I don’t know about you, but there are times when I find talking to a technician to be exhausting. Even when they are trying their best to help me, they occasionally will be throwing out terms I don’t understand or asking questions I have no idea how to answer. And let’s be honest, the last thing anybody wants to deal with when they are facing a frustrating computer issue is a confusing conversation with an engineer.
While engineers try their best to break things down in ways we can understand (at least the ones at Network Depot do, I can’t speak for others) there are a few things we as users can do in order to make those conversations run a lot smoother. By having just a few pieces of information available, and following some simple guidelines, we can help turn our techs into superheroes.
1) Information about you and your computer
The very first things a tech needs to know are who you are and where you are calling from. Techs talk to a huge number of people every day, and that makes it really difficult to recognize someone’s voice.
They also need to know where you are calling from. Are you at the office? At home? Overseas? At a coffee shop? Believe it or not, that does have an impact and can help a tech figure out how to fix the problem even faster.
The next pieces of information are about your computer. They need to know if it is a desktop or a laptop, what kind of computer it is (HP, Dell, etc.) and how old the machine is.
They also need to know the name of the computer, so they can quickly find it in their system. Getting the name of the computer is incredibly simple. And to make it even easier, we created this 45-second video to show you how.
First, click on the start menu button on the bottom left-hand corner of your screen.
If your computer is new enough, on the right-hand side of the menu that comes up there will be an option for “My Computer” followed by a name. This is the name of your computer!
If your computer is not new enough, right-click on the button that says “My Computer” and this will bring up a list of options.
At the bottom of the list is an option for “Properties”. Click on this, and the Computer Information Window will pop up.
In this window is a bunch of information about your computer, including your computer name.
2) Information about the problem
Next, you should have some information ready about the problem. Try and have answers for these questions ready:
- When did the problem start?
- Is the problem intermittant or constant?
- Did you download or click anything before the problem started?
- Are you the only person experiencing this problem?
3) Behavior when working with a tech
In most cases, an engineer will remote into your machine while working on your problem. This is the easiest way to fix an issue because it allows them to see your machine and go about fixing the issue immediately as opposed to walking you through each step.
There are times when a technician will ask if they can take control of your mouse while they work on the issue. This is another way they can fix the problem for you much faster.
While they are controlling the mouse, you shouldn’t be touching anything connected to your computer until they tell you it’s okay. If you try moving the mouse or using the keyboard, you are interrupting the technician while they are trying to help you.
The bottom line is that your relationship with any technician is just that- a relationship. And just like any other relationship, effort needs to be made on both sides. It is important for both parties to really listen, try to understand, and do their best to help. That is what creates strong, long-lasting, healthy relationships.
Now I know you might be thinking “Wait a second, why do I have to go about doing all of this? Isn’t knowing all about computers their job?” And yes, it is. But think of it like this: If you are going to a store to return an item, usually you need your receipt. Now is it possible for the store to take the item back without a receipt? Sure it is, but the process is going to take much longer, for them and you. If you have your receipt, the return process becomes fairly easy.
So, if you don’t have all of the above information ready for an engineer, that doesn’t mean they won’t be able to help you. All it means is that if you did have the information, they might be able to help you faster.
At Network Depot we try our best to make sure we are building strong customer relationships. Is there anything we can do to make our service better? Please let us know! Leave us a comment or contact us.