As a consultant, I solve problems for a living. And the toughest problem to solve is the one reported to me over the telephone. It’s tough because I’m not at the client’s office — I can’t see their computer. I have to imagine their hardware setup and what’s on their computer screen.

When you call a hardware or software company — or even a local consultant for computer help — there are certain things you can do to obtain the best possible results.

Background

Let’s say a friend of yours calls you from their cellular phone. They tell you they were driving somewhere and their car broke down and they need your help. What do you do? What do you need to know in order to help them? Even if you’re not an auto mechanic, you’ll probably want to know the answers to some of these questions:

• Are you injured? Did you have an accident? Are you safe?
• Where are you?
• Did you have a flat tire? Do you have a spare?
• Did you run out of gas? Are you near a gas station?
• Does the car start? Do you think the battery’s dead?
• Do you have AAA?
• Have you had this problem before?

Based on what your friend tells you, you’ll probably create a mental picture of them in your mind’s eye and then offer some assistance.

Dial 1 for Tech Support…

What does this have to do with the calling for computer support? Companies go through the same process when a call comes in with a technical problem. Providing relevant information gives the support person the best chance to solve your problem. Here are some tips:

Write it down. Try to jot down notes of your problem including the exact text of any error messages you may have received at the time you experience the problem. You’d be surprised how many times I’m told, "I got this message from the computer saying something about memory or error code something or other — I can’t remember exactly what it was since it happened a couple of days ago. What do you think it was?"

Call quickly. If you wait a week before reporting a problem, it’s very difficult to remember all the details. If you can, call right away.

The solution is in the details. Giving a full description of the problem is extremely important. Quite often I’ll have multiple messages waiting when I check my voice mail after I’ve been in a long meeting. After listening to all the messages, I perform a mental "triage" of all the problems and prioritize my return calls. Specific information is crucial!

How often? When you’re having a problem, think about how often it’s happening. Was it once? Once an hour? Once a day? Once a week? Once a month? The frequency helps indicate the severity of the problem, and also dictates what can be done to solve it.

Is it repeatable? Can you make the problem happen after performing a certain action? Repeatable problems are much easier to solve than randomly occurring problems.

Call from the computer. I know it sounds obvious, but you should call while you’re in front of the problem computer.

For modem problems, call from a second line. If you’re having a modem problem, try to call from a second phone line since you can’t talk on the phone and use a modem simultaneously if they’re sharing a single phone line.

State the obvious. No fact is too obvious — especially when you’re talking on the phone. Have you just moved your computer? Did you just install some new software or hardware? Answer this question: What is different?

Voice mail confusion. If you’re being bounced around a company’s voice mail system, try pressing "0". Often you’ll be transferred to a real live human being.

Accept some imperfection. You will occasionally encounter some computer "glitches." I do too. As long as they are infrequent and do not substantially interfere with your work, it may just be easier to grin and bear it.

Case Study

One of my favorite calls went something like this:

"Hello, Mike Beato speaking"

"Hi Mike, this is George Smith. My printer doesn’t work."

"Hi George, when did your printer stop working?"

"It worked yesterday, but today — nothing."

"Are you getting any error messages — what exactly happens when you try to print?"

"Well, I select Print from the File menu, and nothing happens. Nothing comes out."

"Are you getting an error message?"

"Yes, something about printer not found. How could the computer not find it? It’s right here in my office!"

"I know this sounds obvious, but is the printer cable connected?

"Yes, that was the first thing I checked. It’s fine. Everything is connected."

"Did you select the printer in the Chooser under the Apple menu?"

"When I go to the Chooser, the printer doesn’t show up."

"Is the printer power switch turned on?"

"Oh yeah… the power switch. I guess that would do it. Thanks for your help!"

I know it sounds obvious, but sometimes it’s the obvious things that are the most important.

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© 1999 Beato Enterprises Inc. May not be reprinted without permission.