What do you want from Technical Support?

Hello Everyone!

I work for a large computer manufacturing company in phone technical support. I want to know what experienced Oracle DBAs would like the technical support representatives to understand about Oracle? What kind of training would you like for them to have so that you can make your calls run smoother? I would appreciate any feedback I can get. Currently I'm working on a training program to help us to better serve our Oracle customers and provide a positive support experience. Thank you for your time and have a great week!

Thank you,

Russell Johnson

You mean you work for Dell. By equipment, do you mean PC or servers? By phone support, do you mean the offshore support you get when, after wading thru 20 minutes of automated phone mail, push 3 if need this, push 2 for that, your call is important to us, la di da da, your call is important to us, la di da da, Hello, my name is Cindi (with a heavy Indian accent), etc?

Stecal,

Thank you for your feedback. I would like to have some more feedback as it relates to Oracle and Enterprise level servers. What knowledge about Oracle would make your support calls more productive? Again thank you for your insight and have a great day!

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Originally posted by russ960
Stecal,

Thank you for your feedback. I would like to have some more feedback as it relates to Oracle and Enterprise level servers. What knowledge about Oracle would make your support calls more productive? Again thank you for your insight and have a great day!

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IMHO you cannot train them to be good enough, if you could then they would not be working at a call center. And BTW when the Oracle iTAR people are there who would bother to go to you for problems.

Only a fool would take suggestions from a call center chaps for their production databases.

Tell me honestly Russ960, would you go to a call center for your production database related issues. No.

Then forget this idea. Just let them know the url for metalink or dbasupport ;) so that in case an OCP (fool) calls up your call center then your chaps can show them the right direction. I think thats enough free advice for the day. Want more come back tomorrow.

Yaaawan :o

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Originally posted by adewri
Only a fool would take suggestions from a call center chaps for their production databases.

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What do you think Oracle Support is? It's just a call center with trained staff. In the old days, before metalink, you could spend days on the phone trying to solve problems with Oracle staff showing a wide variety of ability. Metalink gives the less skilled Oracle staff time to read the documentation and check with collegues. Before the iTAR you would hear them scratching around for information, like any member of a call center.

Give the guy a break! He's only asking a question.

IMHO - If you get the Oracle9i Administration For Windows 2000 and the Oracle9i UNIX Administration Handbook and learn their contents you will know alot more than most System Administrators about Oracle. You won't be a DBA, but you'll start to understand the questions a DBA will ask of an OS guy.

Cheers

however we cannot deny, if someone has knowledge will he work in a Call Center or Help Desk (probably one of worst paid job in IT!). Oracle is different, Oracle supports what they do, their products. You cannot expect some hardware help desk to help you with that!

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Originally posted by TimHall
What do you think Oracle Support is? It's just a call center with trained staff. In the old days, before metalink, you could spend days on the phone trying to solve problems with Oracle staff showing a wide variety of ability. Metalink gives the less skilled Oracle staff time to read the documentation and check with collegues. Before the iTAR you would hear them scratching around for information, like any member of a call center.

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Agreed, my self had lots of bad experience with the Telephonic support before the iTAR came in. But still being the Principal they had their developers behind them to solve them or patch the problems(of course it took time). But what would Russ960's call center have, to back them up? Metalink ? That would be like adding few more days to waste...

Any way best of luck with your Call Center Russ960's. Atleast ask your chaps to read the concepts first. That would give them the idea of What Oracle is.

The whole documentation.

http://otn.oracle.com/docs/products/...v/docindex.htm

The concepts guide is a must.

http://otn.oracle.com/docs/products/...a96524/toc.htm

Cheers

I want to thank everyone for their advice. The primary reason for asking this question is so that our call center personnel can answer questions about how the hardware relates to Oracle, and to speak intelligently to administrators that lack strong understanding of the Oracle database product. Of course we are not seeking to have the experience and understanding of Oracle's call center. Nor perform changes to production databases.

Are there any special hardware considerations you would have in reguards to..

Linux RAC installations?

Windows RAC/Failsafe Cluster installations?

Thank you again for all of your advice!

In US,
CALL CENTER = CALM CENTER

check this one..
http://www.suse.de/en/business/certi...documents.html

IMHO the support from Dell (we're talking dell here right) for RAC is very week. Look on SUN, IBM or HP for docs on RAC and you'll see oddles of guides an manuals. The deel site has nadda, zip, zippo.

Also, the on call support for dell leaves much to be desired. It's like a lottery, let's keep swapping parts out until we solve the problem.

I like my desk top dell and woudl recommend one to anyonye, for dell to be a serious player in the server market I think they need to step up or make their subject matter experts more asvailable through the frot line channels.

steve

Thank you for some more feedback on your support experience. If anyone has more support concerns I am open to hear and act on them.

Do many of you purchase Gold support from Dell or just standard support?

I appreciate any information that everyone can provide so that I can do my part to improve and provide more to this community.

Have a great day!

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Originally posted by russ960
Thank you for some more feedback on your support experience. If anyone has more support concerns I am open to hear and act on them.

Do many of you purchase Gold support from Dell or just standard support?

I appreciate any information that everyone can provide so that I can do my part to improve and provide more to this community.

Have a great day!

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gold