Some tips to help the IT support process go over smoothly.
Last week, in my post A little tip from support: just breathe, I offered advice for frustrated IT managers when encountering everyday IT problems. Walking away from the problem so you can look at it from a new angle is often all an IT manager needs to do to figure out the solution.
But there are many cases when simply taking a break isn’t enough and the IT person must call technical support. It’s what we are here for, so if an IT department needs help with a product, call away. For the times when walking away isn’t enough, I have a few tips to make the support call go quickly and smoothly.
1) Know what to ask
For the most part, you know the questions support is going to ask. To solve most issues we will need your login information (username, password). But this may not be enough – we may also ask for software versions, license numbers or hardware versions. Of course, we’ll also need details regarding the problem you are having. Have this information handy and the conversation will go swimmingly. If possible, try writing or typing out the problem and getting all the necessary information consolidated in front of you. This is particularly helpful if you’re not right in front of a system when you call.
2) Can you hear yourself speak?
I know you need to call support the moment you realize there is a problem, but please, find a quiet area before calling us. I constantly get calls from customers standing in the datacenter and all I can hear is cooling fans and the hum of servers. I will be able to solve your problem faster if I can understand what you are saying and don’t have to ask the same questions several times. It must be frustrating for these customers to repeat themselves over and over again too. So, find a nice quiet area and we’ll have a more productive conversation.
On a similar note, if you are calling from a cellphone, make sure you have good reception. Otherwise, if we are disconnected, when you call back you may not be connected to the same support system or representative, causing you to have to rehash all the information you already went through with the first support tech. Normally, one of the first questions I ask when I get on the phone is for your number in case we are disconnected. That way I can call you back if we are disconnected. Not all support techs at all companies do this, though.
3) You’ll get more with honey than vinegar
I get it; you are angry. You’re angry the product isn’t working the way it is supposed to and it is costing your company money/wasting your time/making things miserable. I understand and I’m sympathetic. However, yelling at me, calling me names or threatening to tweet about how horrible our products are isn’t going to make me fix things faster. I’d also like to say it won’t make me work slower. Plus, all the time you spend yelling at the support tech could be spent explaining the issue so the support tech can begin working on the problem.
Rather than yelling at tech support, work with us to figure out the problem and so we can fix it … as quickly as possible. If the support tech isn’t solving your problem, ask to be sent to the next support level. Yelling won’t help, but being nice might get you passed on faster.
4) Great expectations meet realistic expectations
When something goes wrong we want it fixed that second. I understand this and am guilty of having false expectations myself. But try to remember most problems are going to take a while to fix, so if you call in, make sure you have some time to work with us, and expect it to take longer if you want us to go over everything we’re doing with you. We are more than happy to go through all the steps we are taking if you are interested, but it does take a little extra time. Also, think about the actual scope of the problem when you think of how long it’s going to take to solve. Most support technicians are working on more than one case at a time, so a down system is usually going to take precedence over a site or service being blocked.
5) Realize that others factors and/or products could be at hand
And, finally, I’d like to say our support team can fix every problem you are having, but sometimes what appears to be an issue with our solution is actually an issue with a separate product. If the problem is pretty simple or something I see, often I can probably give you a few tips to deal with it, but in some cases, I recommend you call that company’s support team, and try to be nice to them too. It isn’t their fault I couldn’t help you.
