not to appreciate about that?
ProfPesh - You make a very important point! If you haven't noticed, Best Buy has taken a whole new approach to the customer. Instead of being a product driven company, they're trying to put the customer first in everything they do. VERY true of the services Best Buy has to offer, hence Geek Squad.
Jeff Yablon & PC-VIP.com %u2013 %u201Cput out fires%u201D Keep in mind that in Best Buy stores, and I'd imagine the Office Depot stores as well, there is not only Old PC business (repairs), but also New PC business (prevention). Geek Squad offers to completely set-up AND deliver a new PC to a client's home. We offer In-home training on just about anything from Basic PC knowledge to complex Digital photo/Video Editing. If preventing virus and spyware infection and training clients how to use their technology isn't "addressing the real problem", well then I eagerly await to see what this Break-through business of yours that doesn%u2019t open for another 3 months will offer the masses

[Justadakaje]

BostonGeek - What age are most high school students? most usually under 18. Yeah, we don't hire people under 18. We had 1 high school senior working in our Precinct for the holiday season as a Seasonal Agent. The fact is, there are not enough people applying that Geek Squad ask for. This particular high school agent may not have had alot of customer service experience, but he'd been working with computers since he was 8. He was born and raised with computers his thing. What's not to appreciate about that?
ProfPesh - You make a very important point! If you haven't noticed, Best Buy has taken a whole new approach to the customer. Instead of being a product driven company, they're trying to put the customer first in everything they do. VERY true of the services Best Buy has to offer, hence Geek Squad.
Jeff Yablon & PC-VIP.com %u2013 %u201Cput out fires%u201D Keep in mind that in Best Buy stores, and I'd imagine the Office Depot stores as well, there is not only Old PC business (repairs), but also New PC business (prevention). Geek Squad offers to completely set-up AND deliver a new PC to a client's home. We offer In-home training on just about anything from Basic PC knowledge to complex Digital photo/Video Editing. If preventing virus and spyware infection and training clients how to use their technology isn't "addressing the real problem", well then I eagerly await to see what this Break-through business of yours that doesn%u2019t open for another 3 months will offer the masses

[cwfepl]

I agree with Jeff Yablon, P&CEO of PC-VIP.COM, in a manner of speaking.

I am a geek. I have been one for years. I personally feel that the "Geek Squad," now employed by Best Buy, gives real geeks, such as myself, a bad name. There is no difference in the bad attitude of one of the Geek Squad members at the service desk, at Best Buy, in Fresno, CA now, from several years ago when he did not wear a uniform. He does not care about the customer, and he doesn't like me in the store explaining to customers what the sales people (some of which are now wearing Geek Squad "uniforms") are falsely leading consumers to believe about products, all in the name of a sale. In a way, people want to be duped, and at the same time, I feel it totally and completely unethical to lie to a potential customer, mislead them, and make a sale. I%u2019ve heard much of it lately go beyond %u201Cpuffing%u201D but simply agreeing with the customer%u2019s ascertains, that they heard on TV marketing campaign, no objectivity, and no real experience with the products they are selling %u2013 as bad as car sales people.

[cwfepl]

A geek will tell the truth, and not just put out a fire, but find a true fix. Many (true) Geeks are also Hackers - they will take the time to "Hack" a solution together for a lasting solution, and even continue to support something after the first support call, for free, if it is not resolved the first time. Let the American Public not forget that what was shown in this article were many humans as cogs in a greater wheel - that wonderful advancement from the industrial revolution. Rarely do these types of places innovate, or allow for personal knowledge advancement - it's all a part of the training package.

[cwfepl]

Mr. Stephens can stay home on Saturday nights to RTFM - some of us don't need to do that. Whereas we understand the history behind computers, developments, progress, we are also able to anticipate where things are going, and don't always need to stay on the "cutting edge" to support the latest and greatest (many geeks are not as rich as the business people who employ them, but are still able to work wonders & miracles without actually having the new toy the boss bought but doesn't know how to operate). This is what we call "foundation." Hiring some a kid who wants to make money, from a poorly rated tech Jr. college, and throwing him or her into a low wage job of fixing computers, does not advance knowledge or reason. Neither does reading the manual and performing rote memorization on tasks. Knowing Theory and understanding History, progress, and development is what true Geeks are about. How else do you anticipate how to support advancements. You can't say some newbie out of a tech Jr. college is going to be able to support Vista nearly as well as someone how has been at it since NT 4.0. And they will be looking for external support from more innovative sources later (if they move up from low-wage).

[cwfepl]

The true geeks of the world are the people who tinker, and have the freedom to do so. No true geek is going to work for a low wage under constant scrutiny, without the ability to individually progress & innovate. The Geek Squad is a public, but poor example of being a %u201Cgeek%u201D (only in name, not in actions or value).

[cwfepl]

The next issue to be aware of is that there is no job security in a dog-eats-dog world. Remember cogs in a wheel %u2013 replacement by the next Jr college kiddie to %u201Cgraduate%u201D is inevitable. Secondary to this, there%u2019s a large degree of competition with more and more inexperienced people (without a passion to learn conceptually, let alone the critical thinking skills, but by rote memorization), not only to move onwards and upwards (which debunks the %u2018we don%u2019t want to rule the earth%u2019 argument). There really is no job security. The %u201Cuniforms%u201D may take the ego out of Geek Squad, but it doesn%u2019t take the ego out of the rest of the industry. I have been fired simply for being smarter than my tech boss, and providing exemplary customer service. Ego still plays a large role, and it is not going away. It especially plays a part when co-workers in the work environment play childish games such as finding some obscure or new acronym that the rest may not know (yet), and quizzing each other to one-up each other.

[cwfepl]

karavek57 points out (comments) - %u201Cevery precinct has an agent that carries some certification%u201D I agree with his %u2018lets see how satisfied or unsatisfied the customers really are.%u2019 One per precinct? That%u2019s kind of disturbing (and true). Are you trying to say that as long as you have one CompTIA A+ or MCP on staff, that the rest of the hired help can be incompetent, or without experience? Isn%u2019t that akin to having a non-licensed cosmetologist cutting your hair (such as in CA, where I%u2019m at, it is required, or illegal and subject to fines %u2013 I strongly think that the tech support industry should start being regulated in a similar fashion).

I%u2019m very disappointed with the way 60 minutes had presented this article. While I understand 60 minutes is not specifically an investigative news magazine %u2013 there was little objectivity, and too much focus on the praises of the Geek Squad. There are many dissatisfied Geek Squad customers. I%u2019ve had many of my referrals come from dissatisfied Geek Squad customers, in recent times, and many of my long-term customers have given them a shot, but don%u2019t like the temporary solutions, with limited hours of operation, and being charged multiple times to come out and solve the same problem over and over (built in defects, no lasting solution).

[cwfepl]

Here%u2019s a disturbing thought that has not been emphasized: HCI. Human Computer Interaction studies is a branch of Psychology that is becoming larger, and despite it, goods are getting more and more complex. Engineering degrees from schools are not necessary %u2013 a little research on Google about the unknown, with a little critical thinking and common sense can guide anyone through a mess. Speaking of psychology, I think this is a problem with modern American thinking and %u201Cease of use%u201D attitude problems.

[cwfepl]

TutorTed points out: in person communications are better, especially for the older generation who were not brought-up in this day and age (yes, karavek57 is right about your shameless marketing plug, but who can blame you in a competitive market). That is the fact of the matter that as a Geek, I%u2019ve had to learn the hard way. Not everybody thinks critically, or conceptually, nor has the background to understand design theory (which isn%u2019t universal %u2013 you need to understand several methods of thought to navigate complex menus across several products). I managed a tech call center for a year %u2013 and I had to leave due to the poor customer service provided %u2013 I simply could not stomach the fact that the cog in the wheel treated the customer as the same bread & butter. And above all, in-person communication (personal, intimate, and caring) with someone who will take the time, is not on a time-frame, and cares about the end result matters most. I started out like the kid in the Starbucks. That is the only way to fly, in my opinion.

Thank You,
-Chip.

[cwfepl]

I agree with Jeff Yablon, P&CEO of PC-VIP.COM, in a manner of speaking.

I am a geek. I have been one for years. I personally feel that the "Geek Squad," now employed by Best Buy, gives real geeks, such as myself, a bad name. There is no difference in the bad attitude of one of the Geek Squad members at the service desk, at Best Buy, in Fresno, CA now, from several years ago when he did not wear a uniform. He does not care about the customer, and he doesn't like me in the store explaining to customers what the sales people (some of which are now wearing Geek Squad "uniforms") are falsely leading consumers to believe about products, all in the name of a sale. In a way, people want to be duped, and at the same time, I feel it totally and completely unethical to lie to a potential customer, mislead them, and make a sale. I%u2019ve heard much of it lately go beyond %u201Cpuffing%u201D but simply agreeing with the customer%u2019s ascertains, that they heard on TV marketing campaign, no objectivity, and no real experience with the products they are selling %u2013 as bad as car sales people.

[smokport47]

I have a minor in IT and I still use the Geek Squad because they handle problems all day they just do it better and quicker than I can, especially since I do not have the time to read the instruction books or worse of all the online help which I hate.
I am holding back on using technology as much as possible, I still do not have a cell phone and just recently purchase a microwave and just made my first internet phone call on 28 Jan 07. As much as one trys to fight off technology it just seems to be unavoidable and therefore I am glad that the Geeks are around, especially since I am no longer in school!
I really enjoyed the story, especially the MIT graduate who has technology problems like the rest of us. Thank you.

[machelpdesk]

UnfortunatelyGeek Squad ignores the hundreds of thousands of Mac users.

While Macs still constitue a small number as compared to the entire number of PCs sold, sales over the last quarter were at twice the rate of PCs. According to Apple, over 50% of the new computer purchases (during the past few quaters) have been to new Mac users, and with a majority of those migrating from PCs.

Like other technological entrepreneurs, I started my business, Mac Help Desk some twenty years ago. We have always provided on-site, Support, Sales, Training, and Service in the Macintosh environment. And while we do provide the requisite life-saving and fire-fighting serivces, as has been noted in the article (and confirmed by other posters), much of my work rests with Training new (and sometimes not so new) users in the proper care and feeding of their Macs.

Years ago I thought I would be able to put myself out of business if I could only empower my clients to be a little less fearful of their Mac and have enought faith in themselves to 'fix the little stuff.' As I've learned over the years, the little stuff only gets more complex and it never, ever, goes away.

[billpl-2009]

oh ***! those guys were "Geek Squad"
I thought they were Mormons
...ran them out of my neighborhood

I guess I should go down to Best Buy and apologize
...rats

[mheld]

Ten years ago, its does not seem that long we developed a software product with a serious use but with the EMPHASIS on EASE of USE. Even back then users were clamoring for it. I'm happy to say we spent more time on design and instructions then the actual code to write it. Our oldest beta tester was 75 years old my Uncle Fred and he's still going strong I'm happy to say. We study every support message to see if there is a commonality which we can use to improve our instructions and strive to keep our customer frustration level low. Some of our customers are even amazed that our support is in the US. I even have taken the support line and have received the comment "How good my English is." (I'm a native born American). Tonight's broadcast struck a cord with me - Designers have no idea how it is to be a "normal person" who must use their product. Our goal was for the small business user but we found even large business were coming to us again because of the ease of use. Developers take note!
By the way still studying my HDTV Manual.

Michael Held
Managing Director - North America
CenturionSoft - CenturionMail
http://www.centurionsoft.com