robert_cringely
Columnist

IT vs phone sex: round three

analysis
Jul 18, 20072 mins

Our ongoing, hard-hitting, take-no-prisoners investigation into the seamier side of telecommunications continues with a note from a Cringester who a) runs a successful high-tech consultancy and b) was a phone sex operator in a previous life. Or, as she puts it, "From sex to hex. No biggie, really." I couldn't resist asking her how the two jobs compared. Surprisingly, there's a lot in common betwee

Our ongoing, hard-hitting, take-no-prisoners investigation into the seamier side of telecommunications continues with a note from a Cringester who a) runs a successful high-tech consultancy and b) was a phone sex operator in a previous life. Or, as she puts it, “From sex to hex. No biggie, really.”

I couldn’t resist asking her how the two jobs compared. Surprisingly, there’s a lot in common between working on a help desk and offering hot live chat, as well as a few key differences. 

Tech Support vs Phone Sex

TS: Support contracts often required

PS: Pay per incident is much more common

TS: “Is it turned on?”

PS: “Are you turned on?”

TS: Encourages you to explore the vendor’s Web site before offering assistance

PS: Encourages you to explore

TS: Escalates to Level 2 support technician

PS: Escalates to Headmistress, Governess, or Dominatrix

TS: Tries to get you off the line as quickly as possible

PS: They don’t get off until you do

One final difference: “In IT, saying the words ‘Nice Rack’ could land you in a sexual harassment lawsuit, even if you were talking about the server room.”

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