Support staff not granted pay increase for educating customers on how to Read The Fucking Manual (RTFM)
In the bygone era of minicomputers, a reader named Marvin found himself at the forefront of technical support, working as a field engineer for a company providing maintenance and repair services for a minicomputer company. His job title was later changed to "customer engineer," a shift that came with a substantial pay increase.
During this time, the documentation for minicomputers was a challenge. The complex nature of the technology and the lack of standardized documentation practices led to manuals that were often difficult to navigate. Marvin, on many occasions, found himself sifting through multiple manuals to find specific information.
The story takes place before vendors placed product documentation online, and Marvin's job was to visit customer sites and navigate through the towering stacks of manuals, approximately 5 feet (150 cm) in height. Despite the resilience of minicomputers and the rarity of finding faulty hardware, Marvin's role was not about fixing the system but helping customers who were struggling to follow the complex documentation.
Marvin fondly remembers his former job, having worked in the industry for more than three decades after leaving the company. He recalls his employer as one of the most employee-focused companies he had ever worked for. The majority of his calls were not to fix the system, but to help customers who were lost in the labyrinth of technical jargon and poorly organized documentation.
The change in Marvin's title was not just cosmetic, suggesting a shift in roles or responsibilities for him and his colleagues. However, the article does not provide information about the nature of these changes. What is clear, though, is that Marvin's significant role in resolving technical issues led to a pay increase.
Today, Marvin continues to share his experiences as a customer engineer in the weekly feature, On Call, on our website. His stories offer a glimpse into a time when technology was complex, documentation was difficult to navigate, and the role of technical support was crucial in ensuring the smooth operation of minicomputers.
In the era of Marvin's customer engineering role, the integration of advanced hardware and AI might have significantly streamlined the technical support process, reducing the complexity of documentation and making it more accessible. Marvin, in his current role as a storyteller, could engage in discussions about how improved technology, such as AI, might have better assisted customers in navigating the technical jargon and organized documentation more effectively.
){kind=link}