How to get the most out of tech support.

Gaming is something we all share here on the site and sometimes those pleasures can be cut short. It can either be because we have to go to work, the girlfriend/boyfriend is fussing at you, or that you forgot to pay that electric bill you owe. There is one thing that can keep you from playing games for a long while, and that’s a broken game console. What is a gamer to do when those three red lights of doom are looking back at you? Well how about calling the company and beg for help. While Bill Gates and Kaz Hirai are a bit too busy making tons of cash to speak with you, they did however give us tech support to call. As someone who has done tech support jobs, I can tell you how to get the most out of your calls and make it a great experience for you and the person who is helping you. I just want to clarify I’m not giving away any industry secrets just tips on letting you know how to make the experience more present for everyone.

Know and write down what the problem is: Since we haven’t figured out the whole teleportation thing yet, it’s really a good idea to write down what the issue is. They won’t be able to look at your console because they are over the phone. Describe to the tech what is exactly going on. Write down what you see, if its making noises, when did the problem start happening, and any error codes and messages you get. The better you explain the issue, the easier and possibly the quicker your issue can be solved. Now you don’t need to know the technical term for power button on the 360 but at least let them know what stuff looks like and explain that the best you can.

Make sure you have the system with you when you call and other important info: Techs will guide you through troubleshooting steps to see what is causing the problem or they will be guiding you though steps to get something working again. If you are at a club getting drunk and you call Sony because for some reason you can’t get games to download to your PS3, then more than likely they won’t be able to help and may ask you to call back when you are at home. Even sometimes simple things that you could think are quick fixes maybe more complicated than you think. Also they may ask you for contact, address, account info (like Playstation Network or Xbox Live id), and maybe credit/debit card info in case you are to be charged for a repair. If they ask for it then they will need it to support you not to spy on you. Of course if the system is bricked then well there is not much you can do about that except try to send it in for a repair.

Have patience with the tech things can take time: Sometimes things will require time to fix: There can be some unexpected issues sometimes and may take several troubleshooting steps to pin point the problem and even then trying to figure out how to solve it. Most of the time issues are something that the company is already aware of. Usually if many customers report the same problem to a company then they already have someone looking into that and figuring out how to fix that issue. Now just because hawt_pecker_23 and lil_gansta_nemo on your favorite message board say they got the problem doesn’t mean that the company knows it. You can check and see if a manufacturer’s website and see if there is a place where you can report issues and sometimes even have spots where they post known issues. Every now and then you will get those weird problems that may take a while to solve. Also it helps to make sure if you can call when you got the time to do it so that way you won’t have to leave when the person is trying to assist you.

Read your warranty information: You know that thing that tells you to agree to terms of service but you just tell it yes instead? Yea I admit I skip over those things as well, but you need to make sure you know and understand your warranty information. Some companies may not fix your system if has any physical damage. Although some companies may have options for you to get it fixed for a fee, which might be something to look into and might be possibly cheaper than getting a brand new system. Remember these are company policies not something the techs set up. So ranting and whining will get you no where.

Try to be nice to the person helping you: Anyone who has worked in a customer service job dreads the angry customer. The person that thinks by screaming at the top of their lungs and whining like a two year old will get them what they want. Well life don’t always work like that. Now we all get frustrated with sometimes, its understandable to be pissed when your hard drive crashes and all your saved data is gone, but also remember there is only so much that can be done. When it comes to data if its lost there is usually nothing that can be done unless you have it backed up. Now if your system is broke and the tech cannot resolve the issue on the phone there maybe another support group that can help or even get a repair setup if possible. Yes they are paid to help you but even they can only do so much over the phone and by company policy. Don’t expect someone to guarantee that everything will work if they have you try something to fix it, because there maybe something going on that is deeper than you can do on your own. If you help them to help you then more than likely you will come out on top especially if the problem your having is fixed. If they give you good service make sure to let them know, trust me there is nothing more satisfying to know that you helped someone and they were glad you helped them. Even filling out those customer surveys can help them as well. Also you also happen to get someone who sounds like they speak English natively then be thankful as some of those jobs have been off shored.

Calling support isn’t as much as a nightmare than one might think. There will be times you will get someone who is a jerk or just doesn’t care, sometimes that can’t be helped. You can always hang up and hope to get someone else. For the rest of the people you talk to they will be willing to help and get you though whats going on. Sure not many people go into work super excited to get a call before closing and end up on that call for two hours trying to fix a problem, but if you work with them and give them a little respect, they might be bragging about you in the break room. Things are usually only as hard and as complicated as you make them.

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