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Get the Most Out of Your Help Desk

Published on Sep 10, 2015 at 2:34 pm in Tips & Tricks.

Concept Technology Help Desk

Calls to a service line usually only mean one thing: Something’s not right.

An overcharged credit card bill, spotty internet service or a broken air conditioner can send you straight to the phone.

When it comes to information technology problems – whether in Nashville or anywhere around the country – a call to an IT help desk can be especially frustrating. Oftentimes, the root of an IT issue can be difficult to determine, and there’s an added pressure to make sure things are resolved quickly—and without any damage to security and productivity.

The best IT help desk engineers are like crisis managers: they are experts at mitigating hot tempers and computer damage. They’re able to tackle any issue and keep their poise all the while. Effectively communicating with an IT help desk professional can relieve some of the stress and accelerate the process of getting things back up to speed. Here are tips for getting the most out of your IT company’s tech support:

Troubleshoot beforehand.

Not every issue warrants a call to an IT help desk. Deciphering when you need an expert can greatly expedite problem resolution. Before calling your IT management provider’s help line, perform basic, independent troubleshooting. Unplug everything and turn equipment back on. It may be simple, but you’d be surprised at how many times this quick fix will work.

Identify the issue. 

The troubleshooting mentioned above may only work for small glitches. Matters of cyber security warrant an immediate call to a support specialist. If passwords have been forgotten or compromised or access to shared files has been lost, the IT issue becomes the most important matter at hand. Also, IT help desks should also be called if the computer is running slowly and it doesn’t appear internet-related. The best IT support desks won’t just remote into your computer and resolve the issue. They’ll also offer advice to make sure the problem doesn’t happen again.

Keep calm and IT on. 

But perhaps the most valuable suggestion for getting the most out of tech support is learning to stay calm and clearly communicate to the IT support engineer. It’s a natural tendency to grab the phone while still in panic mode. And an IT consultant should always respond in a composed manner, regardless of the attitude of the caller. However, taking time to cool off before calling can speed up problem resolution. That friendly voice on the phone is on your team.

Technology is great for a lot of things, but it’s humans that find solutions when things go awry. With mutual respect on both sides of a support line, a frustrating IT problem becomes much more manageable.

Contact us to learn more about how to be proactive when it comes to IT.