What phone line?

Hello Everyone.

So this was back in the late 90s when dialup was still a thing . . . and Covid-19 wasn’t!

I was a trainer in the health care industry and would travel to various facilities to install a new records management system developed by SoftwareCo that would replace paper-based patient care information. In addition to installing and testing the system, the server and the workstations, I would train their care and admin staff on the software. We also offered a one-day session for the admin staff on the last day that we were onsite on how to use e-mail, and how to use a web browser (yes, you read that correctly - we were training them how to surf the web!)

As part of the pre-work, we would send a list of requirements to the facility (e.g. 4 workstations with xxx processor, yyy RAM, dedicated phone line, etc.) They needed the phone line because:

a) they were required to transmit daily statistical data to a central government agency and

b) to provide us access for remote software support.

It was up to the facility to source the hardware as we were strictly a software shop. The first step for me when starting at a new install was to meet with the person running the facility, we’ll call this person Administrator, and the care director to review the agenda for the coming week, and to inspect all of the equipment to ensure it was to spec and functional.

So, enough back story. I arrive at RealSuper Care Facility bright and early Monday morning to meet with Administrator and go over the plan. My first inkling that things might not go smoothly were the dozen or so completion certificates he had proudly displayed on his office wall for various computer courses he had taken. I don’t remember what the couses were exactly, but they were ALL along the lines of “Using the Mouse, Level 2” or “floppy disk use and storage” - something that pretty much anyone else would be embarrassed to display in public. Hmm .... okaaayyy. We discussed the schedule for the upcoming week and that part seemed ok, the training room was ready to go, yes there was the phone jack for internet, the equipment was all up to spec (barely!). Ok, good to go!

So the week starts and I quickly realize that the administrator has cheaped out and bought the most bargain-basement crap he could find. Every day of training at least two machines wouldn’t be working, so the trainees were doubling up so we could get the training done. I would stay every night until at least 10:00 pm trying to get the lame computers working. Did I say this happened every day? I should state that I was 90% trainer and 10% tech support, so probably could have sorted things out faster if I had been more knowledgeable on the hardware side, but in my defence the whiz kids back at company HQ that I was calling for help couldn’t figure it out any faster either.

Well, we had some good laughs in the training sessions, the care staff started feeling more comfortable with the concept that paper was going away, and the computers were slowly getting less buggy. So, finish up the last day of training on our product, time to prep for tomorrow’s interweb? umm, Webnet? er, Internet? training session.

Ok, Netscape browser is installed (remember Netscape?) good, email is installed, great, let’s check the dialup connection. Hmm, not working. Fiddle with the modem settings .... nope, still not working. scratches head Ok, let’s try plugging a landline phone into the jack ... hmm ... no dial tone. That’s weird. I caught Administrator just as he was about to leave for the day and explained the issue and asked if he had the contact info for the technician who installed the line. I mean, maybe there was some step that didn’t get finalized for some reason? Hopefully something quick and easy?

So I got the tech on the phone, and explained the situation. Man, did he ever laugh! He said “Yep, I installed the plug, but there is no phone line connected to it”.

You know that weird dissociative feeling you get as you realize that you have slipped into the twilight zone? That was me at that moment. It was such a bizarre thing for him to have said that I wanted to make sure that I completely understood what I was hearing.

Me: “Umm, so you installed a phone jack in the wall, but there is nothing connected to it?”

Technician: “Yep”

Me: ... long pause ... “Umm, why?”

Turns out the phone tech dude had a long, frustrating conversation with Administrator, where Administrator couldn’t be convinced that when the spec sheet said to install a phone connection that it would need a jack AND a phone line and phone number. So, the tech finally gave up and just cut a hole in the wall and slapped a phone jack in place. I saw the work order afterwards - he charged $125 for the service call! Hmm, maybe if I looked in r/maliciouscompliance I’ll find his side of the story?

Well, I was able to “borrow” their fax line for the next day and delivered the training. It was bad. Administrator would look at a website and, when I led them through various steps, he would write down exactly the steps we followed. I’m thinking “dude, they change things around on websites all the time you know. I am trying to teach concepts, not steps to follow by rote”.

... But I kept that to myself.

Some of the other staff were getting a great kick out of finding sites about “corn” .... “um, that’s not a great idea on work computers” (Facepalm)

So I finished the training, set everything up and tested it all. Success! Aaaand I’m outta here.

I am no longer with SoftwareCo, but I kept in touch and heard that this facility continued to be a nightmare.

Maybe it would’ve gone more smoothly if we had given Administrator a competition certificate? ;)

So that’s my (long) story. I hope you enjoyed it!

Cheers!

Submitted March 29, 2020 at 05:10AM by Hfx_bike_commuter https://ift.tt/3bEjBiF via TikTokTikk