The Eternal Ticket: When Call Trees Become Call Mazes (And Clients Won't Listen)
Somewhere deep in the heart of state government IT, a phone support specialist sits at their desk, coffee in hand, ready to tackle another day of Teams and VoIP troubleshooting. The phone rings, emails ping, and the call trees—those labyrinthine “Press 1 for X, Press 2 for Y” menus—wait for their next update. For most, it’s a straightforward gig. But every now and then, a ticket arrives that threatens to trap you in a never-ending loop of confusion, miscommunication, and facepalm-worthy moments.
Welcome to the story of the ticket that refused to die—a tale of technical bureaucracy, stubborn clients, and the Sisyphean struggle of trying to get someone (anyone) to simply follow instructions.
The Call Tree Conundrum: When Updates Go Wild
Let’s set the scene. Our intrepid IT hero (Reddit’s u/AnEldritchWriter) receives a ticket from a state office: the call tree—the automated phone menu system—needs a major overhaul. No small feat, but nothing out of the ordinary… until it becomes clear this isn’t a simple name-and-number update.
Instead, it’s a ground-up reconstruction, complete with new branches, blind transfers, and custom menu recordings. Some parts fall within our hero’s jurisdiction, but for the more complex call tree magic? That’s a job for “High Point” (HP), the external team that handles the heavy lifting.
Our protagonist does what every diligent techie would: handles what they can, then submits a ticket to HP for the rest. HP, in turn, requests something simple—main menu recordings from the client office—to proceed with the work. Easy, right? Just email the recordings, and the call tree overhaul will be complete.
But as every tech support veteran knows, “easy” is a four-letter word.
Ticket Limbo: Stuck in the Loop
Here’s where the comedy of errors begins. The client contact, who we’ll call “The Gal Who Wouldn’t Listen,” responds not by sending the requested recordings, but by demanding a list of the current call flow. Why? Because, in the past, she’d asked for updates to a call tree section that didn’t actually exist (oops)—and our hero had sent her a screenshot to clarify. Now, she wants another list.
No problem, right? Our hero complies, all the while reiterating—clearly, repeatedly, and with the patience of a saint—that the ticket is stuck until she provides the main menu recordings. HP cannot proceed without them. This is stated, restated, and underlined for emphasis.
You’d think the message would get through. But no.
The next morning, before our tech even sips their coffee, a barrage of emails arrives. The client is frustrated: Why isn’t the call tree finished? Why aren’t those sections updated? Why am I getting incomplete lists?! Each email ignores the central point: We are in limbo. The only thing stopping us is you.
A Tale as Old as Time (Or at Least as Old as Tech Support)
If you’ve ever worked in IT—or honestly, any kind of support role—this story probably sounds achingly familiar. There’s a universal law at play: the more times you explain a simple requirement, the less likely it is to be understood. Sometimes it feels like you’re stuck in a rerun of “Groundhog Day,” doomed to repeat the same instructions, hoping for a breakthrough that never comes.
And so, the ticket remains in digital purgatory, neither open nor resolved, waiting for a single missing piece: a set of audio files that will, eventually, unlock the next phase. But until the client reads (or listens to) the instructions, the cycle continues—a Sisyphean struggle of emails, clarifications, and mounting exasperation.
Why Does This Happen?
There are a few classic reasons why tickets like these get stuck:
- Information Overload: Clients dealing with complex systems can get overwhelmed and fixate on the wrong details.
- Assumption Avalanche: The client assumes the tech can “just make it work” without realizing the dependencies involved.
- Communication Breakdown: Email chains can make even the simplest instructions seem complicated or easy to miss.
- Responsibility Dodge: Some clients don’t want the responsibility of recording or providing files, so they stall (intentionally or not).
The Silver Lining: Tech Support Zen
Here’s the secret: every tech support pro eventually develops a kind of Zen. You learn to accept that some tickets are eternal, some clients are immovable objects, and sometimes, all you can do is explain things (again), document your steps, and hope for that rare moment when the client finally gets it.
And, of course, share your tales with the world—because if you don’t laugh, you’ll cry.
Conclusion: Have You Tried Turning Your Ears On and Off Again?
If you’ve ever been trapped in ticket limbo, spare a thought (and maybe a coffee) for the unsung heroes of tech support. And if you’re the client, remember: sometimes, the fastest way out of limbo is just to send the file.
Have a tech support horror story of your own? Share it in the comments below! And don’t forget: patience is a virtue, but listening is a superpower.
Inspired by the saga of u/AnEldritchWriter from r/TalesFromTechSupport. Check out the original post here.
Original Reddit Post: Client refuses to listen and puts ticket in perpetual limbo