I have spent a lot of time taking helpdesk and technical support calls. I often wonder how much of my time is spent actually solving problems over the phone as opposed to dealing with all the other things that don’t relate or hinder the troubleshooting process. I decided to make a simple little guide that everybody should follow when calling a support line or their helpdesk for their technical related problems.

Stop complaining and let me solve your issue

Us people that take support calls, we are problem solvers. We want to solve your problem and get you off the phone. Ok, so your issue has been happening for a while, and you’ve been dealing with other people in my department. I understand that. Can we please get to solving what you called for please? If I can just do that, there will be no reason to complain. I can understand some level of venting, but when it goes on forever it hinders our ability and desire to help you.

Follow our direction and do nothing else

Call, describe your problem and then let us take over. It’s now time for us to direct you. Click only where we tell you to click and type only when and where we tell you to type. Forget about the screens you were on before or other areas where there was a problem. Bouncing around and doing your own thing will only result in a longer call.

Don’t say that you are a tech

If you are a computer tech yourself and you feel you are going to win points with the tech you are calling by saying “I’m a tech!”, forget about it. Understand that 9 out of 10 people that claim they are “techs” aren’t able to follow the simple direction they are provided. If you truly are a tech, you won’t need to tell me. I will know just by the way you follow direction. I also know you want to solve the issue now by trying your own things in the middle of the steps I’m walking you through, but please see above.

Have the error message written down

If there was an error message, please be sure you can recite it to the tech when you call. That way we can search for it in our knowledgebase or on the internet and come up with a quick solution. If you don’t have the exact error message VERBATIM, it helps us very little. Don’t just make up an error message that sounds similar either. It won’t help much in most cases.

Be in front of the computer when you call

It amazes me how many people call and think that a problem can be troubleshooted while they are on their morning drive miles away from their computer. This should be a no brainer, but I guess people feel they are somehow saving time instead of wasting mine.

I can’t help you in getting compensation

If you want money back because your computer problems are making you suffer, I can’t do anything about it. Seriously! I have no “pull” in that direction, nor do I care to. Take all that up with your salesman or our billing department. We are problem solvers. We solve the technical issue you are having and that is our only function.

No, we don’t know it all

Some people expect all of the answers to their problems right now. They get frustrated when they don’t get them right away. Please understand that things need to be researched and that may take time.We also may give information that is not true from time to time. Again, we don’t know it all and we are human and may slip up from time to time. It doesn’t mean we are stupid or have less knowledge than somebody else.

Before calling support, please try restarting your computer

I hate asking people to restart their computer, but sometimes I have to. Sometimes I don’t even remember to ask until an hour into the call because this should be tried by the user before they even call. Computers malfunction and sometimes just need to be restarted. If that does the trick, then move on. By doing so you avoid wasting our time and yours.

Be sure you are calling the right people

Check to make sure the product you are using is supported by the people you are calling. If you bought a Dell computer loaded Adobe software on it, Dell is not going to help you with it. They know nothing about it. Call Adobe.