People are often frustrated when they have to call a help desk technician to get assistance with computer problems. This is due partially to the fact that having computer problems is a frustrating experience so that sets the tone for a none-too-pleasant set of circumstances. It's also due to the fact that most people don't know how to effectively communicate what the problems they're having are, which makes the conversation go less smoothly than it could. These are both simple problems that you can resolve by preparing yourself before you actually make the call to your help desk technician.



The experience of calling any type of customer service person is greatly improved when you adopt a good attitude about the experience. Yes, the situation that you're in is frustrating. No, you don't want to be wasting your time trying to get assistance over the phone to repair something that you wish wasn't broken in the first place. But if you start the call off with a grumpy attitude, it's going to take a lot longer and go a lot less smoothly than if you approach the problem with a "can-do attitude". By improving your attitude before you ever place that call, you'll set yourself up for a much better experience.

In addition to changing your attitude about the computer problems that you're having, you should also change your attitude about working with a help desk technician. Many people set themselves up for a negative experience by assuming that their customer service support for everything from credit card bills to computer repairs is the same, and that it's bad. This isn't true. Your help desk technician went to school specifically to learn the skills that are needed to assist you in resolving your home or office technology problems. That's probably because he or she has an interest in both computers and helping others. Start off the conversation on the right foot by assuming that if you're nice, polite and informative about the problem, you're going to get the help you need from a friendly person who wants to assist you.

In addition to changing your attitude about the problem, you should also do a little bit of basic information prep work before you actually make the call to the help desk. The more information that you have about the problem and the more clearly that you can explain it over the phone, the better the technician is going to be able to assist you in quickly fixing the problem. So, get ready to sit down and spend some time with your computer. First, write down on a piece of paper what the exact problem that you're having is. Then use the ?help? function on the computer or application to check if you can fix the problem on your own. Your technician is going to ask you to run through these simple fixes first so if you've already done them before you call, you save yourself time and trouble.

If you can't repair the problem on your own, go back to your piece of paper. At the top is what you've identified as the problem. Brainstorm any causes for the problem that you can come up with. After all, the technician isn't going to know that you caught your teenager downloading a bunch of garbage the other day. Then write down a list of what you've tried to do to repair it and what the computer's response was. Finally, write down all of the questions that you currently have for the help desk technician. Now, take a deep breath, remember your positive attitude and place a call to the help desk so that you can get back to work sooner rather than later.