#269 - How Not to Irritate Tech Support
Hello, everyone out there in interwebland. Picklez here to share pro-tips in calling Tech Support. Whether you are calling an outsourced tech support line or an internal IT department, here are some basic guidelines to help ensure that your problem gets resolved as quickly as possible.
1. Be polite - You don't have to kiss anyone's backside or be a beam of sunshine. Just try to avoid yelling and making sarcastic remarks. Using simple manners like saying, "please" and "thank you" will keep the phone support person in a neutral stance.
2. Be specific - Saying, "My computer is broken," is a complete waste of breath. Obviously, you are having a technical support issue or you wouldn't be calling. Telling a tech support person that your computer is "broken" is like telling a 911 operator that you have an emergency but not telling them your location or the nature of the emergency. Simply say something like, "Hello, I'm calling about an error message I'm receiving on this software," or "Hi! I'm having trouble connecting this piece of hardware to my PC."
3. Be compliant - If the tech person asks you to do something, just do it. Nothing puts a support person in defensive stance quicker than someone who raises cain about rebooting. If you data issue, like unsaved data you may lose, politely indicate that fact, otherwise, just reboot your computer. Also, you should keep in mind that a lot of tech support people are reading off a script and there are specific things that must be done to ensure a "clean" status so that real errors can be discerned. On a side note, be sure to do exactly as the tech support person directs you and avoid jumping ahead and clicking or typing before the instructions have been completed.
4. Be knowledgeable - Tech support people understand that the reason people call them is because they don't know what to do and that is fine; however, a basic knowledge of technical terminology such as knowing the difference between a left or right mouse click, knowing port types i.e. USB, LPT, Firewire, etc., and knowing the type of operating system you PC is running will help immensely. On the flip side, try not to be a "know-it-all" and tell the tech support person what to do. Remember, you called them for help and also remembe that they are often working off a script.
5. Be patient - Some problems just take a while to resolve. If you think someone is just giving you the run around here's how to tell the difference between someone actually working on a problem and the run around.
Identifying the run around
- You are transferred multiple times. We've all been there. You talk to one person, explain your situation, and then you get transferred. You go through your spiel with the 2nd person and get transferred. The cycle continues until you give up or by some miracle get transferred to someone who takes pity on you and actually tries to solve your problem. Conversely, if someone is really trying to help you, they may put you on hold for an extended period of time and then come back. In those instances, if they have to transfer you, they are very specific as to who the person who will now be handling your call.
- They don't give you a ticket #. Any tech support department worth their salt will have some kind of ticketing/tracking system for all their work orders or support calls. Really good tech support offices will give you a ticket no matter what. Even if they resolved your issue in 3 seconds they will still give you a ticket number. Most tech support centers will only give you a ticket number if it is a problem that can't be resolved over the phone. If the phone tech doesn't give you a ticket number, just ask for one. Bad tech support offices won't give you the ticket number because a) they don't have a ticketing system or b) they don't want people know how poor their service has been.
- You are put on hold immediately. This is especially true if you've already had to navigate a touch tone or voice activated menu screening. If you hear a person pick up the phone and you immediately hear, "Corporate Accounts, Nina Speaking, Just a Moment" and then the hold music, you are getting the run around.
I could probably go on about what NOT to do, but I'll save those for a rant later on...
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