We’ve all been there, we need help and eventually we have no option but to call support.
Already we start to get stressed as we anticipate the stream of useless questions we are bound to be asked, about stuff that clearly isn’t relevant and obviously whoever we will have the misfortune of talking to will be a complete dimwit who just won’t understand even the simplest of explanations.
Many of us have also been on the other end of a support call, and know what it is like to try really hard to understand what on earth that customer is talking about so you can help them.
When asking for help there are lots of ways to try and get round this perennial problem; clear explanations of the problem you’re having, a good overview of the steps you’ve taken so far and of course an indication of just what it is you are trying to do in the first place all help. An introduction of what system/product/feature you are using in the first place will also help the support bod on the phone. For me, I follow a few steps that in the main helps with any support calls I make, these are:
- Explain what system I’m using
- Explain what my overall goal is
- Describe the issue I’m having
- Go through the steps I took to get there
- Go through the steps I have taken to work around the issue
Of course, not every support person listens, some will interrupt to ask questions that you were about to answer and some pass you onto someone else and you have to start again, but most of the time I find this helps me get help faster.
That said, there are some occasions when even all this won’t make any difference because there is always the one common issue that will never go away – YOU. In other words when you’re calling someone for help, don’t rule out the possibility that you’re being a complete numpty.
This is a lesson Rachel recently learnt when spending an hour trying to make a 5 minute payment online by first using the wrong account, then using the wrong card (actually that was my fault), then entering the right information into the wrong fields, and finally calling up support to tell them their system isn’t working.
I too have a confession to make, on Thursday I managed to completely waste several hours of someone’s time helping me track down why emails from one particular address go missing before they get to me – it just didn’t make any sense, well not until I was asked to check my Junk mail rules and discovered I had set them to delete unknown emails (my thanks go Neb at Start2Finish Technology who I must say are a really excellent IT set up and support business).
Like I said, don’t rule out the numpty who’s making the call in the first place, eh Rachel?…
A very helpful guide to help you speed up the time on the phone to support Simon. I’ve been on both ends of support and most of the time the end user tells you too much detail and makes you lose what they’re trying to aim towards. Keep it short and brief helps the support get your issue resolved faster.
Although, I have had a few experiences with support and I’m not sure how they managed to get the job in the first place. As they didn’t have any idea what the problem was and then tried to direct me to another company (Microsoft) for support for my internet.
I wonder what inspired you to write this article =)
Very funny Simon……
Yes….in my experience, I can advise people to:
1. ensure they are logged into correct system
2. that payment details correspond with account details inputted initially
3. ensure that payment details are being inputted to correct fields
4. always make a note of hosting/domain providers phone number – as it will take you 3 days to find it on their site in the first place!
5. feel guilty when you have told support (quite sternly) that their system is down and they don’t explain what they are on about!
very useful information from all parties