Right now I am just waiting for a support call. It was due a couple of minutes ago, and I dont really want to start any work since I know it is going to be interrupted. So I am here, at least for the moment. I will hopefully need to go at short notice.

The call is sure to be interesting – I need to, over the phone, take a client through the steps of installing a couple of pieces of software, and working out how to install firmware onto tracking devices. This would be bad enough if he was a programmer, but this client is not a programmer. So I need to take him through the process of getting everything working and set up. If it goes well it should only take 10 minutes. If something is not working it will take a bit longer than that. Of course I am hoping that it does of course go well.

One proposal has been sent out the door today. Well, I guess proposal is not really the right word – it was three pages of hand written drawings and notes scanned and emailed. Which was really what the client wanted more as a way to remember what we had talked about on the phone rather than wanting a 30 page proposal on glossy paper. There are a few other parties involved so he is also trying to manage the process there, which like many other things has some politics involved.

The other propsal is more straight forward, and has bits added to all the time. I am still feeling my way through the product offering – matching the client needs with what they really need. I am sure that I would be better in this job if I could more accurately read minds. Well, that is not totally correct – it is also working out what the real needs are as opposed to the stated needs. Always fun.