Blog / How To Engage With Support Desks
Advice For Getting Good Support
I’ve worked various positions in IT over the years. Like many, I started in technical support, but that was years ago. Many things that have changed over time. Back in those days getting remote access to a machine to see what’s going on was a big deal. Other things have not changed, like the attitudes many people have towards—and the mistakes that get made when—interacting with support desks and personnel. So, what are those common mistakes that I’m talking about?
Not Having a Supportive Attitude
Let’s talk about attitude first. Many people start by engaging with support in a very adversarial way. There are plenty of reasons why they have this attitude. Sometimes it’s because they blame IT for the problem. Other times it’s just frustration causing them to vent about the situation. Whatever the reason, this kind of attitude is a common mistake. Being upset about the situation is not useful. Whoever is providing you with support almost certainly had nothing to do with the cause of the situation and their job is to help you. Having a difficult attitude does not aid in resolving the situation or motivating someone to help.
Include Supporting Details
Another part of interacting with support has to do with the details of the situation. Simply put, more is better. That is, when you’re reporting a problem to support, the more detail you can provide about the situation, the better. In this case though, I’m not talking about technical details (although those are useful). Instead, a detailed description of what exactly is going on is what’s required. More details will give the technician a better understanding of the problem, resulting in fewer clarifying questions and can ultimately help resolve your situation faster.
Other Support Advice
Beyond keeping a good attitude and being thorough about the details of the your problem, here are a few other things to keep in mind when interacting with support personnel:
- Keep in mind that whoever is doing support is there to help you, by choice.
- The better you can explain the situation and problem, the easier it will be for them to understand what is happening.
- Just because their job is to help you and they deal with computers, doesn’t mean they know anything about whatever piece of software you may be using.
- Computers are complicated (says the Cybersecurity technician), so remember that answers and solutions won’t always be immediate.
The most important thing to remember is that people who work support are people, so treat them as such. Also, they’re not omniscient so don’t expect them to know anything you don’t tell them. Be kind, be descriptive, and be patient because whoever is helping you is trying to do the same thing.
If you’re looking for a Managed Service Provider with an exceptional help desk to handle your IT or support your existing IT team, contact TRINUS and we’ll be happy to discuss how we can help you get some stress-free IT and support.
This Shakespeare quote comes from Othello: “The robbed that smiles, steals something from the thief.”
