Sooner or later you’re going to run into an issue when you need to call in for some help with getting your project or system installation up and running. So you pick up the telephone and who are you going to call? No, not the Ghost Busters, but Home Controls Technical Support, right?! Well, it really could be any manufacturer’s or distributor’s tech support, but regardless of who you do call, I’d like to offer a few tips on how to make that call more informative and productive for both you, the customer, and the tech head(s) on the other end of line. In no particular order, here they are.
1. Mobile phones have made reaching out to others so much more convenient, but please don’t call for tech support while your placing your order at your favorite drive-through. Being the tech head on the other end, I’ve heard my fair shares of “Welcome to MacBurgerJack, Senior. Can I take your order?” and “Hey, Tech Support, can you hold one second? Uhh, gimme the double beef double cheese with bacon, mega chili fries, and uh, a diet coke.” Yes, I know you have to eat lunch, too, but how about calling when your mind is really on the project? And please, I don’t want to hear the sounds of rushing water (unless you really are working on a fountain or water feature) and never do I want to hear the sound of a flushing toilet.
2. Tech support guys, and gals, are good at what they do. No, they’re really good at what they do, but they’re only as good in figuring things out as the information that is provided to them. The more information you provide, the quicker a solution can be achieved. At a minimum, try and identify the manufacturer and part numbers of the equipment that you are working with. You have to accurately convey the actions that you have performed and describe things in detail in order to make the tech head feel as if he’s there with you troubleshooting the problem.
3. Can’t get your message across on the phone? How about sketching a diagram or taking a picture and sending it to tech support? My wife emails me pictures taken with her cell phone all the time of our cats and their latest mischievous antics, and you, too, could easily do the same. Don’t send me pictures of your cat, but do email or fax a picture of that gnarly wired junction box or your wiring diagram sketched on the back of the cocktail napkin. A picture is worth a thousand words.
4. This one has some ties to the first tip. When you do have tech support on the line, try and make it quality time. Preferably call from where the troubleshooting needs to take place, just in case the tech head asks you to do something like flip a power switch on or have you test for 12 VDC by having you touch the leads of a power supply with the tip of your tongue because you don’t have a DVM. OK, ok, unless you have a calibrated tongue, you’ll simply test for the presence of voltage, how’s that?
Troubleshooting while you’re driving and talking on the cell phone? Not the most productive, not to mention the inconvenience of dropped calls. Some people I know have a difficult time just driving, but if you must call while behind the wheel, just be sure to use your hands-free device if your calling from California. If you are on site, try and eliminate background noise and distractions, not only for your sake but for the tech head that’s now also hearing the barking dog, the baby crying, and that two-stroke leaf blower being operated by your landscaper. Can you say B-R-O-O-M? And one last thing, the tech head is giving you 100% of his attention. Don’t put ‘em on hold for longer than 15 seconds when you get a call waiting tone. Better yet, ignore the call waiting. That’s what voice mail is for, right.
5. What else? RTFM. Read the furnished manual. Or at least have it with you as a reference. Be informed of the equipment that you are working with. Yes, I know that there are manuals out there that have lost some of their meaning when translated from their original foreign language to English, but still, they do provide useful information. I like the pictorial instructions, like the ones IKEA provides, myself. And you know what? I haven’t had to call their tech support yet!
I’ll let you in on a little secret…unless I’ve worked with a product so much that I dream about it night, in color, I rely heavily on the manuals that come with the products that we sell when it comes to troubleshooting (and I do periodically call our manufacturer’s tech support when I’m at a loss for what to do next). There’s been many a time when I’ve read the instructions out loud to a customer while he read along on his end of the phone when all of a sudden, the light came on and the customer realized what he missed or what needed to be done. There is a huge difference between reading and just seeing words on a page, and reading and understanding the content.
So those are five tips for you, and even I, to keep in mind the next time a call is required for a bit of help. But please! Keep those calls coming in to Home Controls Tech Support! I am in now way discouraging you from calling! For without your calls and questions, I might be the one asking you what you’d like to order for lunch through that nasally squawk box!
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