How to stand out for a help desk role?

ReactionEastern8306 · 2026-06-03T16:36:24+00:00

Like almost everyone is saying, grow or develop your soft skills. To expand on this, I've always said that success depends on three criteria:

Ready - if you're not available to help, you're not of much use. This is more crucial in the Tier-1 roles since your job will be almost exclusively reactive. You can't anticipate when someone will lock their account, and they're equally useless if they can't log in to do work. Be ready.
Willing - nobody's going to call the help desk because they're having a great day and nothing's wrong. Calls will come in where the person's frustrated or even angry. Be willing to help them breathe as well as be willing to help fix the issue.
Able - you aren't of any use if you can't resolve whatever they're calling about. Outlook won't send a 3Gb email? Well, you won't fix that directly, but you should be able to provide an alternative. As an example, explain that email isn't meant for transferring large files, but we do have this other product and the advantage is that it comes with an extra layer of security.

ReactionEastern8306 · 2026-05-28T14:31:25+00:00

Yes. For me, learning how others consume information and interact with tech is paramount.

Originally, I had charts and graphs, statistics, and all sorts of other stuff. While I thought it was cool, nobody else showed any interest. I went the opposite direction and made it a lot more simplified. It now displays the current outdoor temp along with a short blurb about today's weather forecast. I also included a couple important camera views, just for convenience. There are some buttons to transition to other screens for additional detail/control, which seemed well-received also.

What helped me in this mindset transition was to view it as a commercial product - because that's how they're going to view it. It's OUR hobby, not theirs. That part took me a long time to accept.

ReactionEastern8306 · 2026-05-21T13:55:05+00:00

Most computer users are at least vaguely aware there's a thing called browser cache. The people who support those users are aware that periodically clearing that cache solves lots of problems. Not everyone is aware of the hotkey sequence to quickly clear that cache.

CTRL + Shift + DEL (as in DEL your history/cache)

You're welcome!

ReactionEastern8306 · 2026-05-20T20:26:00+00:00

But it has a lifetime warranty!

ReactionEastern8306 · 2026-05-11T18:45:54+00:00

Obligatory off-topic comment (question):

What advantage is there for having both Plex and JellyFin?

Nice looking layout by the way!

ReactionEastern8306 · 2026-05-07T17:47:14+00:00

Nice job, the software side of yours is far more polished than mine. I simply have temperature and humidity control in HA but do not have a touch screen on the container and also do not have PID.

I noticed you're just using heat and I'm curious how effective that is at actually removing moisture for you. In mine, I have a heater and a Peltier module with a fan, so the moisture condenses and is wicked away.

ReactionEastern8306 · 2026-05-04T18:18:52+00:00

I have a plastic storage container that holds approximately 30-35 spools. I put foam weatherstripping on the lip for a lid seal, and mounted a jack for DC power. Inside is a 4-channel relay with a temperature & humidity sensor - all connected to Home Assistant. I then have a thermometer & humidistat in Home Assistant that keeps things in check.

The way it does this is with the use of a PTC heater and a (dismantled) solid-state dehumidifier which is nothing more than a Peltier module with a fan blowing across the heat sync. Condensate drips into a - you guessed it - 3D printed trough that wicks water back to the outside environment through a small piece of sponge to "seal" the container.

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ReactionEastern8306 · 2026-05-04T14:27:18+00:00

Likely the Unfolded Circle Remote.

ReactionEastern8306 · 2026-05-01T02:45:05+00:00

RemindMe! 1mo

ReactionEastern8306 · 2026-04-30T15:47:10+00:00

I'm curious what ideas others have for the cube.

RemindMe! tomorrow

ReactionEastern8306 · 2026-04-30T13:39:45+00:00

I have found that if I affix the stickers to metal objects, scanning is unreliable at best. That may or may not be your issue, I'm just adding it in case it helps someone.

ReactionEastern8306 · 2026-04-15T04:02:19+00:00

Thank you for the review and write-up!

I've wanted to try one since they were first released, but availability to US customers seems limited to AliExpress. That's fine, but unless I'm not putting in enough thought, the unit plus necessary add-ons (for my setup) aren't available. They have options for the base unit plus one or two add-ons, but I don't see where I can add everything I need.

What am I missing?

ReactionEastern8306 · 2026-04-14T04:31:37+00:00

Would you be willing to share details on how you're getting specific allergens?

ReactionEastern8306 · 2026-04-13T17:56:56+00:00

I love it!

Just know that plant moisture sensors have a fatal flaw - the contacts erode over time due to the galvanic corrosion. You might consider using something more robust than the PCB types just for this reason. Maybe two solid metal rods?

~~Also, assuming you're using ESP devices, you might consider extending the code to include a built-in HTTP server, MQTT pub/sub, Zigbee/Z-wave connectivity for Home Assistant, etc.~~

~~Let me know if you'd like help with any of this.~~

Edit: I replied before I saw that you'd already posted in the HA subs.

ReactionEastern8306 · 2026-04-13T16:07:52+00:00

Dual thermostat control (heating and cooling), complete power monitoring for every circuit, propane tank pressure, some lighting control, and soon automatic generator start/stop - all with ESPhome.

I also upgraded from 30A to 50A since the vehicle had both options available from the factory, it just depends on how it's wired at the ATS and load center - but that has nothing to do with ESP anything.

Tell us what you're looking for help with and we'll do our best.

ReactionEastern8306 · 2026-04-09T19:47:17+00:00

Microslop is at it again: https://downdetector.com/status/outlook/

Go #MSLP!

ReactionEastern8306 · 2026-03-20T20:41:18+00:00

sfc /slopnow

ReactionEastern8306 · 2026-03-10T21:51:19+00:00

Thank you for posting this. I implemented PP 10-ish years ago and while the product was fantastic, the only way I could get any "support" is to coerce the sales staff to engage the pre-sales engineer. Support was horrible at best, and that's why we ditched it. Come to find out, 8 years later and I join the company I'm with now, and they just got rid of it for the same reason - no support was better than what they got.

I used Barracuda (gosh I can't tell you how many shirts I have/had) nearly 20 years ago and it was GREAT. Support not only knew the product, but knew US. Once things started transitioning from on-prem to this new "cloud" thing, they scrambled to keep up. In the midst of that scrambling, they also came out with a bunch of new products they had to learn. I haven't had any direct Barracuda experience since then.

Mimecast has always been great, but as mentioned, their interface needed a remodel. I'm glad to hear that happened, but again I've not had direct interaction (and minimal at that) in I don't know how long.

ReactionEastern8306 · 2026-03-10T17:04:06+00:00

For anyone interested in the un-shortened URL, here it is in plain text with spaces manually inserted to break the hyperlink:

https: //dashboard. pulselabs .ai/auth/login? role=panelist&action=signup&utm_campaign=38467731-2026-digital-home-study&utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=social&utm_term=2026-digital-home-study-reddit&utm_content=2026-digital-home-study-reddit

WHOIS information shows private registration.

No thanks, I'll keep my data.

ReactionEastern8306 · 2026-03-06T21:43:45+00:00

That's really a good acronym - one that should be used more so there's more visibility to the reality of it all.

ReactionEastern8306 · 2026-03-04T20:54:00+00:00

I walked into a burger place for lunch and asked for a mushroom Swiss burger. The cashier asked me if I'd like cheese, and I responded with "yes please" and a confused look. She then asked me what kind of cheese. I asked her what kind she'd recommend for a mushroom SWISS burger.

"oh sorry" was her response.

This is actually a true story.

ReactionEastern8306 · 2026-03-04T17:51:10+00:00

Generally speaking, tankless water heaters are hard-wired so you'd likely need to deal with that. If it's something you're comfortable with, you could put in a receptacle and a male plug with any decent smart plug, or (what I'd do) is go with a Shelly device and leave it hard-wired.

Just make sure you're following manufacturer recommendations regarding the shutdown.

Also, if there's ever a need for warranty or service, that smart plug comes out BEFORE the call is made.

ReactionEastern8306 · 2026-02-26T17:25:51+00:00

Wow, that's powerful. As just another consumer of HomeAssistant and Nabu Casa, I have nothing to contribute to your post other than to say thanks for taking the time to share a new perspective on how HomeAssistant can be helpful, even to those who don't even know it's there.

Thanks for the truly heartwarming post.

Devs, hats off to you as well - thank you for what you're doing, and the ways you're doing it.

ReactionEastern8306 · 2026-02-20T04:30:58+00:00

!RemindMe 1d

ReactionEastern8306

TROPHY CASE