Tech Support

If you spend even a small amount of time in the IT industry or for that matter, use a computer, you are likely to interact with someone in Tech Support. The likelihood of your interaction with tech support to be with an actual person, much less one that actually gives a damn about your problem is becoming less and less but since you’re probably paying for support you might as well get the most out of it. 

What is it about those tech support people you ask? Well, sometimes it helps to try and see things from the other person’s perspective. Take your level one tech support person for example. Level one tech support is an entry level position. Quite often this person isn’t even employed by the manufacturer of the product they are supporting. Typically these positions are contract with low pay, no benefits and little opportunity for advancement. These individuals punch a clock, grab a chair and headset that is still warm from the last disinterested mouth breather. Most of them are just killing time until they can find a better job.  Most of the time killing is spent working on “The Box”. What is The Box you ask?  The Box is what is supported.  Level one tech support people spend the majority of their time studying The Box! They learn the size of The Box, the color, the texture, the way The Box smells on a crisp New England morning but mainly they focus on why your problem is outside of The Box.  Your problem doesn’t look anything like The Box – in fact they’ve polled their colleagues and they’ve agreed unanimously that your problem couldn’t possibly be The Box and you should go away!

So, occasionally you have a problem that bears a striking resemblance to The Box and on these rare occasions they may actually log your call and ask The Box database how to solve your problem. Don’t get excited, this is usually just a ruse to distract you while they refine their argument as to why The Box is not the problem and they can close another successful support case!

They first try and find any unsupported hardware or software, they look into unsupported configurations, unsupported drivers and best of all user error. Ah yes the ID10T error, the ole loose nut on the keyboard! It can’t be The Box, The Box is magnificent it must be you, you scallywag! 

So, tech support is a bad job and nobody really wants to help you so what do you do?

Well, there are several steps you can take that will greatly improve your success and overall satisfaction in working with tech support groups. Many of these steps can be useful in working with any type of support organization in or outside of IT

1. Before you have a problem

In most cases you will have a few vendors that you work with most often and these are likely to be the ones that you will be calling for tech support.  Before you even have a problem there are some things you should be aware of. In a nutshell you want to understand their support organization.

-        What does your support agreement entitle you to?  Do you get x number of calls or incidents, is support only provided on installation, is there a specific response time that should expect?  Exactly what does your support include? 

-        What service level agreements do they work under, do they have defined escalation policies and if so what are they?

-        What are their capabilities, can they connect in remotely, can they send someone onsite?

1. Before you make the call.

-        99.99% of all tech support organizations ask for the same types of information, so to expedite the process, you might as well go ahead and gather the information they are going to request. This often includes, the model and serial number; software, operating system or driver versions, microcode levels and error codes if you have them.

-        Most support organizations offer some type of FAQ as well as a knowledgebase. You will want to consult these resources before calling tech support. Information in these resources can often shed light on your issue and are also likely to be the first steps tech support will ask you to take. If you see that you are four revs back on the supported driver, don’t be shocked when they tell you to update the drivers. Your driver isn’t in The Box!

-        Be sure to have a good description of the problem before you make the call. Have as much detail as possible to avoid wasting a bunch of time going down the wrong path.

-        If possible try and recreate the problem.  If you can make the issue occur repeatedly it is much more likely to be solved quickly.

-        Have access to the system that is experiencing the problem. Tech support may ask you to collect additional information, run collection scripts or make other changes. If you can’t access the system they’ll try and get off the hook.  “Well, when you do have access do this, this and this and call us back if it doesn’t work.  It should work though so I’m going to go ahead and close the case okay?“

-        Have access to email and the internet. You will likely need to read something they are pointing you to, upload data or download some files.

1. When you place the call

-        Most tech support organizations that accept phone calls have an automated attendant. The automated attendant is supposedly there to help route you to the correct person. This person should have the experience necessary to expedite the process and get you working as quickly as possible.  In reality the automated attendant is there to confuse you and crush your spirit. I know you might think I am making this up but it’s true. You place the call and are presented several paths, you first select your product, is this a new case or an existing one, are you calling from inside the United States, did you dial using your right hand or left? Each selection takes you further into the chasm and you feel your life force draining away.  When you finally get to where you think you need to be, you will be dumped back at a previous menu, disconnected entirely or forwarded to a voicemail box inside the broom closet. This is why if you ever actually do get to speak to someone in tech support, it is absolutely critical that you remember how you got there.  They will likely change the menus in a couple of weeks but when you invariably have to call them back tomorrow on this same issue you will be able to navigate the labyrinth much more quickly. 

-        Hopefully at some point you will come in contact with a person, a real life human being, English may not be there first language but what the hell, you got in touch with somebody! Be sure to get this person’s name, first and last if they’ll give it to you. Ask for a direct line and email address.   Most organizations will assign you a case number, tracking number or some other number to track the case. Be sure to collect all of this information and store it in a safe place so that you can find it when you need it.

-        Tech support calls need to be interactive, if they recommend something that you don’t think will work or you have already tried, let them know. Don’t be ugly about it but make sure they are aware. You may have to repeat the steps anyway because not everyone that calls for support is as bright as you and they need to verify for themselves, that certain steps have been taken.  (Although in reality you could tell them whatever you want they don’t actually know what you are doing, just be sure to give each pretend action the appropriate amount of time!)

-        Keep track of exactly what the tech support person tells you and be sure you understand it.  Write it down or type it up in a doc and make sure they know that you are doing so. The idea is to make them aware that you are holding them accountable.  Sometimes this can get them to take a little more interest. Again, do it nicely.

-        If you are not getting what you need, feel like you are getting the run around or you just can’t seem to understand one another, ask to speak to level two or a supervisor. This isn’t a card you can play all the time and it may not win you any friends but if it becomes obvious that the person can’t help you, it’s time to move on.

In most cases if you stay on top of them and are persistent you will eventually get your problem solved and if there was someone in particular that made it happen, let them know, let their boss know and get their contact information, you’ll need them again someday!