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Most people do not like calling tech support. I am weird:
I make three calls a day to tech support, day in and day out,
and enjoy it. I have a rather unique position in calling tech
support that others do not have. I am probably more technically
savvy than the support person on the other end of the phone.
But there are other reasons as well. I have a strategy.
Calling tech support can be a very bad time for most people,
based I'm sure on the fact that it takes half your life to get
through to a person, and then once you're through, you run the
risk of at least feeling dumb and possibly even downright stupid.
Perhaps this is why the "For Dummies" series of books
sells so well: we naturally feel dumb.
Here are some tips I use when calling for help on the phone.
For the most part I have observed that people are human and respond
to the kinds of things humans respond to: appreciation engenders
support, fear breeds fear, etc.
Personally, I have found Genuity and HP tech support to be
uniformly excellent. AOL and Microsoft are also very good, though
everyone I know seems to have an AOL tech support horror story.
The rest of the companies I call are the luck of the draw, depending
on who picks up the phone. Good luck!
1. Use a speakerphone. That way, you can at least have
some semblance of a life while you're waiting for them to pick
up. The next time you buy a phone, get a speakerphone, they're
cheap.
2. Call on Tuesday, early in the day. Not Monday,
very often a support site's busiest day of the week. And do it
before 8:30 AM Eastern time if they're open.
3. Get the techie's name. Write it down when they give
it to you at the beginning of the conversation, and use it once
in a while when you're talking to them. Ask them to spell it
if it's a name you don't recognize. Let them know you know they
are human beings too.
4. Be friendly. During a lull in the conversation,
ask them something about themselves, like where they are physically
located, or how many times they get your question in a day, or
if it's been a busy day.
5. Practice saying the following phrase: "I
don't know." You are not supposed to know the answers
to their hairy technical questions. Don't be ashamed of that.
If you get asked a tough question, tell them you don't know.
Don't go on and on with what you do know, just say "I
don't know" and let them guide you. These
people are professionals.
6. Expect help. This is no time for meekness. Have
an attitude that says, "You can help me."
7. Don't expect miracles. This is no time for rudeness.
Have an attitude that says, "Please help me."
8. Understand them. Very often companies "farm
out" the technical support problem to other firms. Your
call to PressPlay or RealPlayer tech support may actually be
answered by someone working for TechInfoInc. Very often that
person is speaking to you from India or Singapore. They may not
even speak English as their native language. Take this into account
and be patient.
9. If you don't get a solution, call back right away.
Sometimes you get a person who simply does not know the answer,
and rather than telling you "I don't know," they keep
you on the phone trying this idea and that (or worse,
they keep you on hold!) until you get tired and give up.
You can tell if a person doesn't know the answer. Listen for
it. If they don't know, ring off quickly and call right back.
You may get someone else who can help you. Repeat until
satisfied.
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