computer knowledge

[CanonSco]

i have been tech for twenty plus years, i however have very little computer knowledge. the company i am curently working for is pushing me to become more computer savy. i was wondering how many other techs are strickly copier repair and very little if any computer work as am i?

Lots of valid points here already. I am always amazed that anyone doing "my job" does not have more than basic IT knowledge. In broad terms it is at least 50% of the work in this industry.

I do find everything has shifted along and now copier techs are doing work that would have historically been done by professional services / network engineers or whatever your particular company called them. The global shift to 3rd party IT support by our customers also has large part to play in this as it is much cheaper and easier to get the copier guy to do it.

In response to the OP , I know of a few ( out of hundreds ) that are strictly box guys. There is always normal break / fix calls needing doing. ( granted far less than even 5 years ago ) but I would not want it to be me that had less of a skill set than someone else these days.

[blackcat4866]

... In response to the OP , I know of a few ( out of hundreds ) that are strictly box guys. There is always normal break / fix calls needing doing. ( granted far less than even 5 years ago ) but I would not want it to be me that had less of a skill set than someone else these days.

I have to agree here. Of the 6 techs in our office now, three do all aspects, three do only machine related problems. I'd hate to be one of the latter group nowadays. I'd end up walking away from 1/2 my calls. And that just doesn't look good.

I've always been one of those idiots that volunteers for any unusual assignment. That means that I've been exposed to the oldest to the newest, main brands and off-brands, and machines nobody else has seen before. The main thing it gives you is (often false) confidence that you'll be able to solve any/every problem. That's not all bad. =^..^=

[Iowatech]

For what it is worth, out here on the periphery, you have to be ready to try and fix everything. If the townies can't drive the distance, at least. But when I was probably in the Reserves, I learned that if I have a book and the tools and someone to call, I can fix almost anything.
Most of the network problems that I normally encounter out here really aren't that hard to take care of, though.

[CompyTech]

For what it is worth, out here on the periphery, you have to be ready to try and fix everything. If the townies can't drive the distance, at least. But when I was probably in the Reserves, I learned that if I have a book and the tools and someone to call, I can fix almost anything.
Most of the network problems that I normally encounter out here really aren't that hard to take care of, though.

Being able to take on everything and anything is a double edge sword. I know that as well being In Mostly rural area.

Most of the network calls I get are fairly simple. However, you get those oddball ones occasionally that take hours just to get scan to email working. A lot of times customers and management, cannot understand that.

[fixthecopier]

You don't have to be a network guru, but you have to know enough to defend your equipment. I have noticed a trend in which people who spent their entire life doing only IT related stuff are reluctant to do any mechanical work on print/scan equipment, however mechanics are eager to learn something new.

My customers, being timely as they are, threw me another one on Friday, in time before this thread died. HP 9050 fully stacked, looks like R2D2, can't duplex.
This is at one of the special warfare commands, so you know they only have the best IT people working there.

What happened was the server crashed, and when it came back up the machine would not duplex. I really don't even need to get out of the truck for this one, but it is a regular customer, so I go in. It duplexes just fine. When they send a duplex job from the computer, they get a sheet that says this is an illegal activity. I chat with the customer and tell her all of my IT stories and tell her to tell the IT folks that HP did not program that message into the machine, because if HP considered duplexing illegal, they wouldn't have put a duplex unit in the machine.

I kind of like having the base IT people around. They seem to make me look a lot smarter than than I really am to the customer.

[Akitu]

The basic amount of networking knowledge required these days seems to be enough to prove that the fault lies not with the equipment, but with their network. If you can do that much, you qualify for the IT department of your respective dealerships.

[rh112]

Got a couple HP printers at VA Hospital got call that they would randomly have a blank page in print job. Got on site after some time got it narrowed down the only time it did this was when one department sent a particular job. Told customer it was odd that both machine had identical issue and only when one department sent particular job. Got IT person on phone they insist it's a printer issue. Ask if they could send the job to the Sharp copier that was in same department after some time they agree. The copier also added a blank page at same place the HP did. IT person still insisted it was a printer issue. Could not convince them two printers and one copier doing same thing is strange.


Few months later was back at this VA asked if anyone had fixed the blank page issue. They just laughed said after some research found out it was a know issue in the software the department was using for one particular job.
Not sure why every customer thinks the problem is always with the last machine in the process.

[Phrag]

Not sure why every customer thinks the problem is always with the last machine in the process.

Because that's the last piece of machinery that did anything with it; Therefore it's the printer's fault.

I wonder what some people think happens when they press print?

[rh112]

Because that's the last piece of machinery that did anything with it; Therefore it's the printer's fault.

I wonder what some people think happens when they press print?

As I have told a few customers it's FM ( Freaking Magic )

[Iowatech]

The basic amount of networking knowledge required these days seems to be enough to prove that the fault lies not with the equipment, but with their network. If you can do that much, you qualify for the IT department of your respective dealerships.

Nooooo! (sticks fingers in ears) Lalalala, I can't hear you because you are saying wrong things!

OK, on a more mature note, I suppose that is the ultimate outcome, and we will all have to deal with it sooner or later, but right now actual IT guys need to be on call 24/7, and I still like my weekends.