Has the forum been deserted?

[#1]

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@MisterW wrote:. 

Like you, I work from home, have done since before the pandemic, and can access the office systems. I don't know enough about PlusNets systems but I would imagine that CSC call handling may well be difficult from home. As to the forum help team, what I do know is that they have, very sensibly, a system to pull Twitter, Facebook and Forum activity into a common response system. If that system is not accessible remotely then it would make life difficult for the Help team working from home.  

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That's what RAS gateways and VPNs are for though - should be bread and butter for an ISP full of networking gurus. I don't mean to sound critical about all of this; as I say I'm more perplexed (and, I must admit, disappointed) more than anything else. 

[#2]

That's what RAS gateways and VPNs are for though

Agreed. However sometimes its not quite that easy. For instance we provide remote support to a number of large organisations. Some will allow us to use for example Citrix ICA on our own machines to access their networks. Whereas others will ONLY allow access from one of their own 'locked down' laptops, so they supply us with one.

[#3]

It’s not just a matter of access to vote business systems over VPN or other technologies, but also the information being accessed and the appropriateness of the access environment.

Take for example processing card payments - these need to be managed in a secure environment. Specifically in Plusnet’s offices, personal phones and other means of recording information are not permitted in the support desk environments. Such therefore limits the number of staff who can work from home practically.

Social distancing in offices is likely to mean that on site spaces can only accommodate 50% or less of normal establishment.

[#4]

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@MJN wrote:

Six weeks and no response at all. I guess that says it all. QED. 😞

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If you were expecting a staff response then you posted in the wrong board. Yes I know it’s bizarre.

the staff don’t post directly into the forums but use a tool provided by the forum software people.

Not all the boards are actively monitored by this tool and the community feedback board is one of those.

[#5]

Ah, okay - didn't realise that!

Incidentally, if PN staff don't read this particular board then who does? Seems like a bit of a black hole as far as feedback is concerned?

[#6]

The community manager usually kept an eye on it, but his replacement hasn’t been appointed as yet.
One of the devs used to keep an lookout too - but they moved on as well.

So now you’re stuck with us mere mods 😂

[#7]

Not a problem @dvorak  - you must feel as redundant as the once good Help Team members presumably are, seeing as they rarely raise their heads above the trenches.

[#8]

If a billing manager made themselves available for questions on the forum would the forum crash under the load?