For many people, working with technical support is somewhere near “getting dental work” on a list of fun things to do. Believe it or not, calling, or chatting with, tech support for a computer problem doesn’t have to ruin your day. (For the most part)
The ideas behind these tips apply outside the computer world, too, so feel free to keep them in mind when your smart-“junk” quits checking email or your DVR is stuck on one channel.
I can’t promise that the experience will be enjoyable, but there are several things you can do to help make talking with tech support less painful for you than it may have been in the past.
Be Prepared Before Calling or Chatting
Before you pick up the phone, or start typing in that chat box, make sure you’re prepared to explain your problem clearly.
The better prepared you are, the less time you’ll spend talking to tech support.
The exact things you should have ready will vary depending on your problem but here are several to keep in mind:
- If you have an error message: What’s the exact error message on your screen?
- If you don’t have an error message: What exactly is your device doing? “It just doesn’t work” isn’t going to help much.
- When did the problem start happening? (Think back to when it started, could remind you what changed)
- Did anything else happen at the same time the problem started? (e.g. a blue screen of death, smoke coming from the computer, ad pop-ups, stuck web browser, virus warning, etc.)
- What have you already done to troubleshoot the problem? (Restarted, etc)
- Has the problem changed since it first started happening (e.g. computer shuts off more frequently, error message appears at a different time now, etc.)
I recommend writing all of this down before requesting any tech support. Because remembering the exact error message can be hard enough to explain, having a reference or documented proof, really helps.
Communicate Clearly
Working with technical support is all about communication. The entire reason for your call is to communicate to the support person what the problem is and for them to communicate back to you what you need to do (or they need to do) to fix your problem.
The person on the other end of the phone might be 10 miles or 10,000 miles away. He or she might be from the same part of your country or from a part of a country you didn’t even know existed. That said, you’ll prevent a lot of needless confusion and frustration if you talk slowly and enunciate properly.
Also, make sure you’re calling from a quiet area. A barking dog or screaming child is unlikely to improve upon any communication problem you may be having already.
If you’re chatting, make sure to use complete sentences and avoid catch phrases, texting language, and excessive emoticons. Chat sessions are supposed to be Professional. Having a good grasp of the grammar, correct spellings, and punctuation is key. If your Tech Support is exhibiting signs of lack of those traits, then maybe you can request a better agent to deal with. (It happens, I was seated next to an illiterate high school drop out who was providing the same level support as I was. Of course he didn’t last long)
Be Thorough and Specific
I touched on this a little in the Be Prepared Before Calling or Chatting tip above, but the need to be thorough and specific demands its own section! You may be well aware of the trouble your computer has been having but the tech support person is not. You have to tell the whole story in as much detail as possible.
For example, saying “My computer just quit working” doesn’t say anything at all (Bad Example). There are millions of ways a computer might not be “working” and the ways to fix those problems vary tremendously. I always recommend stepping through, in great detail, the process that produces the problem.
If your computer won’t turn on, for example, you might describe the problem to tech support like this:
“I hit the power button on my computer and a green light comes on the front of my computer and on my monitor. Some text shows up on the screen for just a second and then the whole thing shuts off. The monitor stays on but all the lights on the front of my computer case turn off. If I power it on again, the same thing happens over and over.” (Good Example)
Repeat the Details
Another way to avoid confusion when communicating is by repeating what the person you’re talking to is saying.
For example, let’s say tech support advises you to “Click on x, then click on y, then select z.” You should repeat back “Okay, I clicked on x, then I clicked on y, then I selected z.” This way, tech support is confident that you completed the steps as asked and you’re confident that you fully understood what was asked of you.
Answering “Okay, I did that” doesn’t confirm that you understood each other. Repeating the details will help avoid a lot of confusion, especially if there’s a language barrier. (Here is looking at you, India call centers)
Don’t Get Emotional
No one likes computer problems. They even frustrate me. Getting emotional, however, solves absolutely nothing. All getting emotional does is lengthen the amount of time you have to talk to tech support which will frustrate you even more.
Try to keep in mind that the person you’re talking to on the phone didn’t design the hardware or program the software that’s giving you problems. He or she has been hired to help solve your problem based on the information given to them by the company and from you.
You’re only in control of the information you’re providing so your best bet is to take another look at some of the tips above and try to communicate as clearly as you possibly can. Sometimes re examining the problem a second time, brings discovery of the underlying issue.
Get a “Ticket Number”
It might be called an issue number, reference number, incident number, etc., but every modern day tech support group, whether across the hall or across the world, uses some kind of ticket management system to track the issues that they receive from their customers and clients.
The tech support representative should log the details of your call in the ticket so the next person you talk to can pick up right where you left off on this call, assuming you need to call again.
The Only Thing Worse Than Calling Tech Support…
… is calling tech support twice.
A sure fire way to need tech support for a second time is if the problem didn’t get fixed on your first call. In other words, read the above tips again before you pick up the phone!
If you’re armed with this information before you make that first call to support, the chances of what the industry calls “first call resolution” go way up. That’s good for the company’s bottom line and really good for your sanity!
If you find yourself having to call back, hopefully it is for similar or a whole new reason. I experienced many times, where the problems were like playing “Wack-a-Mole”. Resolve one problem, a new problem surfaced.
