The better prepared you are, the less time you’ll spend talking to tech support.
Communicate Clearly
Working with technical support is all about communication.
The person on the other end of the phone might be 10 miles away or 10,000 miles away.
Nick M. Do / E+ / Getty Images
Also, ensure you’re calling from a quiet area.
A barking dog or screaming child is unlikely to improve upon any communication problem you may be having already.
You have to tell the whole story in as much detail as possible.
For example, saying “My computer just quit working” doesn’t say anything at all.
It’s always recommended to step through, in great detail, the process that produces the problem.
Some text shows up on the screen for just a second, and then the whole thing shuts off.
The monitor stays on, but all the lights on the front of mycomputer caseturn off.
If I power it on again, the same thing happens over and over."
Something else we see a lot is a simple, “My internet doesn’t work!”
It works on my phone, which I can confirm because I’m using it right now.
I can refresh the page, post updates, download photos, etc.
But nothing happens every time I try from my laptop.
It’s the only website that isn’t working.
I can use X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube just fine."
Answering “Okay, I did that” doesn’t confirm that you understood each other.
Repeating the details will help avoid a lot of confusion, especially if there’s a language barrier.
Another note here: actuallydowhat tech support asks you to do.
Don’t Get Emotional
No one likes computer problems.
They even frustrate me.
Getting emotional, however, solves absolutely nothing.
The Only Thing Worse Than Calling Tech Support…
… is calling tech support twice.
In other words, read the above tips again before you pick up the phone!
That’s good for the company’s bottom line andreallygood for your sanity!
