How to get good phone support

By Fred Litt, Family Technology Associates http://www.FamilyTechnology.com

When your PC fails or your network ‘goes down’, life quickly becomes miserable. As most PC users have little knowledge of how to diagnose and remedy even simple problems, they are dependent of the ‘kindness of others’.

Be selective

When your equipment first has a problem, you will accept any help you can get – good or bad – from friends, family, or strangers – and free help always seems the best. Most PC users will first reach out to friends and family. Every family seems to have a relative in the technology industry – and they always seem to live in Pennsylvania or Virginia – and they are always willing to offer a quick diagnosis of the problem and a quick solution. Free help is typically good for easy solutions, but family experts quickly disappear. Friends and family are great at making quick diagnoses and offering even quicker solutions – but they will be long gone when the simple problem isn’t so simple. In the end you will probably end up dealing with a Phone Support Technician (PST).

Be relaxed

It is not unusual that solving your problem over the phone will take anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours. Let me recommend that you create an effective and relaxed working environment for yourself. Consider the following:
If available, use a speaker phone. You may have to use your hands to type or unscrew something. Being able to speak and to freely use your hands will prove extremely helpful. Avoid using a cell phone (unless you have a headset/earphone) as it is difficult to hold and sometimes hard to hear.
Take care of your biological needs. Given this process may take a while, it is a good idea to visit the bathroom and then the refrigerator for anticipated nourishment.

Have paper and pen/pencil handy.

It is always a good idea to write down who you spoke to and what instructions they provided.

Take a deep breath if your anxiety is high.

There is a good chance you will be either frustrated or angry by the time you finally get to speak to a human support technician. If you sound angry on the phone, you will greatly reduce the chance of solving your problem.

Be prepared

Before the PST can begin to solve your problem, they are going to ask you for very specific information about yourself and your hardware or software. If you are not comfortable ‘talking tech’ with the PST, have the ‘family expert’ nearby when you make the call. You may be asked to provide the following info:
· Your name, address, phone, and email.
· Date of equipment purchase - and receipt, if possible
· Service contract number (if you purchased an extended service plan)
· Device brand and model (e.g., Dell, HP, Linksys)
· Device serial number (found on side or bottom of device)
· PC operating system (Windows XP Home or Pro, Windows ME, et al)
· What antivirus software is running?
· Are you connected to the Internet via a router?
· Most likely, your hardware/software required software to be installed. Have the respective CD-ROM nearby.
. If the issue is hardware, you may have to open the cover of a PC and unscrew/unplug a cable or plug. Make sure you have easy access to your equipment and know where your data cable and electric plugs are connected.
. It's a great idea to review the connections in the back of your PC before you call - and make sure you know what each cable is connected to (e.g., mouse, keyboard, printer, monitor, speakers).

Be clear

Speak clearly and slowly. The reality is that your PST may be a nationality different than yours and may be located thousands of miles away. The better they can understand you, the better your chances are that your problem will be solved. If the PST speaks too quickly to be clearly understood, tell them to slow down or to repeat themselves.

Be efficient

Try to summarize your problem in a sentence or two. For example, if you cannot connect to the Internet, when the PST asks you what you problem is, you might say “I own a Dell Laptop running Windows XP and I cannot connect to the Internet via my Linksys wireless router”. This sentence provides the PST with a tremendous amount of information and may greatly streamline your ability to get your problem resolved quickly. If you don't know what the problem is, say something like "My PC doesn't turn on. Can you help me?". Hopefully, the PST will then begin asking you the necessary questions to assist them in diagnosing and solving your problem.

Leave good phone messages

If you leave a message on an answering machine, the single most important piece of information you can provide is your phone number. Leave it twice - at the beginning and the end of your message – and leave it slowly. Even if you are returning someone’s call, never assume the other party has easy access to your phone number. I spend a lot of time on the road and call my answering machine to check my messages (using a cell phone). Too often, someone will either speed through their phone number or tell me ‘you know my number” when I don’t.

Say Thank You

While you hope that one phone call can solve your problem, you may have to call for additional help – and you never know whether the person you just screamed at will again be your only hope. Always say thank you – even if it kills you.

This article may be reproduced with permission of Fred Litt, Family Technology Associates. Contact Fred at 201-315-4943 fred@FamilyTechnology.com for details.