How to not run a company

22 juni, 2015

12 days ago I opened a ticket because I needed help finding the hot folder so I can scan documents to this folder and the system would process them. Simply put, scan document X to folder Y, the system grabs document X and takes care of it. Simple enough?

I wasn’t really clear on how it worked, I just mentioned hot folder thinking they would understand what I meant, that was my fault, I shouldn’t have internal slang for this. That one is on me.

4 days later I get an e-mail back asking “what is a hot folder?“. I reply back explaining what I want to do. “A folder I can scan to which your program checks with regular intervals”. Should be enough. This is on a Sunday. I’m assuming I’ll get the answer Monday or Tuesday maybe. Friday is off since it’s St John’s Eve and most people are off but they should be able to squeeze my ticket in, right?

Nope. It’s now Monday. 12 days since the original ticket opened and I’m getting restless, I need to solve this because like everything in IT something depends on this which in turn has something depending on it. People are asking me about the status on this case and all I can do is wait. I call the company making the software and they ask me to e-mail. But I’ve already done that.

So getting fed up with this I shoot an e-mail to our KAM (key account manager). I get an instant bounce saying that e-mail doesn’t exist. Huh? That’s weird, since he was here a couple months ago doing a presentation.

Calling their switchboard asking for our KAM and if he still works there I’m told they’re an external switchboard service and according to their lists he still works here. Okay cool, must be some server glitch on their end and I ask to be connected. “Number no in service”. Great. I call again asking for our old KAM. No answer. His cell. No answer. The sales director. No answer.

I’m going crazy here. While I’m writing this down to vent my anger I get a call from our old KAM. He says that our current KAM quit, but he’s not sure if we got the info about it. Great. He doesn’t know if he’s our new KAM as well. I feel like I’m taking crazy pills. He’s gonna look at my ticket and see who’s our new KAM. Maybe this can be solved this week. Maybe not.

It’s time for a license renewal soon. Let’s see if they can send the license file on time this year. I hate it when no one can do any work and I’m at fault.

Edit: Our first KAM called again. We have a new one, but he’s on vacation. Yay!


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Max Malm