Users 101 Users are a diverse population of people. They can simultaneously be the most frustrating, the most interesting and the most rewarding part of a tech-support job. Most of them don't understand computers the way that an IT person would. They don't understand jargon. Sometimes they don't even understand simple, generally accepted industry terms. Some of them are afraid of computers or dislike them because they don't understand computers or even the basics of how they do what they do. A few of them like computers a great deal. Any user's attitude toward computers can have an effect on the ways they interact with the computer, and with IT staff. When it comes to troubleshooting, this can cause a major communication breakdown, especially in crunch time. - - - This is the way to get the truth out of users. Try to put the user at ease. This involves both letting them know that it's ok for them to ask questions, even "stupid" ones, that it's ok for them to have problems using the computer (which are most likely not directly their fault), and overall that it's more than ok for them to be calling you. That's precisely what you're there for - to answer their questions and deal with their problems. Be polite. Be friendly. Answer the phone with a professional demeanor, but don't act aloof. Engage the user. You can joke with them, but never mock them. Let them know, through your attitude and choice of words that you respect them, and that you understand their frustration. Empathy is one of the best ways to put the user at ease. Even a simple "I hate it when the computer does that," from you will place you firmly on the user's side in their mind and let them know you're pulling for them - not laughing at them. Earn the user's trust and respect. Users are grown-ups. Even if they don't understand what computers are and what they do, most of them do understand that they can't get everything they want out of a given situation and that no one person knows everything. Give them the facts. If you don't know the answer to the question, it's all right to say so, as long as you follow it up by working on the answer and keeping the user updated. Honesty and frankness on the tech support level will help you to earn the user's trust, and most of them will respect you for it as well. You must keep your cool. No matter what the user says to you or how they say it, try to keep a level head, a level voice, and keep giving them the facts. This may be the most difficult part of the tech support job. It can be easy to let a user get to you with things they say, assume or won't tell you. Find an anger management technique that works for you - deep breaths, smiling, making faces or obscene gestures at the phone (as long as there are no users in the room), or even putting the user on hold for a few seconds if you feel like you're getting out of control. If they feel the need to yell, sometimes it's best just to let them do that. If they're clearly frustrated or panicking the best way you can help them is not by mirroring their emotions, but rather by keeping steady and helping them as quickly and effectively as possible. Sometimes the best thing to do is to go see them when they're frustrated. Most people would rather deal with another person than with a phone, even if there's a human being on the other end of the phone. Also, most people will be more civilized to you in person than they would be with the phone as a buffer. If all else fails, and a user is still angry or panicking after you've done all you can, or if they simply will not listen to what you have to say, calmly, evenly pass them to a manager. - - - Of course, all these things are emotional tools to help you deal with a user so you can get to the real point of the call - getting to the root of their problem. Most of us know at least something about the troubleshooting process - the steps you have to go through to isolate the problem and the steps that are then taken to solve it. Odds are, even if the user is familiar with troubleshooting in the abstract, they aren't applying it to their current situation. Odds are they're just seeing something go wrong, or even something that just seems a little odd, and the first thing they do is call you. So they're not necessarily going to give you clear information. How many times have you gotten a call that starts: "I can't log on." "I got an error." "The internet is broken." or even just "I didn't do anything unusual, but my computer just went CRAZY!" Of course, to help with the user's problem, you will need specific symptoms of the insanity. But sometimes getting them is like pulling teeth. That's where our emotional tools come in handy. Ask the user specifics: "What were you trying to do when you had the problem?" "What/how many programs did you have open?" "What was the exact error?" "Can you reproduce the problem?" "What do you see on the screen right now?" If the user goes into a frustrated "Just fix it!" mode, remember emotional point three- keep your cool, and emotional point 2 - explain to them that the more information you have, the more quickly you can get to the root of their problem. Look at the user's screen: Seeing what the user sees and being able to manipulate their screen is an invaluable tool, so use it! It's a lot easier to VNC in, or even to go to the computer and show someone how to do something or where the problem is than it is to explain it to someone on the phone. Don't just do things for them, though, if you can avoid it. Explain what you're doing as you do it. Go slowly enough that they can follow what you're doing. Repeat what you did at least once, or as many times as they ask, so they can learn for themselves what to do. Be cheerful about it - remember points one and two - keep them at their ease and respect them. Don't tell them everything: I know I said earlier that being honest and frank with a user is a good way to earn their respect, but people are complicated and tricky, and while it's generally good to tell a user the truth, and it's usually good to tell them nothing but the truth, you generally want to fall somewhere short of the whole truth. If they're asking a question you know you can figure out quickly, don't tell them you don't know. Buy yourself a little time by asking for specifics you don't need, and in the meantime be looking for the answer on your own machine. If they want you to come in and look at a problem where the solution is simple enough to tell them over the phone, sometimes it's good to look at the problem, and then offer the solution with "well, looking at this, what I think you need to do is..." Know solutions to common problems: If one user calls in with a question or problem, especially on a new piece of software, odds are more than one user will call in with the same or a similar problem. If a user figures out a solution to a problem that you're still working on, don't be afraid to get them to explain what they did - it's all part of respecting and being respected. "Sometimes you need to sacrifice the chicken." This is a phrase I actually used once with a user who wanted to know why I was making her do a particular troubleshooting step. The workings of computers are complex and mysterious, and sometimes the steps we take to solve a problem don't seem to relate to the problem itself especially to users who don't actually know how computers work (the most infamous example being the reboot). The fact is, sometimes you have to make the user jump through the hoops required by the system, even if they don't make sense. It can be good to explain to the user "The reasons are complicated, but if we do this it will fix the problem, which is what we want, so let's just do it." You do the steps, you get through. Problem solved. You're happy. The computer is happy. The user is happy. Everyone is happy. Except the chicken. - - - So that's what you do. Connecting to the users on an emotional level can help you connect to them on a technical one. Dealing with computers is straightforward, dealing with people is not. Don't be afraid to use emotional tools to help you get your job done. - + - + - This presentation was written by Ericka Crouse with significant input from JD & JH in order of consultation. The presentation, when given, was accompanied by a powerpoint presentation that highlighted the main points of the text, but added very little actual value except the waste of a morning at work. Feel free to excerpt or use this text, as long as full credit is given to Ericka Crouse. No guarantees are offered as to the content or effects of this presentation, but we would like to note that Ms. Crouse's management agreed wholeheartedly with the points contained herin. Copyright 2003 Go home.