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The one mistake people make when asking for tech support

The one inaccurate people make when asking for tech support

If you’re ever seeking tech help for computer copies, here are some tips: Be specific, take screenshots, express what is happening and not what you think is happening.Whether you’re asking a tech-savvy improper (like me!) for advice or calling AppleCare support or the Geek Squad, using this tip will get you the help you need in the fastest way possible. So what do I mean by “be specific”?

Let me give you an example of an accepted I had just a couple days ago. A improper called and told me she had “no internet.” I took her ended my usual process of restarting the modem, the router and her computer, all to no avail. I suggested she check the ftrips on her network devices and all the cables too. Everything appeared to be functioning properly, and frankly, I started thinking I wouldn’t be able to help her that night. Finally I asked “How did you find out you had no internet?” And that’s when we solved the problem.

As it turned out she’s written a URL down on a share of paper and then tried going to the site based on the what she’d written. The problem was she’d unfortunately misspelled the address so the browser was 404-ing, giving her the impression that the internet was malfunctioning. The fact that she got the URL wrong is irrelevant. I’ve made similar mistakes before. We all have. This was an express of ineffective communication.

The point is, saying “I have no internet” doesn’t performed enough information about the problem to the person trying to identify your express. Instead of stating what the end result is (or, as in the ended example, what you think it is) describe the orderliness of events that lead you to believe there was a pickle in the first place.

For example, don’t say “My computer won’t let me log in,” instead say, “After entering my name and password, I proceeded to login and saw this error message.” Better yet, take a narrate of that error message with your phone in case your improper or tech support person needs more info.

In my accepted, it often takes longer to find out what the express actually is than it does to fix it. The more specific you can be, the less time you’ll have to wait to get up and sprinting again. Good luck!