Tip 5 in the continuing saga of Tips to providing Technical Support
Kevin Wood
Experienced leader with experience in implementing technology to achieve organizational goals and overcome challenges
After a brief foray into data, back to tips for providing support.
Today is number 5 95% of all errors are due to the nut behind the keyboard
Check. Did the user do something differently? You are asking to find out what is wrong with the system - not to assign blame! Did he (she) install new software? Did he (she) change some settings (even in other software)? Did he (she) change normal procedures in any way? Did he (she) try a new procedure or try to load a new file? What is new or different?
Something is different. (Duh! the system worked yesterday. . . ) But, barring any external changes, what was done differently? Were steps performed in a different order? This is why I like checklists. Even for processes you have performed countless times before, follow the checklist. When troubleshooting an issue for someone else, be methodical. If someone else is troubleshooting an issue for me, let them follow their checklist. Most of the time, I either left a step out, or did something differently. And THAT was the cause of the problem.
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I use the analogy of going to work in the morning. (Obviously, this was written when I still DID go to an office of client site.) We get ready for work every day. However the order of the steps is important.
Shower BEFORE putting on your clothes (even if your outfit is wash-and-wear). Put your cloths on BEFORE driving to the office (unless you enjoy those talks with HR.) Socks go on BEFORE Shoes. (And with socks, remember TGIF - Toes Go In First)
The order of steps is important with Computers and processes as well.
So, use a checklist, observe how the client does something. Often you will see something that points to the source of the problem.
Messaging Architect / Engineer -> I build things and encourage people!
1 年I had an associate who used to say “Problems are only ever 20% technical…the other 80% is always people.” Negotiating effective relationships to enlist cooperative support always pays off! Working comfortably with the individuals in the middle of a problem gives them a higher degree of confidence in being transparent about that problem. Thank you for the post!!