Life is better when it’s in layman’s terms. I learned that in college, in a macroeconomics class. My professor (who probably never wanted to be a teacher anyway) would lecture straight from the textbook, and, in between bites of soft pretzel and nips of Diet Coke, prattle on about the conceptual and empirical linkages between mass-market foodstuffs and taxable intoxicants.

Think about the last time you called the help desk. Did you need two hands to count the number of acronyms used?

I was in danger of failing the class. Plus, he made me feel stupid.

It’s only when he began to teach theory using everyday examples, like pizza and beer, that I began to grasp the concepts. (Not that I am a fan of either.)

The very thing that inspired (or didn’t inspire) the aforementioned Temple University economics professor’s pedagogy is alive and well in some of the folks who staff your corporate IT department.

In a recent post, TechRepublic head blogs editor Toni Bowers explains that knowing how to explain jargony subjects without jargon encourages IT/business alignment, which, she writes, is becoming increasingly important with the growing reliance on fewer workers for the same amount of work, social networking and Web 2.0.

Think about the last time you called the help desk. Did you need two hands to count the number of acronyms used? Did you walk away feeling empowered? Will you be so quick to call back when your Excel formulas rebel? Read more…

admin Customer Service beer, lingo, macroeconomics, pizza, TechRepublic, Temple University, Toni Bowers

Help desk techs are geeks who use jargon to make themselves feel superior, and delight in torturing users with basic computer skills. Customers who call help desks are governed by superstition, are unable to understand basic logic, and think that computers will take over the world some day. Read more…

admin Rants cow, hamburger, Help Desk, lingo, rebooting, superstitions, TechRepublic

I’ve asked the question on this blog before, but I have to ask it again: Are you still waffling about supporting mobile devices, and, in particular, the iPhone?

You had better get it together. The heavies are starting to weigh in.

Resistance is futile, says one CIO. The iPhone is the most popular handheld device available.

Last month, Forrester Research released findings from a study that said IT departments are moving closer to supporting all mobile device platforms. Although BlackBerry (upwards of 60 percent) and Windows Mobile (40 percent) still take the lead, according to the study, one out of four companies now supports iPhones.

The only thing holding the iPhone back from catching up is its so-so security, which remains a big concern for CIOs. (There’s also that pesky issue of AT&T’s spotty coverage. But that’s for another time.)

Security doesn’t seem to be the main issue if you look at the results of a recent TechRepublic poll, which asked 300 CIOs if they support the iPhone, and their reasons for doing so or not doing so. TR editor in chief Jason Hiner posted the results on his blog and the findings have at least one common thread: The iPhone is still viewed as a personal “gadget,” and thus has no place in the enterprise. Read more…

admin BlackBerry, Mobile Devices, iPhone Forrester, Jason Hiner, smart phones, TechRepublic, Zenprise

If there is one constant in these sour financial times, it’s that there’s no dearth of stories about corporate waste. And that’s good news for us, as our company makes a living boosting productivity.

Training and support transform smart phones from “fun toys” into powerful business tools.

The most recent is a witty report published by TechRepublic, titled “IT Budgets: How to waste money.” The nine-page report offers 10 tips on effective money-wasting, including doling out too much money on energy, unnecessarily purchasing new hardware, and spending too much on travel.

All of the tips are worth a look, but here are a few we’d like to amend/elaborate upon:

Spend too much on mobile technology. Yes, spending too much on mobile technology is a waste of money – when you don’t show your employees how to get the most out of it. Training and support transform smart phones from “fun toys” into powerful business tools. Write that down. Read more…

admin Office 2007, Outsourcing Office 2007, smart phones, software support, TechRepublic, upgrades

In a recent TechRepublic piece, writer Jeff Dray lists his top 10 favorite help desk calls. All of Dray’s faves include callers asking “stupid” questions — stupid, that is, to someone who works in tech for a living. Instead of being funny, the piece is haughty, and illuminates the contempt many help desk techs have for their “customers.” Read more…

admin Rants cpa, Help Desk, Internet, Jeff Dray, passwords, TechRepublic, trapeze

Efficiency. It’s the unofficial buzzword of 2009. It may summon fear in corporate workers; after all, it’s often heard as justification for layoffs. But that unassuming little noun can also motivate your employees, and maybe even give them renewed interest in your company. It depends on how you package it.

In a recent post on TechRepublic, Calvin Sun offers 10 tips on the subject. Here are three that warrant elaboration:

Less Imaginary Widgets, More Genuine Examples

If one of your employees is fumbling with the Access sample database “Northwind,” it’s no wonder. Read more…

admin Excel, Office 2007, Worker Productivity American Airlines, Calvin Sun, cheese, efficiency, Excel, learning, Office 2007, TechRepublic, Training, Worker Productivity