Going Off Script

In some Tech Support jobs, a "script" may be provided for techs to use in communicating with customers on specific topics.  Anyone who has ever received a telephone solicitation call has heard someone reading off a script and, it's likely that it wasn't a pleasant experience.

When you're working from a script, treat it as an outline rather than verbatim - take the information or steps and state them in your own words, with your own cadence. Talk to the customer rather than talking through the script, and you'll find the call goes better.

Phones vs. Email

Tech Support takes multiple forms these days - it used to be that the only way to get assistance was by calling a phone number, waiting on hold, and then talking to someone.

Now you have telephone support, and then support via email, instant messaging, chat, even social media outlets like Twitter.

While Tech Support will always be, at its root, the art of helping someone use something they don't fully understand, there are some differences between email and telephone support.

Email (or chat, message board, instant messenger, IRC channel) support has the advantage of an unspoken, but generally understood time delay.  You don't have to maintain a continuous dialog with the customer, and that can give you the chance to review what you want to say, polish it, edit and then send the email, post the message, send the IM.   The disadvantage is that you are communicating entirely in text - you do not have the advantage of communicating through pitch, tone and timing that speaking with someone on the telephone permits.

Telephone support is the most "immediate" form of support - the clock is running from the moment you answer the call. You need to be able to think on your feet, and if you need to put the customer on hold you need to set that customer's expectations as clearly as possible.  On the other hand, you can make a more direct connection on a social level through how you say what you say - it adds another level of communication beyond conveying information.

Most techs have a preference - phone or email. It's a good idea to build your skills in both media, that way you won't have issues no matter which media you work in.

What is "World Class Support"?

The phrase "World Class Support" gets bandied around a lot among Tech Support managers.  The problems is, no one defines the phrase.  What does it mean?

The surprising truth is, "World Class Support" simply means doing more than what customers have come to expect from technical support.

• Talk to your customers like they're people, not problems
• Listen to your customers - even when what they're saying may not be 100% focused on the technical aspects of the problem they're encountering
• Set expectations realistically - and be sympathetic when your customers want things done faster
  This particular bit falls into the category of "Under promise and Over provide" - if you can do so honestly, let your customer know that the time line you're giving them is the official line, but things tend to get done faster.
• Be Honest - Sometimes the answer is no. This can be an "Unfortuantely no." It helps if you can suggest alternatives.
• Be willing to take the time to end the call with the customer happy. If that's not possible, try and end the call with the customer less unhappy than they were when the call started.

Just keeping these things in mind can result in providing, yes, "World Class Support."

Managing your Manager

We all have to deal with Management. In the best of all worlds, a manager's job is to act as the buffer between the rest of the company and yourself.  In a Metrics-Obsessed Management Environment, it may feel like your manager, whether he wants to or not, is out to get you.

Here are some things to keep in mind, and help you manage your manager:

1. Managers want you to succeed. Most managers are judged on how well their teams function.  Since you're part of the team, how you do in your job reflects on them.
2. Managers don't always understand exactly what your job entails.  If your manager didn't come up through the ranks as a Tech Support rep, or has been away from the position for a while, they many not know the details of what you have to do in order to do your job. If you take the time to explain (and sometimes document - see Write Everything Down) what you actually do, it will help your manager do his job.
3. Communicate - Communicate - Communicate. If you let your manager know that something's up that might affect how you do your job, then your manager has information in context and that adds more data to the raw numbers he has to contend with.
4. Be Patient - Managers don't always speak the same language as reps (Managers speak Manager, Tech Reps speak Tech). Feel free to ask for clarification, and verify that you've interpreted the words correctly.  If this sounds familiar, that's because this is also one of the basic steps in troubleshooting.
5. Coaching is not a personal attack -  Managers get feedback from customers, other reps and QA and are responsible for communicating this information to you. Being told you have things that need improvement shouldn't be considered a personal attack. No one is perfect - acknowledge, make a couple notes so you don't make that particular error again, and carry on. 

Keep these things in mind, and it should be easier to manage the person who's responsible for managing you.

Where do Managers Come From?

In the Tech Support industry, managers tend to come from one of two categories:

1. Tech Support reps who have been promoted to management
2. Managers who are brought in to manage Tech Support Reps

 It's one of the ironies of the industry that if you're particularly good at your job, you're often given the opportunity to move "up" to a position where you don't actually do your job any more, but rather manage people who do what you did. 

If your manager is from category one, it's likely you'll have an easier time relating to this person. He's done the job you're doing, so he's been in the trenches and will have a basic grasp of what you're doing and the challenges that arise.  The odds are good that this manager is being challenged by his new job - the more information and data you can provide for him, the better (see The Metrics-Obsessed Management Environment) - Tech Support Managers don't want these numbers for themselves, but need them to satisfy those farther up the food chain.

If your manager is from category two, you may need to be patient with him as he gets an idea of what it is you actually do. Again, numbers tend to be important here (so, again, Write Everything Down) as does having what you actually do documented so your manager can take the information you give him in context, and communicate that information to his managers.

If you can make your manager's job easier, he's going to be more inclined to make your job easier.

Teach Troubleshooting

Tech Support exists because consumers do not know how the expensive products and services they purchase work. Most of the time, a Tech Support rep's job is to help their customers learn how to use what they've already paid for.

The rest of the time, Tech Support is there to fix what turns out to be broken, whether due to a flaw in the product itself or due to what is gently referred to as "pilot error".  Again, this usually is not the customer's fault because they don't understand what they did wrong in the first place.

One of the greatest services you can perform for a customer is to help them learn how to troubleshoot - when stepping them through the process of diagnosing an issue, if it's one that they can fix, you can show them what to look for and what to do to resolve the issue.

Each time you teach a customer how to troubleshoot an issue, you build their ability to help themselves and, when they do have to call, they might just have done some of the work for you.

The Art of Batching

If you're working in email or other non-telephone support modes, usually you have the ability to pull in a number of cases or tickets into your "in box" before you start working on them.

If you do have this option, take a day or two and see how many tickets your comfortable dealing with at a time. For some folks, a stack of 100 plus tickets in their "in box" is nothing, while for others it looks like (and feels like) an insurmountable obstacle.

Look at batching your work - pull in 20, 10 or even 5 cases, work them, and then pull in the next batch. You may find you're doing more work with less stress.

Macrotize

Tech Support is full of forms, formats and "expected information" - in most cases, you'll wind up with templates to use for recording case information, escalating cases, and in some cases even formats for responding to customers via email.

I've mentioned writing everything down previously, and this is another piece of the puzzle. If at all possible, use macros, "hot keys" or programmable keypads to "pre-load" standardized template information - one click is always faster than copy/paste, and that extra moment or two you have where you don't have to go looking for that one piece of information could add up to more time to get the actual work done, and better metrics overall.

Right now, I'm using a USB programmable keypad which I've loaded with a number of templates and stock responses for email.  I like this one because I can change key assignments on the fly (which is good for changing the "notification of issue" hotkey to the "resolution of issue" hotkey when said issue has been resolved).  Anything that lets you substitute one keystroke for six or more is a good thing.