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How to Talk to a Computer Consultant or Repair Person or Tech Support
The Problem
Has this ever happened to you? You’re trying to talk to a repair person about a problem with your computer, but it just isn’t going well. Me too! Here’s my advice on how to have a productive conversation with a technical person about problems that you need fixed.
Most of my experience is as an independent consultant who sometimes refers people to other solo professionals if I’m not the right person to help, or their need is so urgent that I can’t fit them into my schedule.
Prepare in advance
I recommend writing up some notes to summarize your current situation and needs, including:
- What is the problem to be solved? “It doesn’t work” or “I can’t do X” or “When I print I get nothing” are too vague. I recommend describing what actually happens when you try, e.g., “When I do X, instead of getting Y, I get Z instead.
- For example, “When I open document ‘abc’ and choose Print, instead of getting 2 legible pages, I get 2 pages of text with white lines through everything and a third page that’s blank” or “When I try to print, nothing comes out of my printer” or “When I try to print, my printer produces pages that are entirely blank.”
- When did the problem begin? Did anything unusual also occur around that same time?
- What have you already tried?
- Has this problem happened before? How did it get resolved?
- Does the problem occur on your computer, a mobile device, or both?
- Try to separate what you’ve observed from what you might conclude, e.g., “My computer is slow” vs. “My computer must be infected with a virus.”
- Are you using a Windows machine or a Macintosh? A laptop or a desktop? An iPhone, iPad, or Android? A combination of devices?
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How soon do you need this problem to be fixed? Of course it’s important, but is it an emergency?
- Has your computer or mobile device been backed up recently?
- What’s the best number to reach you by phone? When are you available to talk?
- Is there anyone else who needs to be included in the scheduling?
- Is there someone you know and trust who could help you with this process?
Initial contact
When you first call a repair person or consultant, be prepared to get their voicemail. When leaving a message (or sending an initial email), keep it brief. I suggest including:
- A very short summary of the problem, e.g., “My computer won’t power on” or “I can’t access my email” or “I’ve got a problem with my website”
- How you heard about them or who referred you
- Your name and the best phone number to reach you
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When you have time to talk over the next few days; be specific, e.g., “You can call me until 9pm”
Save any further details and questions for the more in-depth conversation you’ll have later.
The first conversation
When you have your first phone conversation (or more in-depth email conversation), after sharing the information I’ve outlined above there will probably be additional questions. For example:
Questions that the consultant may have for you:
- Is there anything else about your situation that I should know?
- Are there any other problems or issues that you’d like to discuss?
- For some problems, working in person is best. For others, we have the option of working “remotely,” where (with your permission) I would use special software and the internet to connect my computer to yours while talking on the phone. Are you comfortable with that approach?
- Do you have a chart or list of the various passwords that we might need?
- Is there anyone else who needs to be involved, for example regarding scheduling, work approval, payment approval?
Questions that you may have:
- Have you dealt with this type of problem before?
- How soon are you available?
- Have you worked with clients like me before? For example, a consultant who specializes in helping medium to large companies might not be a good fit for a person running their own solo business, or for an individual user on a tight budget using an older computer.
- Are you familiar with the type of computer that I have? The type of software that I use? The computer needs of someone in my particular profession?
- What do you do if you get stuck, i.e., encounter something unexpected in the course of your work?
- Do you work on-site, or do you need me to bring my computer to you? In the latter case, when could I expect to get it back?
- Do you charge by the hour? By the project? What about travel time and parking?
- How long do you think this will take?
- How can I help?
- What’s your working style? Can you explain to me what you’re doing while you’re working?
- Can you give me an estimate of the cost? If it’s not clear, can you check in with me as the process unfolds?
- How and when do you prefer to be paid?
- Do you charge for this initial conversation?
- Do you do all the work yourself, or do you have a partner or employees?
- Do you have references?
- Where do we go from here? What will you do next? What do you need me to do next?
How you deserve to be treated
A good technical support person will:
- Get back to you in a timely manner
- Listen to you
- Treat you with respect
- Ask good questions
- Be clear about when they are available, how they work, how they charge for their work
- Be clear about what they can and can’t do
- Be reasonably clear about how long the work might take, how much it might cost, and what can’t be fully known until the work is underway
- Give you recommendations about your particular situation, including what can (or can’t) be done on your timeframe and within your budget
A good support person should never make you feel ashamed or stupid about things that you don’t understand or were never told.
Finding an independent consultant to help
The best approach is to ask people that you know and trust to recommend someone for your particular situation.
It’s also a good idea to line someone up in advance, i.e., today, before you need them.
Large-company tech support
While getting technical help from a large company has many similarities to working with an independent consultant, there are some important differences, including:
- The initial contact might be by phone, email, or “live chat.”
- If you use Google to search for a company’s phone number online, you’re very likely to find a malicious scammer instead, so be absolutely certain that you’re looking at the real company’s legitimate website before calling.
- Many companies use software to screen the phone calls (or live chats) they receive. I’ve found that saying (or typing) “representative” or “agent” can sometimes get me to a live person sooner.
- If the conversation gets accidentally terminated, you’re unlikely to resume with the same person, so I recommend asking about this to see whether they’re permitted to call you back if that happens.
- Many support people have been trained to work from a predefined script that tries to match problems with solutions. They’re often not trained to put your needs and concerns first, and they may be under pressure to “resolve” your issue quickly and move on to the next caller. They may also be required to help multiple people simultaneously, which can divide their attention and make helping you take more time.
- If their script doesn’t solve your problem, they may suggest a “solution” that will erase your device and start over, which will discard all of your data and any previously-installed software, and they may make no effort to explain this in advance. While that may technically solve your problem, that’s an extreme approach (with a possibly devastating outcome) that should involve careful discussion and consent. I recommend that you make it crystal clear that preserving your existing data is one of your top priorities.
When to terminate the conversation
For an independent consultant: Do they talk to you with respect, concern, and consideration? If not, move on to someone else.
When dealing with a large company: Do they understand the problem? Can they communicate clearly? Do they have ideas regarding what to try? If not, ask for a supervisor, or call back and get someone else.
Where to go from here
Working with a repair person can be a good experience, especially if both of you approach it from a perspective of teamwork, cooperation, and respect.
- google: top technical support questions -interview
- google: how to talk to a technical support person
- google: how to reach a person for large company technical support
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