> If people start with "Hi, I have a problem" and don't state what the problem is I close the chat window.
In the past I've found that leads to people reporting "I asked him several times over a few hours and got no response" which, if the person being complained to does not know the situation, could look bad for me.
If I feel like being more terse, I just give a one-word response: "Details?".
> In the past I've found that leads to people reporting "I asked him several times over a few hours and got no response" which, if the person being complained to does not know the situation, could look bad for me.
As I noted, my conditions are clearly spelled out as my IM status text, if they can't bother following simple instructions I can't bother with them.
I'd answer that "I have a problem" with "I have a solution".
If people start with "Hi, I have a problem" and don't state what the problem is I close the chat window.
My work IM's status clearly states "if you have a question, ask it, don't ask if you can ask", time wasters simply get ignored.
> Some problems require a more urgent response so I'll accept a walk-up or a shout for those
Absolutely.