A community of 30,000 US Transcriptionist serving Medical Transcription Industry

Tech Support and the MT - newbie_mt

Posted: May 12, 2010

Ok I have a question for any of you who have been in the field for a while or even new to the field like myself. I have just finished training recently and I have been searching for a job and I was offered a contract postion at a decent little company(*Name withheld) which I am in the process of considering, however I am hearing that this company is thinking of not offering full time tech support and expecting me to install and configure my own software and if I have a problem with my install then I can be referred to a knowlege base to try and fix my problem, and then if that doesn't work then I may be permitted to have a tech come in and look at my pc via some remote desktop thing and see if they can fix what I had done. Well my question to all of you is would you work for a company that expects you to install and configure your own software before you can begin working for them or even after you have been workign for them..(oh any by the way no pay for said install or troubleshooting) or would you continue to work for them if they stopped offering tech support and refered you to a knowlege base of instructions written by the technicians or would you look elsewhere and forget about this company?

That depends how techie you are... - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
It is pretty easy to install programs, but the trouble shotting and changing of settings, etc, might become more complicated if you are 'shotting in the dark' to try to figure out the problem.

You can always try it. If it becomes too big of a problem you could find another job. If it otherwise seems like a good place to work then I would go for it. I would think they would make it easy so their MTs are up and running, not screwing around with their computer.

Tech Support and the MT - newbie_mt

[ In Reply To ..]
It seems like an overall good place to work I'm very tech savvy though I've not heard too much about the software they are using but I was thinking it would be a little difficult as the woman that I spoke with about the installation part said that I would have to install the Cisco VPN Client and import a profile or something like that to it and I would have to modify the template of my MS Word program and that I would have to install a program called Word Client and configure it with the network addresses, I'm kind of weary about doing that much work to my PC just to work when there was this other company that I was checking out that said their "tech team" as they called them would install my software and if I had a problem with it I could get assistance from their techs and it wouldn't cost me anything, I'm kind of stuck between the two becuase they are both really good companies from what I hear I just don't know about the tech support thing. Thank you for the reply and the information. :)

I think they're expecting a bit more than they should from the MT in that case. - CM

[ In Reply To ..]
That's quite a bit of futzin' around in the PC for your average MT or casual computer user. I can, of course, see a very small company being unable to provide 24/7 computer support, but with what you've said they're expecting the MT to do just to install the software is a bit above and beyond what they should be expecting, IMO.

Makes me wonder where else they're skimping and/or what other problems one could expect while working for them.

I'm rather computer literate myself and, though I could probably performs the actions they're asking for the install given clear instructions, the fact that they were leaving me to do it all myself would make me begin questioning them, actually.

My two cents....

personal experience - sssdt

[ In Reply To ..]
I'm semi-new to MT, my first job is with a small company who is affiliated with a larger conglomerate. They expect you to set up your own software and sent me outdated instructions. When they want to help, they make you log into one of those computer sharing programs so someone else can take over your computer. (The office manager started deleting files on my desktop when she controlled my computer. Needless to say, I don't let them do that any more.)

There was no pay for the time it took to set up and, when the software stopped working about a month into the job, the larger company that allegedly provided tech support was no help. I was given the runaround, was finally told it was all my fault (but with no explanation WHY it was my fault), and then left out to dry. Problems keep occurring with the system and no one can or will help. It has been the single biggest problem with this company.

I don't recommend going with a company that handles tech issues in this way. But if you're like me, sometimes you don't have a choice and you have to take the job you're offered. It's not like us newbies get a lot of job offers.

Just my point of view... - Bad Rabbit

[ In Reply To ..]
If you are an employee, I think that you should reasonably be able to expect tech support from the company you work for as you are not hired as IT you are hired as MT. However, if you are an IC, it would be reasonable for the company you subcontract from to expect you to handle your own tech issues. If the software is proprietary, they should have a tech support department to assist with troubleshooting of that software, but as far as adjusting settings on your computer and help with installation you should be able to handle that on your own as an IC. After all, you are your own business as an IC. You would not hire a plumber and then act as his/her assistant by pulling out the toilet yourself.

Additionally, as far as paying for installation time, it would be great if it happened, but on the flipside of the equation, they could have said you need to buy a license for this list of software to work on the platform we use instead of giving you the software to install on your own. That being said...if they make you BUY the software from them, I think there could also be a reasonable expectation of tech support during installation.

I disagree about IC should install on their own - never had that happen

[ In Reply To ..]
I have always worked as an IC and was never asked to go to the lengths that the above poster is talking about. I worked with Word Client and used a VPN connection also as an IC and the company did it all for me and provided tech support for any issues. Just because someone is an IC doesn't mean that the company is hands off with tech support.

The comparison to a plumber isn't the same IMO. If the client is wanting you to use their specific product then they should show you how it works and provide it.

Just my opinion....

At some companies tech suppt is a joke - even employee status

[ In Reply To ..]
I really think my company hires half their "help desk" personnel off the street and doesn't train them at all.

As a technical person in my past life, I know when they're clueless. I've watched them get on my system remotely and delete/change a bunch of things utterly irrelevant to my problem which royally messed up my ability to work... I have been often caught in the middle between MTSO technical support and client technical support with each claiming its the other's job to solve and been put in the position of having to repeatedly explain at length to the client's help desk how our system works (with no clear explanation of same from OUR techs), unpaid of course...I have spent countless unpaid hours watching them fumble around until the problem finally resolves itself. I have complained bitterly about our tech staff, to no avail.

And yes, many of my hassles have come directly from VPN/CISCO issues.

I have told my supervisor I'm not calling our "help" desk at all any more. Its less frustrating to wait for the problems to magically resolve themselves than to watch our techs follow an iron script ("Did you delete your cookies before you made this call? Did you reboot your computer? Did you reboot your router? Its probably an issue with YOUR ISP - did you contact them?") and put me through a bunch of hoops just to admit they don't know what is wrong or how to fix it.

If every software "new version/patch/update/improvement" is full of glitches and makes your job harder, its a pretty good sign your company is tech-challenged and in denial about it.

Most of us do that kind of thing every day, so I would say it's no big deal - Not exactly a Techie but..

[ In Reply To ..]
It doesn't take much to install programs. It gets to be like breathing. Maybe 15-20 years ago people would have needed more help, but just follow the instructions. You can do it.

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