ABSTRACT
In any environment where there is more work to do than there are resources to satisfy that demand, prioritization becomes an essential way of making sure the most important things get done. Then if there is any time left, we can do some of the less important things. Nowhere is this truer than in a user support office. With services that so many people need, with a hotline that users call when just opening the manual would do, with support unable to control demand by charging for its services – while all these things continue to be true, support will always have to prioritize. Support has to prioritize (i) because there are not enough hours in the day or people on the payroll or money in the bank or enough potential reward to do everything, and (ii) because some people and some jobs are simply more important than others.
