Turns out the TV Has to be ON to change Settings

So this isn’t a recent scenario, but it taught me a valuable lesson about just how clueless people can be sometimes, and how we sometimes have to adapt to accommodate them.

I work in tech support for an ISP and handle cable TV issues. We often get calls about accessibility features being turned on by accident.

This particular customer had turned on closed captions and wanted to disable them. Simple enough.

Me: Please press the Menu button on your remote, then go to Settings.

Customer: I’m pressing that, but nothing happens.

Me: Do you mean the menu isn’t showing up on the screen?

Customer: Yes.

Me: (Thinking the batteries in the remote might be dead) When you press that button, do you see a red light on the top of the remote?

Customer: Yes, that works.

Me: Is your TV on?

Customer: No. Do I need to turn it on?

This didn’t just happen with one customer. So many people were oblivious to the fact that if you want to change a setting on a device, the device actually has to be turned on first. After that, I adapted my instructions to include turning the TV on as the very first step.

What changes have you made in your job to adapt to customers that weren’t originally part of the process?