Whether you’re dealing with the tech department that’s down the hall or you’re calling in for tech support halfway across the country, dealing with IT professionals can be hard. Some would even say they make it hard on purpose.
That doesn’t mean you’re completely at the mercy of tech support. There are things you can do to make your conversation more productive.
You should choose your IT career wisely. The field is not limited with tech support, there are Security analysts, who are in charge of keeping information safe from cyber attacks. Web developers help provide the look and feel of an organization to others. Network architects are in charge of creating the internal networks that all employees of an organization use.
Don’t Be Afraid to Ask Them to Slow Down
It seems like tech support professionals do one of two things. They either dumb things down so severely that it’s almost insulting—but at least you know what they’re talking about—or they jabber on and on using fancy tech phrases that you don’t understand.
If you’re dealing with the latter, don’t be afraid to ask them to slow down. This is true if you’re calling in to get support for a problem you’re having on the computer, but it’s especially important for managers who are trying to learn more about a particular tech situation.
Don’t be afraid to ask them to slow down when they’re talking about Gartner magic quadrant for IPAM so you can ask questions, and don’t be afraid to ask them to clarify terminology you don’t understand, like APT threats or why they keep using the acronym CSP during your conversation.
Prepare Exactly What You’re Going to Say Ahead of Time
If you’re getting ready to have a difficult conversation, it’s a good idea to prepare what you’re going to say ahead of time. That’s a good idea when having conversations with loved ones, and strangely, it’s a good idea when preparing for a conversation with tech support.
It’s extremely easy for misunderstandings and miscommunications to happen when talking through concepts with IT. You can also end up wasting a lot of time. Instead, think about exactly what you want to say and get information ready that tech support is likely to ask about. For example:
- If you’re dealing with an error message, write down exactly what it says.
- Know how to describe exactly what’s going wrong with your computer.
- Know exactly when you started experiencing the problem.
- Think about whether something else happened at the same time.
- Know the version of the programs you’re using.
- Know the make and model of your computer.
- Share what you have already done to try and fix the problem.
- List changes to the problem since you first noticed it.
Make Sure You Have Plenty of Time Without Distractions
Although the problem you’re experiencing seems like it should be easy to fix, there are a million reasons why it may not be so easy to fix after all. Do yourself a favor and make sure you have plenty of time to talk to IT without distractions.
That means carving out at least an hour of your day. Give them a call when the kids are outside playing, or live chat with tech support right after a meeting when you know you won’t be interrupted. It can reduce frustration and it can prevent you from having to hang up the phone before your problem is accurately resolved.
Try to Avoid Getting Emotional
Managing your emotions when talking to a parent, a sibling, or a significant other about something important is hard, but it’s surprisingly difficult to keep your emotions in check when you’re receiving support from the IT department too. However, keeping them in check will provide you and them with a better experience.
When managing your emotions while chatting with tech support, keep perspective by knowing they are doing their best to help you, recognize that they aren’t the reason why you’re experiencing a problem, and don’t be afraid to let them know that you’re feeling frustrated in a calm manner without yelling or cursing.
Clarify Expectations
Disappointment is often the result of expectations that aren’t met. Do yourself a favor and clarify everything you need to know so you aren’t left feeling frustrated days after you spoke to tech support.
For example, do they know what’s wrong with your computer or system? Do they have what they need to fix it or make it better? How long is it going to take? You should also ask if there’s a ticket number or ask when you should circle back if you haven’t heard anything.
Talking to tech support isn’t usually very much fun, but that doesn’t mean it has to be frustrating! Follow these tips before and during your next conversation and you’ll find that things go much more smoothly.
