In order to workto the satisfaction of your client as well as your employer, you must follow certain basic ethical standards of customer support. These include respect for the client, professional behavior, and proper use of his property. Whether you need to use his laptop, his Internet connection, or his telephone, you must askthe client for his permission. This section explains some of the common aspects of professional behavior.
Professional behavior
A customer support technician should not only be skilled in his technical problem-solving skills but should also have a clear understanding of professional behavior. This is not only applicable to in-house helpdesksupport technicians but also to those technicians who provide onsite customer support. Some of the common elements of professional behavior are as follows.
Positive attitude. Keeping a positive attitude simply means that you should avoid negative thinking. It helps find a faster and meaningful solution to problems. A
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positive attitude not only makes the life of a customer support technician easier but also helps maintain interest in the job. This certainly creates a good customer base for the organization he works for. You must always feel energetic about your job and motivate yourself in order to achieve success in your profession. A positive atti- tude will not only earn you respect, but people will also love to work with you. A positive attitude can be maintained by positive thinking. If you are called to attend to a customer support call, the first thing you should thinkis that it is your duty. Do not feel that you are being forced to solve another problem. If the clients do not make mistakes or do not get into trouble, there would be no need for customer support technicians.
Keeping a positive attitude always helps you lookat the brighter side. For example, when you talkto a client about a problem, keep in mind that you are the one who can solve it. Maintain a good tone in your voice and listen to the client actively. Get involved in the conversation and give the client the impression that you fully understand the problem.
Avoid arguments. It is very easy for a customer support technician to get involved in arguments with her clients. This is often the result of one or two statements and counter-statements. Arguments with clients sometimes lead to developing bitter relationships between organizations. They can even result in cancellation of valu- able service.
Even when you are extremely annoyed by the statements of a client, you should try to keep your calm. If you are facing an in-house user, he may be trying to spit out the frustration caused by his workload. If you are attending to an onsite customer support call, you may find that the client is upset by the loss of business due to computer downtime. He may start arguing with you as soon as you arrive at the site. Your job is to attend to the problem and not to get involved in the arguments. You must try to listen to the client and understand whether the reason for the argument is the computer problem or some other reason, such as a left- over unresolved problem by one of your colleagues.
Understand the problem. A solution to a computer problem can only be reached
when you fully understand it. Understanding the problem correctly is like getting half the job done. Talking to the client, listening to him attentively, and asking pertinent questions leads to correctly identifying the problem.
Information gathering is the first step in understanding and resolving a computer problem. In order to understand it, you must first round up information by talking to the client or by analyzing the system status. This may be in the form of a symptom noticed by the client. If the client does not have any idea how the problem occurred, you may have to collect information from the system log files. Once you have enough information, you may thinkof a corrective action to resolve it.
Be respectful. You will be involved in actively interacting with the client right from the moment you arrive at the client’s site or the client’s desktop. This interaction is usually in the form of talking to the client. You must maintain a positive atti- tude and be respectful to him. Never use offensive language or dirty jokes, or get
involved in political, racist, or sex talks. Do not let the client feel that you are there to just attend another support call. Be respectful to the client as well as to his workplace.
As noted earlier in this section, actively listening to the client is one of the best ways to be respectful. It also shows that you are a true professional and not just another support technician. While you talkto the client, pay attention to the details hidden in his words. Sometimes, a mention of a very unrelated thing reveals the cause of the problem.
If there are language differences or the client is not able to use the language correctly to describe the problem, askquestions. Do not try to correct language or grammar mistakes and do not paraphrase his sentences only to correct what he is trying to say. These actions embarrass the client. Just make him feel that you understand what he is trying to say, instead of laughing at his language or correcting it time and again. Having said this, when it is your turn to talkto a client who has language difficulty, you should speakslowly and pause between sentences so that he can easily understand you.
Being respectful to a client also means that you should trust him when he is telling you about the problem. Also, make him feel that you understand and trust what he is saying. Do not thinkthat the client is lying to cover his actions that may have caused the problem. If you trust the client, he will also trust in return that you are the right person to do the job. The way you lookat the client while he is talking makes a big difference when it comes to respect. You should never frown at the client when you two are talking.
Interruptions. When the client is talking, you should not interrupt him. Let him complete what he has to say. Never breakthe conversation by just saying, “Oh, I know that. I have faced this problem many times.” Interrupting the client makes him feel that you are not interested, or that you are too experienced for problems like this. He might think that you have enough knowledge to resolve the problem without his help. Listen to the client and repeat backto him what you believe he is saying. (Use the paraphrasing technique.)
One important aspect of customer support is to keep the client involved in the problem-solving process. Do not forget that if you do not listen to the client prop- erly or do not let him say what he is trying to say, he may feel offended and may not be willing to help you. He may also leave you there alone to resolve the problem. In some situations, it is very important to take help from the client to completely resolve the problem. Consider a situation where you need to test the connectivity of a computer after rebooting it and logging on to the domain. If the client has left you at the desktop alone, you may not be able to complete the test.
Use of property
Customer support technicians working at onsite locations are regularly faced with using client property such as telephones, fax machines, and Internet access. The client organization’s property must be used with care and not damaged acciden- tally or otherwise. There are certain rules that the support technician must follow in order to maintain good rapport among clients. This section explains some of
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Telephone and fax. When you need access to a telephone or a fax machine, you must get permission from the appropriate authorities. In case you just want to use the telephone on your client’s desk, it is a good idea to seek his permission instead of simply picking up the phone and starting to dial a number. Once you have used the fax machine, make sure that you leave it in the same power condition as it was before you used it. This means that if the machine was powered on, leave it on, and if it was powered off and you turned it on for sending or receiving a fax, turn it off when you are done.
Desktops. As a computer support or helpdesktechnician, you are supposed to
resolve desktop problems. It is obvious that you will work on the desktop to iden- tify and resolve the problem. In some situations, you might need to use another desktop to test a component or install software on another desktop. In such a situation, you must askthe user of that desktop or seekpermission from her manager so that you do not violate the security policy of the organization. In case you need to move a desktop, you must be very careful while handling it.
Laptops. Laptops are portable devices that can be kept and operated anywhere.
You may find that most laptops are connected to a wireless part of the client orga- nization’s network. In some situations, they may also be connected to the wired network. If you are carrying your own laptop to the organization, ask for permis- sions from the appropriate manager or networkadministrator before connecting it to the wired or wireless network.
Internet. It is not unusual to use the Internet connection from remote locations these days. For example, you may need to connect to the Internet in order to download a software update, a service pack, or a new device driver from a vendor’s web site. In such a situation, you should checkthe client organization’s policy regarding guidelines or permissions for Internet usage for external users.
Printers. The same principles apply to the usage of printers as to fax machines and desktops. If you need to print some documents, you should get permission or at least inform the networkadministrator that you will be printing a few pages. When you are on a printer support call, you will need to print test pages to test printer configuration. Most importantly, if there is a printer problem and some documents are stuckin the printer spooler, you might need the administrator’s help to clear the print queue. You should not delete any documents that are held in the print queue without first getting permission from the network administrator.
Monitors. A monitor is a delicate part of the computer and must be handled care- fully. If you need to move a monitor in order to test it on a different computer or replace it with another one, askthe administrator for her help. You might get a cart to move the monitor. In case you need to test the computer using another user’s monitor, askfor permission. Do not disconnect a monitor from another desktop for testing purposes without getting permission from its user or the network administrator.
Although cafeteria and restrooms are not mentioned in the A+ exam objectives, it is important to add these places in this section. These places are part of the client organization’s property. It is a good idea to asksomeone for permission before using these facili- ties. For example, instead of simply walking to the cafeteria and pouring a cup of coffee, you should accompany the onsite network administrator there. You should also be careful to leave the place clean before leaving.
Chapter 3 Prep and Practice