Working with People in a Technical World
Contents
1. 4 Review the service call with the customer Summarize the instructions and explanations you have given during the call This is an appropriate time to fill out your paperwork and explain to the customer what you have written Then ask if she has any questions 5 Explain preventive maintenance to the customer such as deleting temporary files from the hard drive or cleaning the mouse Most customers don t have preventive mainte nance contracts for their PCs and appreciate the time you take to show them how they can take better care of their computers It s a good idea to follow up later with the customer and ask if he is still satisfied with your work and if he has any more questions For example you can say to the customer Pll call you on Monday to make sure everything is working and you re still satisfied with the work And then on Monday make that call The A 220 701 Essentials exam expects you to know to follow up with the customer at a later date to verify his or her satisfaction SOMETIMES YOU MUST ESCALATE A PROBLEM You are not going to solve every computer problem you encounter Knowing how to escalate a problem to those higher in the support chain is one of the first things you should learn on a new job Know your company s policy for escalation What documents do you fill out Who gets them How do you pass the problem on e mail phone call or an online entry in a database Do you remain the responsible s2. documentation sufficient details broken down by cost of individual parts hours worked and cost per hour Give the documentation to the customer at the end of the service and keep a copy for yourself For phone support the documentation stays in house If your organization is using an electronic tracking system and you re providing phone support most likely you re typing notes as the call happens Be clear with your notes especially if others must handle the problem If you cannot solve the problem on this one call the next time you talk with the customer you ll be dependent on your notes to remember the details of the previous call You ll also want to use the solution to help build your knowledge base about this type of problem Make the notes detailed enough so that you can use them later when solving similar problems Also know that tracking system notes are sometimes audited If you don t have an electronic tracking system after the call create a written or digital record to build your own knowledge base Record the initial symptoms of the problem the source of the problem you actually discovered how you made that discovery and how the problem was finally solved File your documentation according to symptoms or according to solutions APPLYIN G CO N CEPTS Daniel had not been a good note taker in school and this lack of skill was affecting his work His manager Jonathon had been watching Daniel s notes in the ticketing syst
3. so You might also be expected to provide desk side support helping computer users with all sorts of hardware and application concerns Some job titles that fall into this category include enterprise technician IT administrator PC technician support technician PC support specialist and desk side support technician 4 PC service technician A PC service technician goes to a customer site in response to a service call and if possible repairs the PC on site PC service technicians are usually not responsible for ongoing PC maintenance but usually do interact with users Other job titles might include field technician or field service technician 4 Technical retail associate Those responsible for selling computers and related equipment are often expected to have technical knowledge about the products they sell These salespeople work in somewhat of a consulting role and are expected to advise customers about the best technology to meet their needs how to apply the technology and maybe even how to configure entire networks and interconnected applications and equipment Sometimes job roles involve only one stage of the sale For instance less technical people might make the initial contact with the customer and begin the sales process and those who are more technically knowledgeable can act as technical sales consultants to complete the details of the sale 4 Bench technician A bench technician works in a lab environment might not interact wi
4. a group of four or five classmates discuss the answers to the following questions If you were Jenny what would you do What would you do if you were Linda What would you do if you were Jason What would you do if you were another team member wo A Ww N fF If you were the boss and got wind of the resentment against Linda what would you do PROJECT 3 4 Learning to Be a Good Communicator Working with a partner discuss ways to respond to the following statements made by a customer Then decide on your best response 1 My computer is all dark 2 I got so mad at my laptop I threw it to the floor Now it won t start I think it s still under warranty 3 My dog chewed the mouse cord and now nothing works 4 I heard you tell that other customer that your product stinks I came here to buy one Now what am I to do 5 I don t see the any key Where is it PROJECT 3 5 Interacting with the User Rob a PC service technician has been called on site to repair a PC He has not spoken directly with the user Lisa but he knows the floor of the building where she works and can look for her name on her cubicle The following is a description of his actions Create a table with two columns List in one column the mistakes he made in the following descrip tion and in the next column the correct action he should have taken 108 CHAPTER 3 Working with People in a Technical World Rob s company promised t
5. felt encouraged to know that good social skills and good work ethics can take you far in today s world My advice to you is to take this chapter seriously It s important to be technically proficient but the skills learned in this chapter just might be the ones that make you stand out above the crowd to land that new job or promotion In this chapter you ll learn about the job roles of a professional PC support technician including the certifications and record keeping and informational tools you might use Then we focus on interper sonal skills people skills needed by a technical support technician If you meet someone who doesn t have a smile give them yours 82 CHAPTER 3 Working with People in a Technical World JOB ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES As a PC troubleshooter you might have to solve a problem on your own PC or for someone else As a PC technician you might fulfill several different job roles Figure 3 1 Picture yourself here and think about your job role in this position Courtesy iStockphoto 4 PC support technician A PC support technician works on site closely interacting with users and is responsible for ongoing PC maintenance Of the job roles in this list a PC support technician is the only one responsible for the PC before trouble occurs Therefore you are able to prepare for a problem by performing routine preventive maintenance keeping good records and making backups or teaching users how to do
6. him know so he can put them in a safe place When working at a user s desk follow these general guidelines Don t take over the mouse or keyboard from the user without permission Ask permission again before you use the printer or other equipment LOL 022 Y re 1 2s 3 Don t use the phone without permission 4 Don t pile your belongings and tools on top of the user s papers books and so forth 5 Accept personal inconvenience to accommodate the user s urgent business needs For example if the user gets an important call while you are working delay your work until the call is over 6 Also if the user is present ask permission before you make a software or hardware change even if the user has just given you permission to interact with the PC Figure 3 11 Consider yourself a guest at the customer s site Courtesy iStockphoto In some PC support situations it is appropriate to consider yourself a support to the user as well as to the PC Your goals can include educating the user as well as repairing the computer If you want users to learn something from a problem they caused explain how to fix the problem and walk them through the process if necessary Don t fix the problem yourself unless they ask you to It takes a little longer to train the user but it is more pro ductive in the end because the user learns more and is less likely to repeat the mistake CHAPTER 3 Working with People in a Technical W
7. of the most important ways to achieve customer satisfaction is to do your best by being prepared both technically and personally Being prepared includes knowing what customers want what they don t like and what they expect from a PC technician Your customers can be internal you both work for the same company in which case you might consider the customer your colleague or external your customers come to you or your company for service Customers can be highly technical or technically naive repre sent a large company or simply own a home PC be prompt or slow at paying their bills want only the best and be willing to pay for it or be searching for bargain service be friendly and easy to work with or demanding and condescending In each situation the key to success is always the same Don t allow circumstances or personalities to affect your com mitment to excellence and to treating the customer as you would want to be treated The following traits distinguish one competent technician from another in the eyes of the customer 4 Trait 1 A positive and helpful attitude This helps establish good customer relation ships You communicate your attitude in your tone of voice the words you choose how you use eye contact your facial expressions how you dress and in many other What Customers Want Beyond Technical Know How 87 LOL 022 Y a subjective and subtle ways Generally your attitudes toward your custo
8. or service that your company provides What are some things you can do to make your work at a help desk easier Why is it important to be a certified technician When applying for a position as a help desk technician you discover the job interview will hap pen by telephone Why do you think the employer has chosen this method for the interview What organization offers A certification 1 You own a small PC repair company and a customer comes to you with a PC that will not boot After investigating you discover the hard drive has crashed What should you do first a Install a hard drive the same size and speed as the original Hands On Projects 105 b Ask the customer s advice about the size drive to install but select a drive the same speed as the original drive c Ask the customer s advice about the size and speed of the new drive to install d If the customer looks like he can afford it install the largest and fastest drive the system can support 2 You have repaired a broken LCD panel in a notebook computer However when you disassembled the notebook you bent the hinge on the notebook lid so that it now does not latch solidly When the customer receives the notebook he notices the bent hinge and begins shouting at you What do you do first Second a Explain to the customer you are sorry but you did the best you could b Listen carefully to the customer and don t get defensive c Ask the customer wha
9. site is a residence know that you should never stay at a site when only a minor is present If a minor child answers the door ask to speak with an adult and don t allow the adult to leave the house with only you and the child present After initial greetings the first thing you should do is listen and ask questions As you listen it s fine to take notes but don t start the visit by filling out your paperwork Save the paperwork for later or have the essentials already filled out before you reach the site Figure 3 8 Begin each new relationship with a handshake Courtesy iStockphoto A 220 701 CHAPTER 3 Working with People in a Technical World BEGINNING A PHONE CALL PROFESSIONALLY When you answer the phone identify yourself and your organization Follow the guidelines of your employer on what to say Then ask for and write down the name and phone number of the caller Ask for spelling if necessary If your help desk supports businesses get the name of the business the caller represents Follow company policies to obtain other specific information you should take when answer ing an initial call For example your company might require that you obtain a licensing or warranty number to determine whether the customer is entitled to receive your support Be familiar with your company s customer service policies You might need to refer questions about warranties licenses documentation or procedures to other suppo
10. 8 Point out ways that you think communication could be improved For example you might say I m sorry but I m having trouble understanding what you want Could you please slow down and let s take this one step at a time Figure 3 13 When a customer is upset try to find a place of agreement Courtesy iStockphoto APP LYI N G C 0 N CEPTS Andy was one of the most intelligent and knowledgeable support technicians in his group working for NetServe Inc He was about to be promoted to software engineer and today was his last day on the help desk Sarah a potential customer with little computer experiences calls asking for help accessing the company Web site Andy says The URL is www dot netserve dot com Sarah responds What s a URL Andy s patience grows thin He s thinking to himself Oh help Just two more hours and Im off these darn phones He answers Sarah in a tone of voice that says hey I really think you re an idiot He says to her You know lady That address box at the top of your browser Now enter www dot netserve dot com Sarah gets all flustered and intimidated and doesn t know what to say next She really wants to know what is a browser but instead she says Wait I ll just ask someone in the office to help me and hangs up the phone Discuss the situation with others in a small group and answer these questions 1 If you were Andy s manager and overheard this call how wo
11. CHAPTER 3 In this chapter you will learn e About some job roles and respon sibilities of those who sell fix or support personal computers e What customers want and expect beyond your technical abilities How to interact with customers when selling servicing and supporting per sonal computers Working with People in a Technical World E the last two chapters you were introduced to hardware and software In this chapter the focus is on relating to people and your career as a professional PC support technician As a professional PC technician you can manage your career by staying abreast of new technology using every available resource to do your job well and striving for top professional certifications There was a time when most PC support jobs had to do with simply working with hardware and software and the perception was that people skills were not that important But times have changed and our vocation has become much more service oriented Knowing how to effectively work with people in a technical world is one of the most sought after skills in today s service oriented work environments Just before writing this book an employer told me Tt s not hard to find technically proficient people these days But it s next to impossible to find people who know how to get along with others and can be counted on when managers are not looking over their shoulders I could sense his frustration but I also
12. For example you can say to a customer I need to return to the office and research the cost of parts that need replacing Pll call you tomorrow LOL 022 Y Fl CHAPTER 3 Working with People in a Technical World before 10 00 AM with an estimate If later you find out you need more time call the cus tomer before 10 00 AM explain your problem and give her a new time to expect your call This kind of service is very much appreciated by customers and if you are consistent you will quickly gain their confidence Another way to set expectations is to give the customer an opportunity to make decisions about repairs to the customer s equipment When explaining to the customer what needs to be done to fix a problem offer repair or replacement options if they apply Don t make decisions for your customer Explain the problem and what you must do to fix it giving as many details as the customer wants When a customer must make a choice state the options in a way that does not unfairly favor the solution that makes the most money for you as the technician or for your company For example if you must replace a motherboard a costly repair in parts and labor explain to the customer the total cost of repairs and then help her decide if it is to her advantage to purchase a new system or repair this one Figure 3 10 Advise and then allow a customer to make purchasing decisions Courtesy iStockphoto WORKING WITH A CUSTOMER ON
13. ONTACT WITH A CUSTOMER Your initial contact with a customer might be when the customer comes to you such as in a retail setting when you go to the customer s site when the customer calls you on the phone or when the customer reaches you by chat or e mail In each situation always follow the specific guidelines of your employer Let s look at some general guidelines when you go to the customer s site and when the customer calls you on the phone BEGINNING A SITE VISIT PROFESSIONALLY When a technician makes an on site service call customers expect him or her to have both technical and interpersonal skills Prepare for a service call by reviewing information given you by whoever took the call Know the problem you are going to address the urgency of the situation and what computer software and hardware needs servicing Arrive with a complete set of equipment appropriate to the visit which might include a tool kit flashlight multimeter grounding strap and mat and bootable CDs and DVDs When you arrive at the customer s site greet the customer in a friendly manner and shake his or her hand Use Mr or Ms and last names rather than first names when addressing the A 220 701 6 2 Planning for Good Service 91 LOL 022 Y E Figure 3 7 A frustrated customer will appreciate your confidence and friendly attitude Courtesy iStockphoto customer unless you are certain the customer expects you to use first names If the
14. Ray was new at the corporate help desk that supported hospitals across the nation He had only had a couple weeks of training before he was turned loose on the phones He was a little nervous the first day he took calls without a mentor sitting beside him His first call came from Fernanda a radiology technician who was trying to log onto her computer system to start the day When Fernanda entered her user account and passcode an error message appeared saying her user account was not valid She told Ray she had tried it several times on two different computers Ray checked his database and found her account which appeared to be in good order He asked her to try it again She did and got the same results In his two weeks of training this problem had never occurred He told her I m sorry I don t know how to solve this problem She said Okay well thank you anyway and hung up She immediately called the help desk number back and the call was answered by Jackie who sits across the room from Ray Fernanda said The other guy couldn t fix my problem Can you help me a What other guy Jackie asks I think his name was Ray Oh him He s new and he doesn t know much and besides that he should have asked for help Tell me the problem Jackie resets the account and the problem is solved In a group of three or more students discuss and answer the following questions 1 What mistake did Ray make What shou
15. SITE As you work with a customer on site avoid distractions as you work Don t accept personal calls on your cell phone Most organizations require that you answer calls from work but keep the call to a minimum Be aware that the customer might be listening so be careful to not discuss problems with coworkers the boss or other situations that might put the company its employees or products in a bad light with the customer If you absolutely must excuse yourself from the service call for personal reasons explain to the customer the situation and return as soon as possible As you work be as unobtrusive as possible Consider yourself a guest in the customer s office or residence Don t make a big mess Keep your tools and papers out of the customer s way Don t use the phone or sit in the customer s desk chair without permission If the customer needs to work while you are present do whatever is necessary to accommodate that A 220 701 6 2 Planning for Good Service 95 Protect the customer s confidential materials Don t read these materials For example if you are working on the printer and discover a budget report in the out tray quickly turn it over so you can t read it and hand it to the customer If you notice a financial spreadsheet is displayed on the customer s computer screen step away and suggest to the user he close the spreadsheet If sensitive documents are lying on the customer s desk you might let
16. Todd is informed the next morning of Jack s behavior Todd calls Jack into his office He likes Jack and wants him to be successful in the company Jack is resistant and feels justified in what he did As Todd what do you think is important that Jack understand How can you explain this to Jack so he can accept it What would you advise Jack to do In role play one student plays the role of Jack and another the role of Todd 2 Switch roles or switch team members and replay the roles 3 What are three principles of relating to people that would be helpful for Jack to keep in mind 4 Trait 7 Credibility Convey confidence to your customers Don t allow yourself to appear confused or befuddled Troubleshoot the problem in a systematic way that por trays confidence and credibility Get the job done and do it with excellence Credible technicians also know when the job is beyond their expertise and when to ask for help 4 Trait 8 Integrity and honesty Don t try to hide your mistakes from your customer or your boss Everyone makes mistakes but don t compound them by a lack of integrity Accept responsibility and do what you can to correct the error 4 Trait 9 Know the law with respect to your work For instance observe the laws concerning the use of software Don t use or install pirated software 4 Trait 10 Looking and behaving professionally A professional at work knows to not allow his emotions to interfere with business relati
17. as the situation when the problem occurred Possible answers I was trying to start up my PC I was opening a document in MS Word I was researching a project on the Internet 4 What programs or software were you using Possible answer I was using Internet Explorer 5 Did you move your computer system recently Possible answer Well yes Yesterday I moved the computer case across the room 6 Has there been a recent thunderstorm or electrical problem Possible answer Yes last night Then when I tried to turn on my PC this morning nothing happened 7 Have you made any hardware software or configuration changes Possible answer No but I think my sister might have 8 Has someone else used your computer recently Possible answer Sure my son uses it all the time 9 Is there some valuable data on your system that is not backed up that I should know about before I start working on the problem Possible answer Yes Yes My term paper It s not backed up You gotta save that 10 Can you show me how to reproduce the problem Possible answers Yes let me show you what to do After you have interviewed the user ask him to listen while you repeat the problem to make sure you understand it correctly If you don t understand what the customer is telling you ask open ended questions to try to narrow down the specifics of the problem Re create the circumstances that existed when the problem occurred in as much deta
18. em at the help desk he worked on and was not happy with what he saw Jonathon had pointed out to Daniel more than once that his cryptic notes with sketchy information would one day cause major problems On Monday morning calls were hammering the help desk as a server had gone down over the weekend and many internal customers were not able to get to their data Daniel escalated one call from a customer named Matt to a tier two help desk Later that day Sandra a tier two technician received the escalated ticket and to her dismay the phone number of the customer was missing She called Daniel How am I to call this customer You only have his first name and these notes about the problem don t even make sense Daniel apologized to Sandra but the damage was done Two days later an angry Matt calls the manager of the help desk to complain that his problem is still not solved Jonathon listens to Matt vent and apologies for the problem his help desk has caused It s a little embarrassing to Jonathon to have to ask Matt for his call back information and to repeat the details of the problem He gives the information to Sandra and the problem gets a quick resolution Discuss this situation in a small group and answer the following questions 1 If you were Daniel what could you do to improve note taking in the ticketing system 2 After Sandra called do you think Daniel should have told Jonathon about the problem Why or why not 3 If you w
19. employers that you are prepared to do the work and are committed to being educated in your chosen profession Certification and advanced degrees serve as recognized proof of competence and achievement improve your job opportunities create a higher level of customer confidence and often qualify you for promotions and other training or degrees The most significant certifying organization for PC technicians is the Computing Technology Industry Association CompTIA pronounced comp TEE a CompTIA sponsors the A Certification Program and manages the exams The CompTIA home page for A Certification is http certification comptia org a shown in Figure 3 3 Follow the Download A Objectives link on the page to get the list of objectives for the CHAPTER 3 Working with People in a Technical World Sot fo EE t O io cme ample a Ea ee a E por Compl la 2 sic aah fT ae Fe a a Tingi i riei DE E a ee se Dreem t Thee Tremi e dere piee ey i ass rmm eee pr Er hamm CERAME EH GEHEIM ee d h an aidai B hiipi piak thibiit Da Hebis g ie Err es Pi e me gie ee ee ee cmp D bem ki bari gml ed ee da ae h h i Cer Ts ia ese cpie k eea eel h ee banin ae E SERS OTi hey pii a h as i mpami g Ths apm Sa pa eee pah o ee ky ied WiN aE kaag p L aa aE id pi be a Tempa ia genam Boe ge pongi haa Eup mgl uniu Dieis pee mi ihg E irim 1 FE ee ee EE OL pi regener io apa a mab D ers P eig pe a ibia e iji i fd Coreg lis
20. ere Jonathon how would you handle the situation with Daniel Two students play the role of Daniel and Jonathon when Jonathon calls Daniel into his office to discuss the call he just received from Matt The other students in the group can watch and make suggestions as to how to improve the conversation 102 A 220 701 6 2 CHAPTER 3 Working with People in a Technical World WORKING WITH COWORKERS Learn to be a professional when working with coworkers A professional at work is someone who puts business matters above personal matters In big bold letters I can say the key to that is to learn to not be offended when someone lets you down or does not please you Remember most people do the best they can considering the business and personal constraints they re up against Getting offended leads to becoming bitter about others and about your job Learn to keep negative opinions to yourself and to expect the best of others When a coworker starts to gossip try to politely change the subject Practice good organizational skills Clean your desk before you leave work each day Put things away Use a good filing system If you don t know how to organize your things ask someone in the office for advice Organize your time by making to do lists and sticking with them as best you can It s amazing the positive impression good organization makes with coworkers and the boss Figure 3 14 Co workers who act professionally a
21. hari Window game at www kevan org johari by Kevan Davis Then answer the following questions 1 What are the five or six descriptive words you used to describe yourself at the beginning of the game 2 What are words others used to describe you 3 How has input from your friends adjusted how you see yourself Hands On Projects 107 4 How might this adjustment affect the way you will relate to customers and coworkers on the job use the same five or six descriptive words that you used the first time If your answer is no what new words would you use 5 If you were to play the Interactive Johari Window game a second time would you still PROJECT 3 3 Handling Conflict at Work Jenny works with a team of seven other professionals Linda a team member is a very close personal friend of the boss With the boss s approval Linda took a sudden and unexpected two week vacation to go on a cruise during the team s most difficult month of the year One team member Jason had to work 16 days nonstop without a day off during Linda s vacation Other team members soon began complaining and resenting Linda for the unbear able workload that vacation caused them A few weeks back from vacation Linda began to notice that she was being excluded from informal luncheons and after work gatherings She confided in Jenny that she could not understand why everyone seemed to be mad at her Jenny not wanting to cause trouble said nothing to Linda In
22. hat a service technician would come some time during the next business day after the call was received Rob was given the name and address of the user and the problem which was stated as PC will not boot Rob arrived the following day at about 10 AM He found Lisa s cubicle but she was not present Because Lisa was not present Rob decided not to disturb the papers all over her desk so he laid his notebooks and tools on top of her work Rob tried to boot the PC and it gave errors indicating a corrupted file system on the hard drive He successfully booted from a CD and was able to access a directory list of drive C The list was corrupted and jumbled and he realized most of the files were corrupted Next Rob used a recovery utility to try to recover the files and directories but was unable to do so He began to suspect that a virus had caused the problem so he ran a virus scan program that did not find the suspected virus He made a call to his technical support to ask for suggestions Technical support suggested he try erasing everything on the hard drive to remove any possible viruses and then reinstall Windows Rob cleaned everything off the hard drive and was on the phone with technical support in the process of reloading Windows from the company s file server when Lisa arrived Lisa took one look at her PC and gasped She caught her breath and asked where her data was Rob replied A virus destroyed your hard drive I had to refo
23. i pai DAAR Pi PUEL y pea Raa LEH a j D yd Bri pieri Pa beata bo Paaa Pg aira i aiin MPa ya a ae mn CTi MEL hA a Bp Sep Dea ppa Desp lih e LL pip per piara Figure 3 3 CompTIA A Certification Web page Courtesy Course Technology Cengage Learning latest exams which are currently the A 2009 exams To become certified you must pass the A 220 701 exam that covers content on hardware operating systems security and soft skills skills involving relationships with people Passing the A 220 701 exam validates entry level skills in any PC repair job You must also pass the A 220 702 exam to get your A Certification A Certification has industry recognition so it should be your first choice for certification as a PC technician CompTIA has more than 13 000 members from every major company that manufactures distributes or publishes computer related products and services For more information about CompTIA and A Certification see the CompTIA Web site at www comptia org Other certifications are more vendor specific For example Microsoft Novell and Cisco offer certifications to use and support their products These are excellent choices for additional certifications when your career plan is to focus on these products In addition to becoming certified and seeking advanced degrees the professional PC technician should also stay abreast of new technology Helpful resources include on the job training books magazines the Internet
24. il as you can Make no assumptions All users make simple mistakes and then overlook them And before you begin work be sure to ask the very important Question 9 listed above Does the system hold important data that is not backed up Then watch the user reproduce the problem Or if the user is not at the computer and you are at the computer follow his directions to reproduce the problem yourself Use diplomacy and good manners when you work with a user to solve a problem For example if you suspect that the user dropped the PC don t ask Did you drop the PC Put the question in a less accusatory manner Could the PC have been dropped The A 220 701 Essentials exam expects you to be able to clarify customer statements by asking open ended questions to narrow the scope of the problem and by restating the issue or question SET AND MEET CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS A professional technician knows that it is his responsibility to set and meet expectations with a customer It s important to create an expectation of certainty with customers so that they are not left hanging and don t know what will happen next Part of setting expectations is to establish a timeline with your customer for the completion of a project If you cannot solve the problem immediately explain to the customer what needs to happen and the timeline that she should expect for a solution Then keep the customer informed about the progress of the solution
25. in your PC repair person What is one thing you should do when you receive a phone call requesting on site support before you make an appointment You make an appointment to do an on site repair but you are detained and find out that you will be late What is the best thing to do When you arrive for an on site service call how important is your greeting What would be a good greeting to start off a good business relationship When making an on site service call what should you do before making any changes to software or before taking the case cover off a computer What should you do after finishing your PC repair What is a good strategy to follow if a conflict arises between you and your customer If you are about to make an on site service call to a large financial organization is it appropriate to show up in shorts and a T shirt Why or why not You have exhausted your knowledge of a problem and it still is not solved Before you escalate it what else can you do If you need to make a phone call while on a customer s site and your cell phone is not working what do you do When someone calls your help desk what is the first thing you should do List the items of information you would want to record at the beginning of a help desk call What is one thing you can do to help a caller who needs phone support and is not a competent computer user Describe what you should do when a customer complains to you about a product
26. is designed to help others reveal to you those assets The house in Figure 3 15 represents who we are Room 1 is what we know about ourselves that we allow others to see Room 2 is what others see about us that we don t see ourselves our blind spots Room 3 is what we see about ourselves that we hide from others And Room 4 contains traits in us that we don t know about and neither do others see traits yet to be discovered 106 CHAPTER 3 Working with People in a Technical World Bar B Others Me Figure 3 15 A Johari Window demonstrates the complexity of how we see ourselves and how others see us Courtesy Course Technology Cengage Learning As we move Bar A to the right we are making a conscious decision to reveal more about ourselves to others which is a technique successful salespeople often use to immediately connect with their customers The theory is that if you move Bar A to the right not only are you choosing to reveal what you normally would hide but you are also moving the bar so that more of Room 4 can be seen in Room 2 This means that others can see more about you that you don t see When we allow others to tell us something about ourselves we are moving Bar B away from us which in effect allows us to see more of who we really are Therefore to learn more about yourself you can do two things Reveal more of yourself to others and allow others to tell you more about yourself Try playing the Interactive Jo
27. ld he have done or said 2 What mistake did Jackie make What should she have done or said 3 What are three principles of relating to customers and coworkers that would be helpful for Ray and Jackie to keep in mind CHAPTER SUMMARY 4 Five key job roles of a PC support technician include PC support technician PC service technician retail sales associate bench technician and help desk technician 4 A Certification by CompTIA is the most significant and most recognized certification for PC repair technicians 4 Staying abreast of new technology can be done by attending trade shows reading trade magazines researching the Internet subscribing to email newsletters and attending seminars and workshops 4 Customers want more than just technical know how They want a positive and helpful attitude respect good communication ownership of their problem dependability credi bility and professionalism KEY TERMS A Certification escalate technical documentation call tracking expert system ticket 104 CHAPTER 3 Working with People in a Technical World 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Name five job roles that can all be categorized as a PC technician Of the five jobs in Question 1 which one job might never include interacting with the PC s primary user Assume that you are a customer who wants to have a PC repaired List five main charac teristics that you would want to see
28. m using problem solving skills You must still have the cus tomer check the simple things but direct the conversation with tact For example you can say I know you ve probably already gone over these simple things but could we just do them again together 4 Tip 4 Be careful not to accuse the customer of making a mistake 4 Tip 5 Even though the customer might be using technical jargon keep to your policy of not doing so with this customer unless you re convinced he truly understands you The A 220 701 Essentials exam expects you to know that it is important to not minimize a customer s problem and to not be judgmental toward a customer WHEN THE CUSTOMER COMPLAINS When you are on site or on the phone a customer might complain to you about your organization products or service or the service and product of another company Consider the complaint to be helpful feedback that can lead to a better product or service and better customer relationships Here are a few suggestions that can help you handle complaints and defuse customer anger 4 Suggestion 1 Be an active listener and let customers know they are not being ignored Look for the underlying problem Don t take the complaint or the anger personally 4 Suggestion 2 Give the customer a little time to vent and apologize when you can Then start the conversation from the beginning asking questions taking notes and solving problems Unless you must have the info
29. mers stem from how you see people how you see yourself and how you see your job Your atti tude is a heart issue not a head issue To improve your attitude you must do it from your heart That s pretty subjective and cannot be defined with a set of rules but it always begins with a decision to change As you work with customers or users make it a habit to not talk down to or patronize them Don t make the customers or users feel inferior People appreciate it when they feel your respect for them even when they have made a mistake or are not knowledgeable If a problem is simple to solve don t make the other person feel he or she has wasted your time Your customer or user should always be made to feel that the problem is important to you 4 Trait 2 Listening without interrupting your customer When you re working with or talking to a customer focus on him or her Don t assume you know what your customer is about to say Let her say it listen carefully and don t interrupt Make it your job to satisfy this person not just your organization your boss your bank account or the customer s boss 4 Trait 3 Proper and polite language Speak politely and use language that won t con fuse your customer Avoid using slang or jargon technical language that only technical i Figure 3 4 Learn to listen before you decide what a user needs or wants Courtesy iStockphoto A 220 701 CHAPTER 3 Working with Pe
30. onships If a customer is angry allow the customer to vent keeping your own professional distance You do however have the right to expect a customer not to talk to you in an abusive way Dress appropriately for the environment Take a shower each day and brush your teeth after each meal Use mouthwash Iron your shirt If you re not in good health try as best you can to take care of the problem Your appearance matters And finally don t use inappropriate language It is never appropriate A 220 701 CHAPTER 3 Working with People in a Technical World Figure 3 6 Allow an irate customer to vent and then speak calmly Courtesy iStockphoto Your customers might never remember what you said or what you did but they will always remember how you made them feel PLANNING FOR GOOD SERVICE Customers want good service And to provide good service you need to have a good plan when servicing customers on the phone or online on site or in a shop This section surveys the entire service situation from the first contact with the customer to closing the call We begin with the first contact you have with the customer The A 220 701 Essentials exam expects you to know that when servicing a cus tomer you should be on time avoid distractions set and meet expectations and timelines communicate the status of the solution with the customer and deal appropriately with customer confidential materials INITIAL C
31. ople in a Technical World people can understand Avoid acronyms initial letters that stand for words For example don t say to a nontechnical customer I need to ditch your KVM switch when you could explain yourself better by saying to the customer I need to replace that little switch box on your desk that controls your keyboard monitor and mouse Trait 4 Sensitivity to cultural differences Cultural differences happen because we are from different countries and societies or because of physical handicaps Culture can cause us to differ in how we define or judge good service For example culture can affect our degree of tolerance for uncertainty Some cultures are willing to embrace uncertainty and others strive to avoid it Those who tend to avoid uncertainty can easily get upset when the unexpected happens For these people you need to make special efforts to communicate early and often when things are not going as expected For the physically challenged especially the deaf or blind communication can be more difficult It s your responsibility in these situations to do whatever is necessary to find a way to communicate And it s especially important to have an attitude of patience and tolerance which you will unconsciously express in your tone of voice your choice of words and your actions Trait 5 Taking ownership of the problem Taking ownership of the customer s problem means to accept the customer s problem as you
32. orld WORKING WITH A CUSTOMER ON THE PHONE Phone support requires more interaction with customers than any other type of PC support To understand the problem and also give clear instructions you must be able to visualize what the customer sees at his or her PC Patience is required if the customer must be told each key to press or command button to click Help desk support requires excellent commu nication skills good phone manners and lots of patience As your help desk skills improve you will learn to think through the process as though you were sitting in front of the PC yourself Drawing diagrams and taking notes as you talk can be very helpful If your call is accidentally disconnected call back immediately Don t eat or drink while on the phone If you must put callers on hold tell them how long it will be before you get back to them Speak clearly and don t talk too fast Don t complain about your job your boss or coworkers your company or other companies or products to your customers A little small talk is okay and is sometimes beneficial in easing a tense situation but keep it upbeat and positive DEALING WITH DIFFICULT CUSTOMERS Most customers are polite and appreciate your help And if you make it a habit to treat others as you want to be treated you ll find that most of your customers will tend to treat you well too However occasionally you ll have to deal with a difficult customer In this part of the cha
33. ortunity to ask questions 4 Tip 6 Compliment the customer whenever you can to help the customer gain confidence 4 Tip 7 If you determine that the customer cannot help you solve the problem without a lot of coaching you might need to tactfully request that the caller have someone with more experience call you The customer will most likely breathe a sigh of relief and have someone take over the problem When solving computer problems in an organization other than your own check with technical support within that organization instead of working only with the PC user The user might not be aware of policies that have been set on the PC to prevent changes to the OS hardware or applications WHEN THE CUSTOMER IS OVERLY CONFIDENT Sometimes customers are proud of their computer knowledge Such customers might want to give advice take charge of a call withhold information they think you don t need to know or execute commands at the computer without letting you know so you don t have 98 CHAPTER 3 Working with People in a Technical World ne enough information to follow along A situation like this must be handled with tact and 220 701 respect for the customer Here are a few tips 6 2 4 Tip 1 When you can compliment the customer s knowledge experience or insight 4 Tip 2 Slow the conversation down You can say Please slow down You re moving too fast for me to follow Help me catch up 4 Tip 3 Don t back off fro
34. per Large organizations use an electronic call tracking system that tracks 1 the date time and length of help desk or on site calls 2 causes of and solutions to problems already addressed 3 who did what and when and 4 how each call was officially resolved When someone initiates a call for help the technician starts the process by creating a ticket The ticket is entered into the call tracking system and stays open until the issue is resolved People assigned to the ticket then document their progress under this ticket in the call tracking system As an open ticket ages more TOL O 22 V w 86 CHAPTER 3 Working with People in a Technical World attention and resources are assigned to it and the ticket might be escalated to those higher up in the support chain until the problem is finally resolved and the ticket closed Help desk personnel and managers acknowledge and sometimes even cele brate those who consistently close the most tickets Now let s focus on our customers and what they expect from us beyond our technical knowledge ontent in this chapter ap o the A 220 701 Essen WHAT CUSTOMERS WANT BEYOND TECHNICAL KNOW HOW Probably the most significant indication that a PC technician is doing a good job is that cus tomers are consistently satisfied In your career as a support technician commit to providing excellent service and to treating customers as you would want to be treated in a similar situ ation One
35. pter you ll learn how to work with customers who are not knowledgeable who are overly confident and who complain WHEN THE CUSTOMER IS NOT KNOWLEDGEABLE A help desk call is the most difficult situation to handle when a customer is not knowledge able about how to use a computer When on site you can put a PC in good repair without depending on a customer to help you but when you are trying to solve a problem over A 220 701 6 2 Planning for Good Service 97 LOL 022 Y E Figure 3 12 Learn to be patient and friendly when helping users Courtesy iStockphoto the phone with a customer as your only eyes ears and hands a computer illiterate user can present a challenge Here are some tips for handling this situation 4 Tip 1 Be specific with your instructions For example instead of saying Open Windows Explorer say Using your mouse right click the Start button and select Explore from the menu 4 Tip 2 Don t ask the customer to do something that might destroy settings or files without first having the customer back them up carefully If you think the customer can t handle your request ask for some on site help 4 Tip 3 Frequently ask the customer what is displayed on the screen to help you track the keystrokes and action 4 Tip 4 Follow along at your own PC It s easier to direct the customer keystroke by keystroke if you are doing the same things 4 Tip 5 Give the customer plenty of opp
36. r own problem Doing that builds trust and loyalty because the customer knows you can be counted on Taking ownership of a problem also increases your value in the eyes of your coworkers and boss People who don t take ownership of the problem at hand are likely to be viewed as lazy uncommitted and uncaring One way to take ownership of a problem is to not engage your boss in unproductive discussions about a situation that he expects you to handle on your own Trait 6 Dependability Customers appreciate and respect those who do as they say If you promise to be back at 10 00 the next morning be back at 10 00 the next morning If you cannot keep your appointment never ignore your promise Call apol ogize let the customer know what happened and reschedule your appointment Figure 3 5 When talking with customers make sure they understand what to expect from you Courtesy iStockphoto A 220 701 6 2 What Customers Want Beyond Technical Know How 89 APPLYIN G C 0 N C EPTS Jack had had a bad day on the phones at the networking help desk in Atlanta An electrical outage coupled with a generator failure had caused servers in San Francisco to be down most of the day The entire help desk team had been fielding calls all day explaining to customers why they did not have service and about expected recovery times The servers were finally online but it was taking hours to get everything reset and functioning No one had taken a break all af
37. re fun to work with Courtesy iStockphoto Know your limitations and be willing to admit when you can t do something For exam ple Larry s boss stops by his desk and asks him to accept one more project Larry already is working many hours overtime just to keep up He needs to politely say to his boss I can accept this new project only if you relieve me of these tasks Learn how to handle conflict at work Few of us have enough social skills to be able to effectively confront a coworker about his faults In almost every situation when a coworker disappoints us the appropriate response is to shake it off to not gossip to other coworkers about the problem and move on If you can t do that the next best thing is to go to your boss or the coworker s boss with the problem Hopefully your boss has been trained in handling conflict and will take care of the problem If you do find yourself in a situation where you want to help a coworker with his problem go to the coworker with a good A Key Terms 103 attitude and a sincere offer to help resolve the problem And one more tip Never give bad 220 701 news or point out a fault by e mail Using e mail you are not able to communicate your 6 2 tone of voice or read the facial expression of the other person And if miscommunication happens you will not be able to immediately clear it up Speak face to face and if that is not possible speak by telephone APPLYIN G CO N CEPTS
38. rmat Lisa tried to explain the importance of the destroyed data Rob replied Guess you ll learn to make backups now Lisa left to find her manager REAL PROBLEM 3 1 Looking for a PC Support Job Suppose you ve finished your PC repair curriculum and have achieved A Certification Now it s time to find a job Research the online job sites and newspapers for PC support jobs in your area Look for jobs that require A Certification and also look for PC support related jobs that don t require certification Don t forget to check out retail jobs selling computers and computer parts Find at least three job ads If you can t find ads in your immediate area branch out into nearby cites Make printouts or copies of the three job ads and answer these questions What source newspaper Web site or other source did you use to find the job What is the job title What are the qualifications of the job What is the salary What additional experience or certification do you need to qualify for the job ana uu FF Ww DPD e If you were actually looking for a PC support related job which of the three jobs would be your first choice Why REAL PROBLEM 3 2 Write Your Own Scenario for Developing Interpersonal Social Skills In the chapter you read several scenarios where technical support people failed to serve their customers well or failed to relate professionally with coworkers Recall Real Problems Real Solution
39. rmation for problem solving don t spend a lot of time finding out exactly whom the customer dealt with and what hap pened to upset the customer 4 Suggestion 3 Don t be defensive It s better to leave the customer with the impres sion that you and your company are listening and willing to admit mistakes No matter how much anger is expressed resist the temptation to argue or become defensive 4 Suggestion 4 Know how your employer wants you to handle a situation where you are verbally abused If this type of language is happening you might say something like this in a very calm tone of voice I m sorry but my employer does not require me to accept this kind of talk 4 Suggestion 5 If the customer is complaining about a product or service that is not from your company don t start off by saying That s not our problem Instead lis ten to the customer complain Don t appear as though you don t care 4 Suggestion 6 If the complaint is against you or your product identify the underlying problem if you can Ask questions and take notes Then pass these notes on to people in your organization who need to know Planning for Good Service 99 re 4 Suggestion 7 Sometimes simply making progress or reducing the problem to a man 220 701 ageable state reduces the customer s anxiety As you are talking to a customer summa 6 2 rize what you have both agreed on or observed so far in the conversation 4 Suggestion
40. rt personnel or customer rela tions personnel After you have obtained all the information you need to know that you are authorized to help the customer open up the conversation for the caller to describe the problem If you spend many hours on the phone at a help desk use a headset instead of a regular phone to reduce strain on your ears and neck Investing in a high quality headset will be worth the money Figure 3 9 Teaching a user how to fix her problem can prevent it from reoccurring Courtesy iStockphoto INTERVIEW THE CUSTOMER Troubleshooting begins by interviewing the user As you ask the user questions take notes and keep asking questions until you thoroughly understand the problem Have the customer reproduce the problem and carefully note each step taken and its results This process gives you clues about the problem and about the customer s technical proficiency which helps you know how to communicate with the customer Here are some questions that can help you learn as much as you can about the problem and its root cause 1 Please describe the problem What error messages unusual displays or failures did you see Possible answer I see this blue screen with a funny looking message on it that makes no sense to me A 220 701 6 2 Planning for Good Service 93 2 When did the problem start Possible answer When I first booted after loading this neat little screensaver I downloaded from the Web 3 What w
41. s 109 a similar situation where you observed poor service from a technician or salesperson Write the scenario using fictitious names Then write three questions to cause other students to think through what went wrong what should have happened and what are some principles of relating to customers or coworkers that could have helped if they had been applied Present your scenario in class or with a student group for discussion This page intentionally left blank
42. t he would like you to do to resolve the problem d Tell the customer he is not allowed to speak to you like that PROJECT 3 1 Evaluating Your Own Interpersonal Skills with Customers and Coworkers Assume that you are working as a PC support technician for a corporation Your job requires you to give desk side support to users answer the phone at the help desk and make an occasional on site call at corporate branches Answer the following questions 1 In the role of desk side support to users what do you think is your strongest social skill that would help you succeed in this role 2 What is likely to be your greatest interpersonal weakness that might present a challenge to you in this role 3 What is one change you might consider making that will help you to improve on this weakness 4 In the role of phone support at the help desk what part of that job would you enjoy the most What part would give you the greatest challenge 5 When making on site calls to corporate branches what part of this job would you enjoy the most What interpersonal skills if any would you need to develop so that you could do your best in this role PROJECT 3 2 The Johari Window Online Game The Johari pronounced Joe Harry after the two men who created it window reveals an interesting view of how we relate to others Sometimes when we evaluate our own interper sonal skills we overlook our greatest assets that others can see This project
43. ternoon but the call queue was still running about 20 minutes behind Todd the boss had asked the team to work late until the queue was empty It was Jack s son s birthday and his family was all expecting Jack home on time Jack moaned as he realized he might be late for Tyler s party Everyone pushed hard to empty the queue As Jack watched the last call leave the queue he logged off stood up and reached for his coat And then the call came Jack was tempted to ignore it but decided it had to be answered It was Lacy Lacy was the executive secretary to the CEO and when Lacy calls all priorities yield to Lacy and Lacy knows it The CEO was having problems printing to the laser printer in his office Would Jack please walk down to his office and fix the problem Jack asks Lacy to check the simple things like Is the printer turned on Is it plugged up Lacy gets huffy and says Of course I ve checked that Now come right now I need to go Jack walks down to the CEO s office takes one look at the printer and turns it on He turns to Lacy and says I suppose the on off button was just too technical for you Lacy glares at him in disbelief Jack says I ll be leaving now As he walks out he begins to form a plan as to how he ll defend himself to his boss in the morning knowing the inevitable call to Todd s office will come In a group of two or four students role play Jack and Todd and discuss these questions 1
44. th that documentation 4 Tool 3 Hardware and software products generally have more technical documentation than just a user manual A company should make this technical documentation available to you when you support its product If you don t find it on hand know that you are likely to find user manuals and technical support manuals as PDF files that can be downloaded from the product manufacturers Web sites 4 Tool 4 Online help targeted to field technicians and help desk technicians is often available for a product This online help will probably include a search engine that searches by topics words error messages and the like 4 Tool 5 An expert system is software that is designed and written to help solve problems It uses databases of known facts and rules to simulate human experts reasoning and decision making Expert systems for PC technicians work by posing questions about a problem to be answered by the technician or the customer The response to each question triggers another question from the software until the expert system arrives at a possible solution or solutions Many expert systems are intelligent meaning the system will record your input and use it in subsequent sessions to select more questions to ask and approaches to try Therefore future troubleshooting sessions on this same type of problem tend to zero in more quickly toward a solution 4 Tool 6 Call tracking can be done electronically or on pa
45. th users of the PCs being repaired and is not permanently responsible for them Bench technicians probably don t work at the site where the PC is kept They might be Job Roles and Responsibilities 83 able to interview the user to get information about the problem or they might simply receive a PC to repair without being able to talk to the user A bench technician is sometimes called a depot technician 4 Help desk technician A help desk technician provides telephone or online support Help desk technicians who do not have physical access to the PC are at the greatest disadvantage of the types of technicians listed They can interact with users over the phone by a chat session or by remote control of the user s computer and must obvi ously use different tools and approaches than technicians who are at the PC Other job titles in this category include remote support technician and call center technician Now let s turn our attention to the need to be certified and then we ll look at the record keeping and information tools needed by a technician TOL O 22 V w Figure 3 2 PC support technicians might have limited contact with users Courtesy iStockphoto CERTIFICATION AND PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS Many people work as PC technicians without any formal classroom training or certifi cation However by having certification or an advanced technical degree you prove to yourself your customers and your
46. trade shows and interaction with colleagues Job Roles and Responsibilities 85 seminars and workshops One popular trade show is Interop by CMP Media www interop com where you can view the latest technology hear industry leaders speak and network with vast numbers of organizations and people Using the Internet a conven ient and inexpensive way to keep up with the latest technologies is to subscribe to newslet ters by e mail Two newsletters I read regularly are those published by PC World at www pcworld com and PCstats at www pcstats com RECORD KEEPING AND INFORMATION TOOLS If you work for a service organization it will probably have most of the tools you need to do your job including printed forms online record keeping procedures and manuals In some cases help desk support personnel might have software to help them do their jobs such as programs that support the remote control of customers PCs Examples of this type of software are Control F1 by Blueloop at www blueloop net and Windows XP Vista Remote Assistance which you will learn about in Chapter 18 Other types of resources records and information tools that can help you support PCs are listed below 4 Tool 1 The specific software or hardware you support must be available to you to test observe and study and to use to re create a customer s problem whenever possible 4 Tool 2 You need a copy of the same documentation the user sees and should be familiar wi
47. uld you handle the situation 2 What principles of working with customers does Andy need to keep in mind Two students sit back to back one playing the role of Andy and the other playing the role of Sarah Play out the entire conversation Others in the group can offer suggestions and constructive criticism a gt N N T j 100 A 220 701 CHAPTER 3 Working with People in a Technical World THE CUSTOMER DECIDES WHEN THE WORK IS DONE When you think you ve solved the problem allow the customer to decide when the service is finished to his or her satisfaction For remote support generally the customer ends the call or chat session not the technician If you end the call too soon and the problem is not completely resolved the customer can be frustrated especially if it is difficult to contact you again For on site work after you have solved the problem complete these tasks before you close the call 1 If you changed anything on the PC after you booted it reboot one more time to make sure you have not caused a problem with the boot 2 Allow the customer enough time to be fully satisfied that all is working Does the printer work Print a test page Does the network connection work Can the customer log on to the network and access data on it 3 If you backed up data before working on the problem and then restored the data from backups ask the user to verify that the data is fully restored
48. upport party or does the person now addressing the problem become the new contact Are you expected to keep in touch with the customer and the problem or are you totally out of the picture For help desk support escalation is most likely done in the call tracking system where you keep your call notes It s very important to include detailed information in your notes so that the next person can pick up the call without having to waste time finding out informa tion you already knew When you escalate let the customer know Tell the customer you are passing the problem on to someone who is more experienced or has access to more extensive resources In most cases the person who receives the escalation will immediately contact the customer and assume responsibility for the problem However in some situations you should follow through at least to confirm that the new person and the customer have made contact A 220 701 6 2 A 220 701 6 2 2 1 Planning for Good Service 101 If you check back with the customer only to find out that the other support person has not called or followed through to the customer s satisfaction don t lay blame or point fingers Just do whatever you can to help within your company guidelines Your call to the customer will go a long way toward helping the situation THE JOB ISN T FINISHED UNTIL THE PAPERWORK IS DONE For onsite support a customer expects documentation about your services Include in the
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