Ch3-Compliant Script

Ergotronics is a company that specializes in ergonomic electronic devices such as keyboards and mice.  The company offers a wide range of products tailored for comfort and functionality.  One of the latest products offered is the K3210.  The K3210 is a wireless, ergonomic "wave" keyboard with padded wrist rest, and quick launch buttons for the most common tasks.  The K3210 has been in production for just over six months.  The mouse uses a USB dongle to communicate wirelessly with the computer.  The keyboard is powered by four AA batteries.  Ergotronics has recently started to receive many complaints about the K3210.  The engineers have requested we develop a script for generating answers about the issues with the product.  Below is the script that Ergotronics is going to put into effect.

Hello, thank you for calling Ergotronics.  My name is (insert your name).  May I have you name please?

And may I have a telephone number in case we get disconnected?

Thank you for that information.  How may we assist you today?

May I have the model of the product?  The model number should be listed on the back side of the keyboard just below the battery compartment.  The model number will begin with a K or KB.

Very good, thank you.  I'm sorry that you are experiencing problems with your keyboard.  When did you first start to experience the issue?

Is the issue happening intermittently or constantly?

When you look at the keyboard, on the right side there is a battery power indicator.  Is indicator showing any light?

Have you attempted to replace the batteries?

If "no":  I would recommend first attempting to replace the batteries as insufficient power could be causing the issue.

Have you connected the wireless USB dongle to one of the USB ports on your computer?

If "no":  Please locate and connect the dongle to ensure a connection between the computer and the keyboard.

If "yes":  Have you attempted to use an alternate USB port?

Are you experiencing issues with all the keys not functioning or only the quick launch keys?

If you go to the lower right corner of your screen you should see a KB logo in your quick launch bar.  You may need to first click the upward facing arrow to display your quick launch icons.  Once you've found the KB logo please right click and select 'Check for Driver Updates'.

Once the driver update is complete:  Are you still experiencing issues with your keyboard?

If "no": Thank you for calling Ergotronics.  We appreciate your business.  If you have any further issues please don't hesitate to contact us again.  Thank you, have a nice day.

If "yes":  "Would you be able to hold for one moment while I transfer you to another representative who will be able to further assist you in resolving the issue?  Thank you.

Activity 2-6: Evaluating my communication skills

I visited Optimalthinking.com and took the communication assessment.  According to their assessment my communication skills are in the average range.  I am making moderate use of my talents and abilities but I am functioning well below my potential.  I would say I have to disagree with this skills rating as the questions don't really account for many different aspects of communicating with other people.  Below I've listed the questions which I responded  either "sometimes" or "rarely"

I optimize other suboptimal thoughts, feelings and behaviors.  Sometimes
I respond optimally even when I am ready to explode.  Rarely
I deal optimally with those who complain, criticize, blame and make excuses.  Sometimes
I optimize communications with those who practice one-upmanship.  Sometimes


I have issues with people being arrogant and rude, or trying to make themselves feel better by making someone else feel bad.  I don't communicate well with those types of people because I don't wish to communicate with those types of individuals.  I don't communicate well when I get angry.  It's better for me to walk away from a situation rather than to allow myself to become so mad that I end up making a bad decision or saying something that I'll regret.  I'm aware that I can't control the actions of others I can only control my actions and reactions.  So when I experience issues that make me angry or I'm communicating with individuals who I find insufferable I need to find a way to either remove myself from the situation.  In the course of my work I'll deal with individuals like this from time to time and when they start to get hostile or angry generally I'll tell them that I have to look into the situation further but that I or someone else will return to help them shortly.  This allows me to leave a bad situation without losing my cool.  

Activity 2-11: Poor Communication Skills

An AT&T customer service horror story

A CNET reporter learns some important lessons from AT&T: you don't always need phone service to get DSL, and dealing with customer service can be extremely frustrating.

by Elinor Mills

September 27, 2010 11:57 AM PDT

What came first: the bad customer service or the hard-to-find deal?

I ask this for a reason: After more than three years of paying for AT&T phone service solely for the purpose of getting DSL, I have come to learn that the phone service is completely unnecessary. My aggravating (and embarrassing) path to that knowledge should serve as a lesson for companies in how not to do customer service if you want to retain your customers. It's also a valuable lesson for consumers, who have to stay vigilant in order to get the deal that's right for them.
Here's what happened: A few days ago I called AT&T for the umpteenth time to complain about my bill and, as usual, I mentioned my resentment over being charged for phone service I don't use because I have a mobile phone. After getting bounced to four different representatives, one of them said the words I've waited years to hear: "Do you want Internet only?"
I was then transferred to the Internet-only department, where someone took my order to cancel my phone service. Curious how long they've been offering DSL-only service, I searched the Web while I was on the phone and uncovered an article from November 2007 on our very own CNET News site entitled "AT&T quietly rolls out reasonably-priced unbundled DSL." Ouch. I also saw it on AT&T's Web site, which I didn't expect to offer me information that I couldn't have gotten from numerous calls to customer service rep.
OK, I should have been a more diligent consumer. Lesson learned. Nonetheless, it's not overly demanding to expect that someone at AT&T should have told me about the DSL-only service before that day--we're talking about 9 or 10 calls to customer service since spring 2007. So why didn't they?
I wasn't able to ask that question to the customer service rep who was helping me cancel my phone service because right around then we got disconnected and she didn't call me back. So I called AT&T again and was shuffled between several departments before getting to someone who could help me. I looked at the clock and realized that I had spent over an hour on the phone with AT&T.
When I asked why I was never told about this DSL-only service before, the rep said he didn't know. Annoyed that I had wasted so much time and energy on the phone with AT&T and frustrated at the notion that I had been charged for service I didn't need, I told him to cancel both my phone and DSL services.
Later that night an AT&T customer service manager called to discuss my decision to dump AT&T. I asked him why in my numerous calls to AT&T I was never told about the DSL-only option. Instead I was offered "low-use" phone line service, or they tried to get me to sign up for a U-verse package that works with the TV, another device I don't use at home. The manager's reply: "I don't know the specifics of the conversations." When I pressed him I was told, "I hear what you are saying, but there's not an obligation for us to advertise that service."
He then told me that the DSL-only service wasn't available when I had signed up. Later, an AT&T spokeswoman confirmed that was not accurate. AT&T began offering the service in my area in 2006.
The manager admitted my phone account showed "very minimal use" and noted that the last time I had used my landline was in May. (Ironically, that was when I still had an iPhone and couldn't get coverage on AT&T's wireless service while working from home, so I was forced to use my landline. I got rid of my iPhone shortly after that.)
I suggested to the manager that AT&T should repay me the $600 or so that I had spent on phone service over the years since I had barely used it. Instead, he offered to refund the amount I had paid since I last used the phone, which came to about $60.
Infuriated at the notion that I had been effectively forced to pay hundreds of dollars for a service I didn't need, I contacted an AT&T spokeswoman to get official comment. After spending two days diving into my account, she told me that the customer reps probably didn't mention DSL-only to me because they actually charge more for the unbundled service than they do for the bundled service. In other words I would be paying about $5 more for the so-called "naked" DSL, or DSL Direct.
Got that? They were doing me favor, even if they were inexplicably unable to tell me about it.
"We're not sure why it wasn't offered, but we're very sorry," AT&T spokeswoman Jenny Bridges said. "We're very sorry you've had this frustration."
She asked if I wanted to reconnect my DSL only and pay about $45 a month after taxes and fees. (New customers can pay $14.95 per month for a year, according to a promotion that the company began offering in August, she said.) I declined, explaining that after what I had gone through I would prefer to try another company.
I told her I was baffled at the customer service I had received. Any number of customer service reps could have halted my complaints and calls by telling me that there was a DSL-only service but it would cost me more than I was paying. I had mistaken incompetence for sneakiness.

"You definitely should have been told there was a standalone (DSL) offer and that you were eligible for it and what the price was so you could have made your own decision," Bridges said, sounding truly apologetic. "Based on your situation, we are going to do some re-education with our customer service reps."
While I am heartened to hear I didn't lose money by not knowing about the unbundled DSL service, I am amazed that AT&T's billing practices are so confusing and its customer service reps so unhelpful. I have an advantage as a reporter to be able to pick up a phone and (hopefully) get answers from a spokesperson. Other people don't have that leverage. And judging from an informal survey of friends and acquaintances, many people are surprised to learn that they don't need their AT&T phone service to get DSL.
After doing some digging into the unbundled DSL issue I think I see why the company wouldn't necessarily want to encourage customers to cancel their phone service.
Offering an unbundled DSL was a concession AT&T and Verizon made to the FCC in order to get approval to merge with SBC and Bell South (AT&T) and MCI (Verizon). They were only required to "offer" unbundled DSL, but there was no language in the agreements that they had to actually tell customers about the new offering.
"These companies continue to bundle services together to protect their legacy service, which is voice," said Joel Kelsey, a political adviser at the tech and media policy nonprofit Free Press, a frequent critic of telecommunications companies.
AT&T's landline service is in decline as mobile phone usage increases. So, desperate to stem the tide of phone service cancellations, AT&T is making phone-plus-DSL cheaper than DSL alone.
I asked AT&T spokeswoman Bridges if there was some technical reason the company needed to charge more for standalone DSL than for bundled service, or if it was merely an economic strategy. She admitted that it was the latter. "The bundle is what helps you get the better price," she said. Yes, it's counter-intuitive and it's terrible customer service to not explain it, but then, to paraphrase the comedienne Lily Tomlin: They're the phone company. They don't care. They don't have to.
Still, there are a few lessons learned in all this: If you are communicating with customer service at any carrier, be prepared to take good notes that you can refer to later if necessary. Ask for the customer service rep's name and direct phone number in case you get cut off. If you want something particular, ask directly if they have that service type or anything similar to it. Find out exactly how much more or less you will save or spend if you change your plan. And if you aren't satisfied with your service and it's not going to change, threaten to cancel your account. That is more likely to get results than anything else you could say.
So where does that leave me for Internet options? I've had people suggest Sonic.net, which offers DSL-only at prices starting at $18.95. Their customer service is excellent, according to Broadband Reports and several friends of mine. Another friend suggested I check out the Virgin MiFi wireless router, which offers unlimited access for $40 a month without requiring a contract. The hardware costs $150.


This story is just another entry in the poor communication field.  Customer service representatives are so used to following a script that they forget they are dealing with real people and that their first responsibility is to service the customer.  While I don't think the customer is always right, it's always important to listen to the customer to see how you can help to meet their needs.  As a general rule I think the company should always be looking for a way to exceed the customers expectations and go above and beyond to help the customer out.  This story just proves that sometimes as a customer we are merely a dollar sign to the company.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-20017634-245.html

Ch3- Discussion Question/Reading Level

"If a technical writer has a choice of reading levels for a document (as measured by a readability index), it is preferable to aim for a reading level that is a little to high, rather than a little too low, which might insult the intelligence of your readers."

I think this statement definitely has the correct idea.  While you never want to talk over someone's head it would be even worse to talk down to someone.  The most important thing to remember when you are writing a document that needs to be followed is that if you set it at too low a reading index you will bore your readers and make them feel stupid, however if you set your reading index too high you will succeed at nothing but frustrating your reader and sounding pretentious.  The idea with technical writing is to find the middle ground.  Find a way to give readers all the details they need in as few technical terms and details as possible.  Follow the proper techniques for technical writing, using short sentences that are free of jargon and unnecessary information.  While it is important to make sure the document is clearly understood, that your point is conveyed, and is correct, it's even more important that you are able to reach your target audience by aiming neither too high or too low.


http://info.hurleywrite.com/bid/60715/Ensuring-Readability-in-Scientific-and-Technical-Writing