But she never dreamed she would receive the same treatment from the computer wizards she had to turn to for help in solving her toughest problems. She was just plain nasty. Ms. Bird is a Level 1 support technician, one of nearly 500,000 grunts in the United States who take your calls when your computer goes on the blink or stop by your desk to help you load new software. When their expertise fails them, they have to turn to Level 2 specialists, who make at least twice as much and sometimes have an attitude to match. The disdain Ms. Bird encounters is commonplace at help desks throughout the country, insiders say, with Level 1 personnel often disparaged as the hamburger flippers of the computer age.
Many managers are aware of the friction and are trying to do something about it.
Companies that do not take the clashes between the two groups seriously could end up paying a steep price, said Calvin Sun, founder of Technology Horizons, a consulting firm in Paoli, Pa., that trains technical- support workers. Level 1 technicians might be tempted to take out their frustrations on customers, he said, and their already sagging morale could sink even farther. In addition to dealing with irate customers, many are under the gun by supervisors who monitor their calls and keep track of how much time they take to resolve problems. As a result, according to Steve Cain, benchmarking director for the help desk practice at the Gartner Group Inc. in Stamford, Conn., their turnover rate is close to 70 percent a year, one of the highest for any job category. What really galls some of them are signs of incompetence from their supposed masters.