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One
of the hardest aspects of being a computer technician isn't
the computer. It's dealing with the people using the
computer. From the computer illiterate to the computer
know-it-all, you'll face a wide range of people as a computer
tech that will annoy, frustrate, confuse, amaze, and disgust
you. Knowing how to deal with each type of person not
only will help you avoid being called into the boss' office
for a chat, but will also make your job of working on the
computer much easier as well.
Appearance
Everyone's heard the
old adage "First impressions are the lasting
impressions." Unfortunately, this is extremely
true. I can
tell you from my experience how important they are. As an
employed person, I dealt with this issue every day.
You could tell the difference between a day I was dressed up
and a day I was a little rough. If I hadn't shaved in a
day or had on wrinkled clothes, They will ask you to clean
computers. I learned very quickly to hide when I
felt ill, and to always dress as professionally as
possible.
The same goes for
on-site computer repairs. If you come to a site dressed
in torn jeans and a t-shirt, you're going to be treated like
someone with torn jeans and a t-shirt; As a
non-professional. This doesn't mean you need a 3 piece
suit to tech computers, but the standards of being
clean-shaven, and avoiding casual clothing are pretty much
standard. If you have to explain the way you look before
you can explain what you're doing, you're not going to get
very far.
Another part of
appearance is making sure your appearance is on time.
It's better to tell a customer "I can't get there right now
but I'm available this afternoon" than "I'm on my way" and not
showing up. Don't make promises you can't keep.
People will be more upset that you don't show up than if you
let them know you'll be there as soon as you can and show up
when you promise. And if you're going to be late, call
the customer and tell them why and when you'll be
there.
Communication
Skills
Another important
skill you should possess is the ability to communicate.
Let say 95% of the people out there, communication
involves talking. The other 5% of us realize that
listening is as important as talking. "You have 1 mouth and 2 ears, so listen
twice as much as you talk." This is true of computer
repair as well. You'll never know what's wrong with a
computer until you listen to what the user of the computer has
to say. Sure, some times you'll get lucky and walk in,
press a button, and walk out without talking to anyone.
This is rare though, and you should ALWAYS be prepared to
listen to what the user has to say.
The user can tell you
several things about a computer. First of all, they know
how the computer was running when it wasn't broken. This
will be important, because you may have thought you solved a
problem, but only the user really knows. Secondly, they
know when the problem started occurring. This can be
important because they can tell you about the last software
and hardware installations that they made, and what happened
when the problem first occurred. Lastly, they can tell
you about the e-mail they opened , the liquid the spilled, or
the file they deleted when the problem started
occurring.
Although most people
you meet won't understand the inner workings of the computer,
they will have some ability to describe their problem.
Some of what you need to learn is how to understand what the
user is saying and how it relates to the actual problem.
Many times users can only tell you the symptom of the problem,
not the problem itself. For example, the user saying
"This game won't play" could be a video card, sound card,
memory, or hard drive space error. Try to talk to the
user as much as possible to get their idea of what's going
wrong before you actually sit down and try repairing it.
The user may be totally off-base, but they'll feel better that
you at least talked to them first.
The last part of
communication is feeling empathetic towards the user.
Computers are frustrating pieces of equipment, and a
non-working computer can cost money, time, and sanity.
You have to be ready for irate, frustrated, ill-tempered
people when you show up to fix the computer. Most of
that anger is towards the computer, but expect a good portion
of it to be aimed at you.
The easiest way to
defuse the anger is with two words; "I Understand".
People generally will lighten up when you empathize with them,
because they understand that you are there to help them.
Sometimes they just need to get the anger out, and you're a
convenient place to vent. Saying things like "Wow,
that's pretty bad" or "Let's see if we can help get rid of
that problem for you" make the user feel that you understand
what they're going through, and you're there to
help.
Of course, sometimes
you'll never make a user happy. This calls for drastic
measures. If no matter what you say, the user stays
angry at you, the computer, or the entire world, it's time to
block that person out and solve the problem yourself.
This is a last resort only, and you should never ignore
someone if you can avoid it. But sometimes you'll hit
that one person on that one bad day who has a report due in an
hour that's sitting on the hard drive on the computer you're
working on....... you get the point. Solving the
problem will solve that person's problems as well, and
probably make them much easier to deal with.
Maintenance
The last area is
maintenance. You're probably saying to yourself
"Maintain what?". There's actually 3 parts to this
section. You need to maintain yourself, your relations
with your customers, and the customer's computer
itself.
| Maintenance Item |
Description |
| Yourself |
Before you
can properly do anything on someone's computer, you must
make sure that you are ready to perform those
tasks. This involves constantly educating yourself
to the new technologies that evolve daily in the
computer sector. By keeping up with advances in
hardware and software, you'll ensure that you are
prepared to handle the task you're going to be asked to
perform. Just because you are experienced doesn't
mean you are ready to handle every problem, because new
problems evolve every day. |
| Relations |
You need to
make sure that you keep the customer happy. If you
don't, they won't be a customer very long. Make
sure you maintain good relations with your customers,
including calling a customer after a repair to ensure
the problem is totally fixed. It also includes
talking to customers on their level. Don't talk in
highly technical terms that the customer can't
understand, as this can add to confusion and
bewilderment. |
| The Computer |
One thing
that you won't often see mentioned in any computer
repair books is maintaining a
customer computer. This involves going beyond
problem solving to preventive maintenance. This is a
touchy area, mostly because it falls out of the normal
scope of your job description. But I ALWAYS ensure
that every computer I deal with has some form of virus
protection, a firewall, and has had a recent
scandisk. I also educate most of my customers
about doing monthly defrags and updating anti-virus
scripts. 5 minutes spent educating a customer
about simple tasks they can perform can save you hours
of repairs, re-installations, and customer anger
later. (If you're getting paid by the hour, your
boss may not like this suggestion, but your customers
will love you for
it.) |
Dealing With
Different Types Of Customers
Since most
technicians in the computer field end up doing on-site service
at some point, it's important to understand what the different
types of people out there are and how to deal with each one.
The more difficult you make dealing with a customer, the more
difficult that repair will be.
The
Know-It-All
The most hated of all
customers is the one that knows EVERYTHING. The customer
is always right, right? They're right and wrong.
They're good and bad. It's all in how you handle
them.
When I managed the
computer store, we called these guys propeller heads.
They'll spout out knowledge about stuff to try to trip you up
and make a mistake. It's self-gratification. Think
of them with one of those little propeller beanies on spinning
it over and over every time they say something they think is
smart. You can't win with this type of customer, because
either they know more than you, or know less than you and
won't admit it.
Here's my suggestion
for dealing with propeller heads. If you can't beat
them, join them. Ask their opinions about the problem,
because there's a good chance they might give you some good
clues as to what the problem really is. Don't directly
correct any mistakes they make when taking about computers,
because they'll either get defensive when they realize they're
wrong, or they'll get angry and stop helping. Unless the
person is completely off-base, try correcting them in
passing. This works especially well when there's more
than 1 person in the area, as they get to show off while you
get to be right. We all want to be right deep
down. Showing it at the right times is more important in
this job.
Lastly, don't get
caught into the "Well mine is better" game. This is
where the propeller head loves to be. He has a 1.3Ghz
AMD, or has 256MB RAM, or that new Turtle Beach Santa Cruz
sound card. Compliment him on his choice of hardware,
but don't try impressing him with your 1.4Ghz Pentium, 512MB
RAM, and Sound Blaster Platinum card. You have work to
do, and unless you can get paid to stand for hours
listening to him spout out his plans for his system over the
next 8 years, you can't afford it. (Plus it makes them
feel better to hear "That sounds like it rocks" over "Well,
this is what I have.")
The Angry
Guy
You just have to love
the angry guy. He's pissed off and nothing you can do
will help. 90% of the angry guys out there have been
passed over by a previous technician, or think we're all a
bunch of ignorant low-life's. You can't win with this
guy. All you can do is placate him.
First off, you have
to take special care not to give the angry guy a reason to
become more angry. Don't show up late, skip out on a
promise, or screw something up worse. This just feeds
into the angry guy's mentality. Be professional, and get
the job done quickly, quietly, and with as few problems as
possible. The less time the angry guy has to see you,
the less time he has to be angry.
Eventually the day
will come when you WILL have to deal with the angry guy face
to face. Something will happen, and someone will be
extremely upset, and you'll have to make a decision.
Remember that your chances of satisfying angry guy are slim,
because these people are chronically angry. Do what is
right to get the job done within the bounds of your job
description. That last sentence is important.
"Within the bounds of your job description" can save your butt
later on when angry guy starts yelling at your boss. If
you did your job correctly, and stay within the limits
of what your job requires you to do, you can't get in
trouble.
Yelling at angry guy
is like tweaking a grizzly's nose; You don't want to do
it. Angry guy will always be angry guy, and starting a
fight with angry guy will probably get you in more
trouble. If you can fix the problem, do so as quickly as
possible with minimum contact with angry guy. When angry
guy starts yelling, ignore him. If you can't fix the
problem right then and there, get out quickly and don't come
back until you can fix the problem.
The
Beginner
These are both my
favorite people and the bane of my existence. The
beginner is a great person to deal with because they are like
a dry sponge. 99% of the time they know they don't know
much, so they sit and watch and try to learn. They can't
help you much, but they like to watch.
The problem with the
beginner is that you're going to spend half your time trying
to educate them. I love talking to people, and love
teaching. When I deal with a true beginner, I spend at
least half my time looking for ways to help them make their
work easier. This sucks up time... Time you may be
charging someone for or having to explain to someone else
later.
If you have the time
to spend, give it to them. Teach them the right way to
do things so next time they might avoid the problem in the
first place. If you don't have the time, explain what
you're doing but don't get into the trap of teaching them
everything. Explain what you're doing, do it, and move
on with the appropriate amount of courtesy used.
Mr. "This Is Wrong
Too"
Like the beginner,
most times a "This is Wrong Too" is a good thing. These
are general chronic novices who complain a fair amount.
So how can they be a good thing? A customer who
complains gives you feedback, and stays a customer longer than
the person you never hear from again. A customer that
knows you by name will come back, because you've created a
bond.
It's time to go back
to your job description again. When this type of person
has a problem, you have to categorize it. Does it fall
within your job description to fix it? Do rules prevent
you from fixing it right now? How long would it take to
fix? Then you use your judgment to decide whether to
proceed. If it's a quick fix that you can perform
without violating company policy, just do it. If it's
not, explain that to the customer and let them know the proper
person or route to handle to get the problem fixed.
Leaving them there with a broken computer and no idea where to
turn won't help.
General Does and
Don'ts
Always Listen To The
Customer. Never interrupt the customer while they're
trying to explain something to you.
Always explain what
you're doing. Never leave a site without explaining what
you've done.
Always be courteous
and polite, even if the customer isn't. Never insult or
berate a customer, no matter how much you think they deserve
it.
Always fix the
problem completely. Never leave a problem
half-solved.
Word Of
Mouth
It's hard to imagine
how much one little slip-up can screw up a business.
I've worked for a few companies that didn't follow some basic
rules on how to keep customers. Here's an example of how
word-of-mouth can hurt you and/or your business;
When working for a
furniture company, I talked with some people that said they
were recommended by someone. Naturally I asked
who. They said I wouldn't know them because they lived
about 600 miles away. Why had they been recommended to
us? Because someone in that store did what they said
they would on time with the least troubles. I tried to
follow in that person's footsteps, and things went pretty
good.
Now imagine if that
person had of been rude, short, or didn't fulfill his promise
in that other store. Someone 600 miles from me could
cost me a sale. When you do something right, people hear
about it. When you do something wrong, people hear about
it. In our age of communication, the people hearing
about the good or bad things you did can be thousands of miles
away. If what you did is bad enough, more people will
hear and the story will get passed on, mutated, and turned
into that game we used to play where you whispered something
into the ear of the person beside you and watched it change
into something totally different. In other words how you
react to problems and situations is going to be repeated over
and over in places you don't even know about, so don't make
your life or anyone else's any more difficult than it has to
be.
Dealing With
Problems
Our last section
today is how to deal with problems when they occur. This
isn't computer problems, it's customer relations
problems. The mad customer, the confused customer, or
the uncooperative customer. Follow these rules and you should
find your job goes much smoother;
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Never argue with a
customer. Explain your side of the situation entirely,
but never curse, insult, or berate a customer. If the
customer wants to start an argument at all costs, attempt to
fix the problem as quickly as you can with the least amount
of contact with that person. If they still want to
start a fight, give them the number of a superior that can
deal with their issues. (You probably aren't paid to
argue)
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If you screw
something up while trying to fix it, make sure you tell
someone. Eventually they'll find out anyways.
It's better to say "I screwed up" right away than to have
your boss come to you a week later and say "DID YOU DO
THIS???"
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Always treat people
with the golden rule. Treat them the way you'd want to
be treated. (minus the beer)
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Apologize.
Even if nothing went wrong, apologize. "I'm sorry I
couldn't get here sooner" or "I'm sorry it took me so long"
even when everything went on schedule will avoid later
problems when things don't go so smoothly.
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