Customer service basics

For a list of all the ways technology has failed to improve the quality of life, please press 3. - Alice Kahn

Karl (The Fischbowl) Fisch posted a great video and  a thoughtful blog entry about providing good customer service as a building level technology support person. This is a riff on his post. First, watch the video "Ordinary Indignity"  that he references - if you can stand it. Be warned that it's a pretty graphic representation of phone customer support as it exists today.

These are the basic customer support "rules" that seem to be a part of our technology department's culture. While I get beat up regularly about one tech thing or another, praise for my human technicians is universal. Something must be working right. Our rules:

1. Let people know you've heard them. ASAP. Even if we can't get to a person right away,  we try to let them know we are aware of their problem. (Actually, I encourage at least a 30 minute delay in in-person response since it seems a large number of problems resolve themselves when the user stops and thinks a minute or two.)
2. Remember that everyone is both stupid and smart. Just about different things. That English teacher who constantly appears to be making ID 10T errors knows a lot more about the rose as symbol in Shakespeare's plays and how to parse a participle than we do. Everyone, no matter how frustrating, is due respect and kindness - even those born without any tech sense at all.
   
3. Demand respect. We do not tolerate rude or inconsiderate behavior from those we serve either. If my folks encounter anger or unreasonableness, I advise they turn heel and just report the problem to me. I get the big bucks to deal with these sorts of issues.  You mess with my techs, you mess with me. Watch it!
   
4. Share the pain.  Our department meets once a week for about an hour as a tech support team. It's a combination of group problem-solving and group therapy. Lots of questions get answered and problems solved. We meet as a regional group and have tech support listservs we read. Misery loving company???
   
5. Empower the user. "Have you rebooted your computer?" is the first question we always ask staff who are having a problem. If a user can be taught to solve a recurring, unsolvable problem, spending a little time teaching the user how to deal with it can make both the user and the tech happier and more productive. We have to get away from the "wizard" mentality of  gaining power by having secret spells and formulas for repair. (I like Karl's "teaching them how to fisch" description.)

Other rules for customer support in your schools and libraries?

Thanks, Karl, and keep up the good work. 

Comments

[Kenn Gorman]

I especially like the "everyone is both stupid and smart". That quote may end up going on the wall in my room...