Suitably certifiable
There are processes within the business world that leave me mystified. Last week, our director was asked if we could allow a community group to use our videoconference centre. The room was available, so why not. I received a number of “heads up” calls to make sure I was on board and ready to receive our visitors. Nothing could be easier.
Then, the second call from someone in a big city, asking if I could watch for an email with a form that would have to be completed. In came a three page document with certain portions marked as “head office use only”, and questions that covered the technical aspects of our small centre, potential financial implications and our open attitude to letting the centre be available to the general public. Whoa! Go slow there, Nelly!
The form had to be returned ASAP to a large telecommunications firm in Toronto that will remain nameless, unless someone would like to Tell Us. Ever willing to bend to the principle, I did battle with the ancient fax machine in the mail room and got a printed assurance that things had gone from here to there. In passing, how old does a fax machine have to get before it’s time to renew the hardware. Xerox no longer admits that they ever manufactured this particular apparatus.
A telephone call today, with a request to book an appointment sometime soon to conduct bandwidth tests. I explained that around here, when the room is empty, we test. Even if some of your support engineers are out today, this would be a really good time. Tomorrow will not be. Nor Monday. Nor Tuesday. Some background consultations and the voice said we could test right now.
Off to the second floor, where the connection alarm rang right away. Pity that someone else had unplugged the two dozen microphones in our conference room; I fixed the obvious problem, and our tests proceeded, with the fellow in Toronto always centred below the corporate logo. Who again? You Tell Us.
In the end, we now have a “certified centre”. Since we’ve successfully communicated across the country for several years now, I guess I should feel reassured, but somehow, I think the process is certifiable. As in mentally…
