What Users Should Learn From Tech Support Reps
Originally I was going to write this article for the tech support reps themselves, but I realized this article already had that covered. Also, I’m hoping this will somehow reach the masses of computer users, thereby giving the reps a slightly better job. As a little bit of background: I’ve worked in many IT jobs, a few of them being outright tech support. But, most of these complaints come from my experience working for IBM, in the laptop tech support call center.
This is something users never seem to understand. It is not the fault of the rep you’re talking to that the wait time was long. They have absolutely no control over call volume, nor do they have control over how many people the company they work for hires.
Another thing a great deal of customers seem to think is that the rep is somehow opposing them. It’s as if the user thinks the rep is going to do every thing in their power not to fix the issue. This is simply not true; in fact, it’s quite the opposite. The rep is going to do everything in his power to fix your problem, if for no other reason than to get you off the phone.
It was quite common for me to get calls where the customer actually asked if I could ship a part faster, or if I could make the repair techs fix their computer a little faster. The answer was always, without a single exception, no. Why? It is because the rep does not have that kind of authority. The rep’s boss does not even have that kind of authority.
People frequently tried to pull a fast one on me, by telling me the issue with their computer was not their fault. They would claim it somehow just stopped working on its own. I never fell for it, nor would any other tech. When you’re taking 40+ calls a day, talking to people from all over the country - all of whom only have their best interests in mind - you learn very quickly how to spot lies. It’s fairly unlikely that a laptop would randomly stop working. However, it’s very likely that it was dropped on concrete from 5 feet above the ground.
Although this sort of falls under the “you do not get special treatment” category, I felt it needed its own number in this list. Just because your computer is under warranty, doesn’t mean they’re going to fix it for free when you accidentally drop it in the bath-tub (yes I did get that call). Unless you have a super-expensive “we’ll fix your computer no matter how stupid you are” warranty, they’re not going to fix a problem you caused.
This is probably the most universally applicable rule in tech support on this list. No matter where you’re calling for support, if you start yelling at the tech, they will not help you. Heaven forbid you curse, then the rep is allowed to not only hang up on you, but to put a note in your file (yes, you have a file) saying you’re an angry customer; this will make it much less likely that you’ll ever get good support from that company again.
Ok, this one is here just for fun, but it is a true story. I once had a woman call me, demanding to speak to the CEO of IBM. Now, in case you didn’t know, IBM is a very large computer manufacturer (or at least they were until they were bought by Lenovo, but that’s another story); in fact, at one time IBM was the largest computer manufacturer in the world. So asking to speak to the CEO of IBM, is somewhat the equivalent of calling The White House, and asking to speak to the president. Needless to say, I, and everyone in my department, got a good laugh out of that one.
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