I just recently got a computer tech job for bellsouth on there ADSL line. I have never been a computer tech before… anyone have any suggestions for me? I have NO comp tech experience… others in my training class have 20 YEARS!! the only advice I get from them is “never call the customer a cocksucker” Surely you all can do better then that! BTW… I can connect here during training… hehe… hell with the firewall… down with proxy!
anyone have any good computer tech stories I can share with my class??
B-
I’m praying that they are going to help train you a little. E-mail me and I’ll give you some advice (I assume you’ll be at a help-desk type of setting?) suzette100@yahoo.com
I got paged at 7am (yawn) and called the client- long story short, I had to have him reboot all 4 computers and log back on. He was still having problems connecting with the database. Why? He didn’t bring **one ** of the systems back up. What part of ** ALL ** don’t you get??
Oh well- he probobly didn’t have any coffee yet, either
Zette
Tech Extrodinaire
Love is like popsicles…you get too much you get too high.
I was a little alarmed by that statement, too Handy. I’m assuming he means that he’s done computer work/tech help before, but never at a help desk.
If they seriously hired you to do tech support and you have no idea about computers, tech support or help desk- start combing the want ads. Your head will explode by the second day
Zette
(Thank God I have Bell Atlantic!)
Love is like popsicles…you get too much you get too high.
Not enough and you’re gonna die… Zettecity
There are two cardinal rules for doing tech support.
No matter how stupid the caller seems, try to be polite. (Your coworkers appear to have covered this one with you already.)
If you don’t know how to fix the customer’s problem, do not just make a guess. Either transfer the call to another tech, or put it on hold and go ask your supervisor for help. People call tech support for real help; if they wanted a random guess, they could do it themselves.
No offense to you at all, but this is why I end up giving out free advise and free upgrades to my family and friends. Rarely does the person on the other end of the phone (tech support wise) understand the problem except within the confines of what is taught.
Apparently I am the family and friend’s guru when it comes to issues dealing with computers, they try the first avenue (they don’t want to bother me) but under most circumstances end up calling me to walk them through the issue, even if it’s an issue I have never dealt with before directly I have the skills even if only 5 years, to determine what the problem is and the proper means by which to solve it. I don’t mean to brag, but I can usually pint point the issue within 5 minutes and determine the proper resolve.
I can’t tell you the amount of time I have spent fixing a problem that a tech support call was unable to fix. Drives me nuts.
So if that helps you in your pursuit to understand what is going on behind the scenes, remember that the caller may simply doesn’t want to bother the computer geek in their life and wants to look like a hero.
Sheesh if I got paid for all the free support I have offered, I might actually have some extra money to blow on rent several months in a row.
Techchick, my husband is a tech support person too. I read your post out loud to him and he just sat there and nodded knowingly. It has gotten to the point where he threatens his friends and family that he is going to start charging them for his time. Of course, he never actually does. Just yesterday, he spent almost ten hours working on a friend’s computer and never charged him a dime for it.
Zette, the OP said, ‘I have NO comp tech experience.’
No one could possibly remember all the possible combinations of all the computers, software, etc.
I, too, do free computer work for people including at least three thrift shops, half a dozen churches & rummage sales, etc. No charge but then they have to give me stuff that they can’t sell or would take too much of my time or we can’t sell, only if I want it, though.
10 hours on a computer? It only takes two hours to put one together with software from the start, what did 10 hours get?
1-it helps to be calm, and reassuring to the customer.
2-As much as you want to, Never agree when the caller says “Im so stupid!”
3-As was stated before NEVER guess at the problem, refer it to another tech or ask for help.
4-If they get abuseive to you, and sooner or later they will, dont take it personally. Try to understand they are upset, and you may be their only venting outlet. Just be polite and offer to transfer them to a supervisor (if possible). They get paid to deal with the irate ones!
5-Always assume they are understating what they may have done to cuse the problem. No one likes to admit blame, especially to someone they are calling for assistance.
6-If you do manage to fix the problem, dont try to place blame on the customer. They may know they did cause the problem, but they HATE to admit it.
7-Accept the fact that the caller really doesn’t have much (or any!) computer knowledge. Explain everthing step-by-step, but try to avoid making them feel like you are treating them like a child.
8-Ask the semmingly stupid questions. You may be surprised at the answers.
ex:“Is the comp plugged in? Is the plug connected to the back of the PC? Is there anything else plugged into the outlet? It that working? ect…”
Hope these help a little
“The universe doesn’t give first warnings or second chances”
Never assume anything…when you give instructions to do something at an OS prompt, don’t forget to tell them to press the ENTER key. Don’t talk in jargon (ask “is your modem intside or outside of your computer” instead of “do you have an internal modem”).
You’ll probably find that the people that don’t know anything are the best people to work with. It’s disturbing when you ask them to type DIR and press enter, then you hear the keyboard clattering away and you have no idea what they’re doing on their own.
As others have already mentioned, don’t be afraid to say “I don’t know…but I can find out.” If you do have to pass the call to a different tech, try to stay on the phone in a 3-way conversation to learn how they handle the call. Regardless of whether you can listen in, after the call, try to find out not only what the other tech did, but why.
If you have to call a customer back, the first question you should ask is “is this a good time for you?” Unless they’re dead in the water, they probably have other stuff to do, which undoubtedly they will be in the middle of when you call.
Manny times (old habits die hard…) there is more than one way to do something (some people are more content navigating around with an OS prompt, some people are more comfortable in Windows Explorer). Try to adapt to how they work best.
Don’t forget to try to explain what happened and what you did to solve the problem, without being condescending or spewing technobabble. If they understand what you did, they won’t need to place a repeat call when it happens again.
First, you must acquire the misguided notion that you are smarter than everyone else. All computer geeks do this instinctively. They believe the rest of us not really worthy of the advanced technology they, and others of their ascended intellect, have provided. Then, when questions come to you regarding the new ‘update’ (some kind of whiz-bang front end designed in an effort to fix or at least cover up bugs, but with the same old crap floating around underneath), it is your responsibility to be politely condescending (knowing you’re dealing with a lower life form, probably from the accounting department), and explain that all the ‘new features’ are designed to handle ‘a complex range of issues’ and provide ‘a higher degree of versatility’.
Somewhere around this time, the user will become so pissed off (usually because they view the system only as a tool to accomplish a heretofore routine task, like accounting), they will give up and develop ‘work arounds’.
“No, its not foolproof…unfortunately, fools are very clever people.” --Joseph Caro
Hey, wellcome to Stress Club 2000, the guide to better living through tech support.
My best tip is as follows.
Always explain what youre doing. Show the user how simple something is, and the next time a simple problem comes up, s/he can fix it themselves, or at least say that they have tried it when they ring in.
As said before, dont take anything for granted. use the language you would understand before you were trained.
A reboot will, strangely, solve some problems, but it wont solve anything.
Always be polite. Even if the Customer is being an asshole, showing them that you have manners, even though they dont will help get your point across.
Ask for help if you need it.
Always start the day with a coffee (or what ever gets you going)
finally,
it takes 32 muscles to frown, but only 4 to flip them the bird.
Best of luck, if you need any help, just ask!!!
J
“We should have as high a regard for the church so as to keep it out of as many things as possible”
Fluther Good -the Shadow of a Gunman.
Sean O’Casey
