Successful Meetings - March 2008 - (Page 31)

Critical Conditions Good tech support can make or break a planner By Marc Boisclair support, reached a ‘supervisor’ in another country with a thick accent, explained the problem, and faxed her a repair request,” she says, but then heard nothAsk Bobbie Connolly about her experience with her computer manufacturer’s support team, and she responds tartly, “How much time do you have?” As the member services coordinator for Prairie Health Ventures in Lincoln, NE, Connolly’s the go-to tech-gal for her staff of five, and the point person for buying and maintaining the business’ computers. Her saga began shortly after purchasing a “lemonesque” laptop last August. “I couldn’t open attachments or email, and the printer driver kept installing, then disappearing on its own,” she says. Reboots, hung-up files, and Internet access problems ensued. The final straw came via a “problem with power adapter” popup during a reboot. “I plugged it into a different outlet, shut down, and started again,” she says. “Then I got this message filling up my entire screen: FAILED.” It gets worse. “I called tech Meetings Technology ing for days. Connolly called back, and asked for the supervisor again. The new tech person, located somewhere in Asia, couldn’t confirm the supervisor’s name or phone extension. “I called another support number, explained the entire situation again, and faxed the info again,” she says. A few days later the first supervisor resurfaced, asking “Where’s the info?” After a month of similarly frustrating, back-and-forth calls, then months more of trying to get reimbursed for her business loss, Connolly’s problematic hard drive was finally repaired and a check delivered. The final PHOTO: SR PHOTOGRAPHY / SUSAN RANTA Bobbie Connolly, of Prairie Health Ventures, often feels alone in the wilderness when it comes to tech support issues SUCCESSFUL MEETINGS 31

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Successful Meetings - March 2008

Successful Meetings - March 2008
Contents
Editor's Note
Suppliers
On the Record
Research
Associations
Planner's Spotlight
Management Matters
Mouth for Sale
Meetings Law
Pre-Event
Pre-Event
Tools of the Trade
On Site
Quick Tip
Critical Conditions
A Family Affair
Conference Centers We Love
CSM of the Year
Places & Spaces
Luxury Las Vegas
New York CIty
Houston
New Orleans
Quebec
Bahamas
Oahu & Big Island
Florida Keys
Gurus

Successful Meetings - March 2008

https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/sm0510
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/sm0410
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/sm_passport0310
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/sm0210
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/sm0310
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/sm0110
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/sm1209
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/sm1109
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/sm_bigisland
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/sm1009
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/sm0909
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/sm0809
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/sm0709
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/sm0609
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/sm0509
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/sm0409
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/sm0309
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/sm-passport_200903
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/sm0209
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/sm0109
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/sm1208
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/sm1108
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/sm1008
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/sm1108-southafrica
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/sm0908
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/sm0808
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/sm0708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/sm0608
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ireland
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/sm0508
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/sm0408
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/sm0308
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/sm0208
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/sm0108
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/sm1207
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com