How do you share your troubleshooting steps with clients and colleagues?

1 Explain the problem and the goal

Before you start troubleshooting, make sure you understand the problem and the goal of your client or colleague. Ask them to describe the issue, the symptoms, the expected outcome, and any relevant information or context. Repeat back what you heard and confirm that you are on the same page. This will help you avoid misunderstandings, clarify the scope of the problem, and establish trust and rapport.

2 Use simple and clear language

When you share your troubleshooting steps, use simple and clear language that your client or colleague can understand. Avoid jargon, acronyms, or technical terms that they may not know. If you have to use them, explain what they mean and why they are relevant. For example, instead of saying "I'm going to ping the server to check the latency", you could say "I'm going to send a test message to the computer that hosts your website to see how fast it responds".

3 Show your work and your logic

As you troubleshoot, show your work and your logic to your client or colleague. Explain what you are doing, why you are doing it, and what you expect to see. For example, you could say "I'm going to check the network settings on your device to see if they are correct and match the ones on our system". This will help them follow your process, learn from your methods, and appreciate your expertise.

4 Use visuals and examples

Sometimes, words are not enough to share your troubleshooting steps. You may need to use visuals and examples to illustrate your points and show the results. For example, you could use screenshots, diagrams, videos, or live demos to show how to perform a certain action, what to look for, or what to avoid. You could also use analogies, metaphors, or stories to make complex concepts easier to grasp. For example, you could compare a firewall to a security guard that checks who can enter or exit a building.

5 Summarize and confirm

After you finish troubleshooting, summarize and confirm your findings and solutions with your client or colleague. Tell them what the problem was, how you solved it, and what they need to do next. Ask them if they have any questions, concerns, or feedback. Thank them for their cooperation and patience. This will help you close the loop, ensure that they are satisfied, and prevent future issues or confusion.

6 Document and share

Finally, document and share your troubleshooting steps with your client or colleague. This will help you create a record of what you did, how you did it, and why you did it. It will also help your client or colleague remember the steps, refer to them later, or share them with others who may have the same problem. You can document and share your troubleshooting steps in various ways, such as email, chat, ticket, report, or knowledge base article. Use a format that is easy to read, follow, and access. Include relevant details, visuals, examples, and links. Use a

tag for code blocks or commands.
######Here’s what else to consider
This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?