Re: Instructions

Subject: Re: Instructions
From: Dick Margulis <margulisd -at- comcast -dot- net>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Wed, 30 Jun 2004 11:56:43 -0400




Michele Davis wrote:


I can't help myself. This is so indicative of the users I write for, it isn't even funny.

This user calls every week with the same problem. So support pilot fish sends her a simple, four-step set of instructions for dealing with that problem. Two days later, she calls anyway. Did you read the instructions I sent? fish asks. "No, it's easier to call you," she says. So fish pulls out his own copy of the instructions and reads them to her. "Wow, that was easy," user says. "See, I knew it would be much easier if I called you!"


For my annual exercise of trying to get sales and marketing people to update their PowerPoint template this past January, part of my email to them read:

"I mean, really, how hard is it?

"Answer: Not hard at all. Here's what you need to do. This is a procedure. Follow the steps in order. All four of them. Yes, you have to. No, you can't leave steps out. There IS a test later."

Surprisingly enough, most (not all, of course) actually did it themselves this year, without calling me to ask how. So I count that as an example of TW humor that worked. Not sure what I'll have to do next year, though to top that.


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References:
Instructions: From: Michele Davis

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