So I finally got broadband. Good old SBC brought the price of DSL down to a realistically affordable level and I jumped on it. I love it. I had absolutely no problem opening up my machine and installing the Ethernet card. Hooking up the DSL modem to my phone line was a breeze. The software installed easily and I even got a firewall program. It all worked great for one whole, month. Then horror of horrors, my connection went down.
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"Whether you're on the giving or receiving end of it, tech support is a bitch. It's a symbiotic relationship built on mutual shortcomings." |
I did what I was supposed to do. I called tech support. Ah, sweet tech support. I love it so.
I really don’t know which is my favorite: The endless time spent on hold. Or maybe it’s the automated systems used by the bigger companies. No, wait. It’s the bored and bitchy support techs! That’s what I love the most!
I also used to work tech support. I’m not sure what was my favorite part of that job. Perhaps it was explaining the concept of the double-click over the phone. Then again I did enjoy repeating over and over, "Don’t delete the Desktop Icons!" Those wacky, clueless users. Gotta love em.
Whether you’re on the giving or receiving end of it, tech support is a bitch. If you knew what to do, then you wouldn’t need tech support. And if all users were brilliant IT gurus or programmers, then they probably would need your software or product. It’s a symbiotic relationship built on mutual shortcomings.
Tech support is vital if you sell or lease anything having to do with computers. If you own a paysite, you’ll need someone who can answer questions about problems with browser/OS incompatibilities. You’ll need someone who can answer email questions and complete support tickets. You’ll need someone who can monitor the hardware just in case it needs a good, swift kick. If you sell software, you’re going to have to have a person that is able to translate and communicate newbie-speak. Never forget that part of having customers is giving customer service. Tech support is customer service and the more ingenious your service, the more you’ll need to supply tech support. Don’t yell. Don’t demean. Be as patient as Job and if you can’t, then hire someone that can.
If you’re on the user end, then you’re probably already hanging by a thread of desperation, as you watch your new software crash your PC or when your precious new site goes down. Calm down. Screaming at the tech support guy won’t make your monitor stop spinning. Write down everything that you were doing when you got into trouble. Write down error numbers and alert messages.
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If you’re in a mess and you have come to the point where you have to make the call, then listen very carefully to the instructions of the tech person BEFORE you take any action. Try to understand that they have to rule out the most common mistakes before they can get down and dirty with troubleshooting. You’re not as clever as you think, so don’t try to be a showoff.
If the tech support really can’t help you, then maybe you need to think of an alternative solution to your problem. Sometimes companies are too big or too busy. They might be unreachable or you spend hours simply waiting on hold. You have to weigh the positives against the negatives. Is the product worth the hassle? How much did you pay for it? Is it vital to your success or is there another provider out there, just a click away? Or worse, what if don’t provide support?
If you’re on the other side of the coin, you’re foolish if you aren’t providing adequate technical support for your product, service or software.
A positive support session does more for customer loyalty than an entire marketing team. It doesn’t matter how easy or perfect your product. You can depend on your customers to find the flaws or break the unbreakable. When that happens, you better be there to make it right or you won’t be in business a year from now.
If you promise full service in your TOS, you have to follow through. If you want to charge more for enhanced support, that’s your right. Just make sure you let the customer know the Terms of Service before you take their money.
Let’s give a cheer for tech support! It’s often tense. Sometimes unnerving. Rarely fun but sometimes -when everything goes well- it’s better than sex!