unprofessional verbal communication

8/14/2019 Unprofessional Verbal Communication

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After studying this chapter, you will be able to:

J Explain the difference between a help desk and a call center.

J Describe the three levels of technical support.

J Identify desirable communications skills.

J Explain how body language influences customer and client perceptions.

J Identify the traits that exhibit a professional image.

J Identify strategies for dealing with difficult customers and clients.

J Explain the importance of performing a follow-up in customer relations.

23 Customer Support,Communication,and Professionalism

A+ ExamKey Points

The Communication and Professionalism d omain is new and is part of the

Com pTIA A+ 2006 exams: Essential, 220-602 (IT Tech) an d 220-603 (Remote

Tech). In these exams, you will most likely encounter questions related to

customer relations, such as communicating clearly with the customer, listening

to the customer, and conveying to the customer a p ositive attitud e. A+


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Key Words and Terms

The following w ords and terms w ill become imp ortant p ieces of your

compu ter vocabulary. Be sure you can define them.

call center help desk

customer support live supportdepot technician professionalism

emoticons teamwork

This chapter covers the basic skills necessary to function in a customer- or

client-related environment. Not a ll compu ter jobs require you to m eet and work

with custom ers and clients. How ever, most jobs do require working with

customers and clients on a regu lar basis. You probably assum e you already

know how to deal w ith peop le. There are some specific skills required to keep

customers and clients happ y that you m ay not be aware of.

In this chapter, you will be introduced to specific customer- and client-

support scenarios. You will learn abou t the forms of condu ct that have been

accepted as an indu stry standard. You m ay be the most skilled technician in thecompany, but if you do not deal with people in a p rofessional and courteous

manner, you will most likely lose your job or be banned from dealing w ith

custom ers and clients. You w ill also never be raised to a p osition of leadership

or managemen t, and a ll other career options may become limited. The impor-

tance of learning the skills in this chap ter cannot be emp hasized enou gh.

Reading, und erstanding, and being able to pu t into practice the skills covered in

this chap ter may d etermine your futu re in a computer-related career.

Customer Support

Simply pu t,customer support is the delivery of customer assistance,

customer training, and customer services. This section provides an overview ofcustomer sup port. In it, you are given the big picture of how the organization

mod els work together to resolve customer and client compu ter p roblems. You

will learn h ow different levels of supp ort can be d istributed across these mod els

and will be made aware of the level of customer interaction typical of each

model.

Cust omer Support Organizat ion Models

There are several customer support organ ization m odels that are recognized

as standard. Some of these models are help desk, call center, small business,

service counter, depot technician, and corporate enterp rise supp ort. The exact

model of your company and how you fit within that model depends on threemain factors:

I The number of people requiring support.

I The p roduct being sup ported.

I The custom er location (local or global).

788 Compu ter Service and Repair

customer support

the delivery of

customer assistance,

customer training,

and customer

services.


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Some organ izations are a combination of several mod els working together

as a team . For example, a help desk service may be ou tsourced to a foreign

country such as India. This help desk m ay w ork closely w ith an organization in

the USA that performs the actual physical work. In the following sections,

several of the most common support organization mod els are presented.

Help desk

Ahelp desk is a central point of contact that p rovides technical support to

clients. The clients m ay be comp any emp loyees or customers. The u sual m ethod

of contact is by telephone or e-mail. Examples of organizations that typically

provide h elp desk supp ort are Internet Service Providers (ISPs), hardw are and

software m anufacturers, corporate businesses, and edu cational and government

institutions.

The help desk is the first level of support used to resolve common compu ter

hard ware and software p roblems. In most instances, a service request and repair

ticket is generated from the first moment of contact with a client.

The help d esk can be a d edicated, single location or p art of a larger organi-

zation, such as a call center, Figure 23-1. For example, a large enterprise, such asDell, could ou tsource their first level of suppor t to a call center. If the call center

cannot immed iately resolve the problem, the supp ort request is forwarded to

the next level of support, which may be a technician located at Dell. The techni-

cian is trained to hand le more d ifficult problems that requ ire intervention by a

person w ith much more expertise.

Call center

Acall center is typically a large collection of support people located in a

common facility equipped with telephones and computer network support.

Many call centers provide supp ort for more than one company or p rodu ct. The

center may be located anywh ere in the world.

Chap ter 23 Custom er Sup por t, Comm un ication, and Professionalism 789

Callcenter

Business 3Busin ess 2

Call Center Mod el

B

Help Desk Model

A

Business 1

Helpdesk

Figure 23-1.

Help desk model

and call center

mod el. AIn the

help desk m odel, the

help desk is part of

the company. BIn

the call center

mod el, the help desk

is a par t of a call

center. The callcenter p rovides

support to many

different bu sinesses.

help desk

a central point of

contact that provides

technical support to

clients. The clients

may be company

employees or

customers.

call center

a large collection of

support p eople

located in a common

facility equ ipped

with telephones and

computer network

support. A call

center can p rovide

supp ort for more

than one company

or product.


4/25


Call center employees do not necessarily have technical skills required for

repairing compu ter-related problems. They are m ore likely trained to read

prepared scripts correlated to the m ost comm on general p roblems. If they

cannot adequ ately fix the problem, the support request is forwarded to the next

level of repair technician. This repair technician is usually located at the

company who manufactures the equipment or writes the software.

Small business service counter

Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy. Over half of all

American emp loyment op portu nities are in small businesses. You will very

likely start you r career in a small business environmen t. You m ay even star t

your own small business. In the small business environment, you will meet face

to face with customers on a regular basis. Good customer relation skills are a

key factor to your success.

The customer m ay be at the coun ter to make a pu rchase, request assistance

in a purchase, or solicit technical sup port for an item p urchased a t the vend or

location. In the small business environment, a service technician will most likely

fulfill multiple roles for their em ployer. They m ay be resp onsible for sellingcompu ter hardware and software and related m aterials. They may also be

responsible for technical support and for answering custom er questions in

person, by telephone, or through e-mail. They m ay be d ispatched to a customer

location to install or troubleshoot comp uter equ ipment or provide training.

Depot technician

The ma in job of adepot t echnician is to perform repair work u sually

covered by w arranty. The depot technician receives the hard ware item after the

client has contacted customer su pp ort through a call center or help desk or if

the p roblem is not immed iately resolved by the first contact. Once the equip-

ment arrives at the d epot, it is assigned to a technician for inspection an d for

repair or replacement. A dep ot technician has very limited customer contact orno customer contact at all.

Corporate enterprise support

In the large corporate environment, technical sup port services can be

composed of many people w orking as a team. Typically, an emp loyee contacts

a help desk. The help d esk technician generates a repair or inciden t ticket,

Figure 23-2. If the help desk technician fails to assist the fellow employee to

make th e necessary ad justm ents to the item, the ticket is then assigned to a tech-

nician who will report to the employees location.

At the location, the technician will either repair or replace the piece of equip-

ment in qu estion. This organizational mod el is found wh ere there are su fficient

numbers of compu ters and related equipm ent to justify the cost of a full-time

staff dedicated to this function.

Support Softw are

There are many different software packages designed to keep track of

service requests and the final results. This is typically how service is organized

and tracked. For example, wh en a customer or client first contacts the help d esk

depot technician

a technician that

performs repair

work, u sually

covered by warran ty,

and has very limited

customer contact or

no customer contactat all.


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Repair Ticket

Job Request Number:

Contact Information

Name:

Department:

Equipment information

Brand:

Equipment description (CPU, amount of RAM, etc.):

Operating system (if applicable):

Problem description:

Repair Information

Service date:

Diagnosis:

Actions taken:

Parts used:

Date repair completed:

Contact signature:

Technician signature:

Initial contact date:

Phone number:

Model:

Service technician:

SN:

Date:

Date:

Figure 23-2.

Example of a repair

ticket for the corp o-

rate environment.


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with a service request, the call is logged, Figure 23-3. This includes ad ding the

date and time and a d escription of the problem. The software will typically

generate a repair ticket.

The help desk technician may resolve the p roblem imm ediately or may

dispatch a t echnician to the clients location. The copy of the repair ticket is

distributed to the technician who w ill report to the physical location of the

problem.On resolving the p roblem, the technician comp letes the ticket by add ing the

procedu re used to resolve the problem. Any hard ware or software that needs to

be provided or has been provided to remed y the problem is also listed. A

follow-up of the incident can be reviewed at the end of the day to ensure all

problems have been resolved and that no incident has been left unresolved.

Levels of Support

There are typically three levels of support within an organization, Figure 23-4.

Level-one support is the initial technical support contact. This is typically made

with technical support from a help desk, Web site, or call center. Most problems

can be corrected at this level.Level-two supp ort is when the p roblem is elevated to a p erson with m ore

experience or expertise than the first person contacted. While level-one sup port

hand les most problems, the person at level one typically answ ers technical

support questions from queue cards or a software program that has answers

available for the m ost comm on customer problems and questions. Level-two

Figure 23-3.

HelpStar service

request. (Help Desk

Technology

International

Corporation)


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support is provided for problems that are much less commonly encountered or

more u nique in na ture. For example, a new software ap plication that has just

been released to the p ublic may be conflicting with another software ap plica-

tion. The p roblem is so new th at there is no or very limited information. The

level-two sup port technician w orks closely w ith the customer to solve the

problem. The technician m ay need to recreate the p roblem before being able to

find a p rocedu re for correcting the problem.

Level-three sup port is typ ically p rovided outside the immed iate technical

support location. For examp le, a third-party comp any, such as Microsoft and

IBM, provides level-three sup port when a problem cannot be solved locally by

level-one or level-two support. This is often a combined effort to solve a

customer problem and is coordinated by the original supp ort team mem ber

wh o is a level-two m ember at th e home comp any. Level-three support m ay

involve software program mers and engineers. Consum ers are generally never

involved with level-three supp ort personnel.

Most level-one technical supp ort is free, at least for a limited time. The

highest level of supp ort is typically not free and is set up on a cost per inciden t

basis or through a service contract. It may also be based on a specific num ber of

incidents or minu tes of live sup port.Live support is when you actually talk to

support p ersonnel rather than u sing e-mail as a means of technical support.

Outsourcing

Customer su pp ort is often outsou rced to a compan y that specializes in tech-

nical support. The outsource comp any m ay reside in the United States or be

located overseas. The main reason for outsourcing is cost of the support service,

of which the major cost is employee wages. It is often less expensive for a

company to u se a call center located in a foreign country because the wages

may be far less than if the same service was provided locally.

A software or hardw are comp any m ay find it more cost effective to

outsource level-one support an d op t to provide level-two support on a local

basis. All common or rou tine problems encountered by customers or clients can

be answered by the ou tsource service. Problems requ iring a level-two technician

are reserved for the company at the local location or authorized service centers

scattered across the United States and world .

For examp le, the ABC Laptop manufacturer has all client and customer

support requests directed to a 1-800-number or to e-mail sup port. The first level

of supp ort is provided by the ou tsource comp any XYZ Corpora tion located in

Bombay, India but authorized to rep resent the ABC Laptop manufacturer

company in the United States. The XYZ Corporation handles all routine calls


liv e support

support in which a

customer o r client

talks d irectly to

support personnel

rather than using

e-mail or FAQs.

Level one

Level two

Level three

Help desk, Web site, or call center.

Sup ervisor over the level-one response team.

Sup ervisor (level two) working with th ird-party sup port from

a larger compan y.

Su pp ort Level Descrip tionFigure 23-4.

The levels of

support through

wh ich a problem can

flow.


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and provides help to customers. They cover the basic problems tha t may be

encountered an d talk customers th rough such items as verifying the following:

I Power LEDs are lit.

I All cables are connected .

I Memory has been reset.

They may also talk the customer through the p rocedu res for using thesupport CD to reinstall the operating system and through other basic tasks. If

the problem cannot be resolved, the outsource supp ort company forward s the

problem to the ABC Laptop manufacturer. This is wh en m ore sophisticated

troubleshooting diagnostics are requ ired or the actual p hysical replacement of

hard ware items. The customer is provided an ad dress to send the laptop to or a

pickup ticket for FedEx, UPS, or similar service. The laptop is then sent to the

ABC Laptop manufacturer for diagnostics and repair.

Frequently Asked Q uest ions (FAQ s)

Most businesses have a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section posted

on their Web site. The FAQ section is designed as the name implies, to answer

the most comm only asked customer qu estions and inquiries. This is a very valu-

able tool that can help save m any h ours of customer su pp ort. It is especially

valuable if the company or business does not have a technical staff available

24/ 7. Large companies typ ically have a very extensive FAQ section on their Web

site. One such company is Dell.

Dell has set up a comprehensive customer support Web page using the most

commonly asked customer support questions, Figure 23-5. The major FAQ topic

areas are customer su pp ort questions, technical supp ort questions, and my

account questions. Figure 23-6 shows th e Dell Web page for the m ost frequently


Figure 23-5.Dell provides on

their Web site

(www.dell.com) a

FAQ for customer

service questions,

technical support

questions, and

account questions.


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asked topics concerning Internet security. After selecting a topic, such as,How

Do I Clear My Temporary Internet Files, Cookies, and History in Internet

Explorer?, step-by-step instructions appear similar to those in Figure 23-7.


Figure 23-6.

This Dell TechSupp ort FAQ lists

the top Internet

security top ics.

Figure 23-7.

Dell provides proce-

du res for How do

I type questions.


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Dell saves thousand s of dollars in m anpower by p osting answ ers to the

most common ly asked customer questions. They also satisfy customer needs all

around the globe by providing customer support 24/ 7. It is interesting to note

that Dell provides the very sam e information that could be found on the

Microsoft Technical Sup por t Web site; however, Dell has p ersonalized the infor-

mation for their customers.

Communication Skills

Comm unication skills are an area of customer supp ort in wh ich compu ter

technicians w ill most likely have the greatest room for improvement.

Comm un ication with a customer is not limited to just the actual conversation. It

includ es other aspects, such as body language and a ttitud e. Although both of

these communication skills are unspoken, they present a clear m essage to the

customer abou t you r level of willingness and concern for fixing their p roblem.

This section discusses various aspects of communicationspecifically verbal

communication, body language, attitude, listening skills, telephone skills,

writing skills, and e-mail.

Verbal Communicat ion

The secret to a successful business is repeat customers. The secret to having

repeat customers is customer satisfaction. Customers are satisfied w hen you are

helpful, courteous, and express a genu ine sincerity when d ealing w ith their

problems and complaints. This may sound like a simple task, but one slip of

your tongu e wh ile you are frustrated could m ean the d ifference between

success and failure in customer relations.

When comm un icating with customers an d clients, always speak clearly and

concisely. Never u se comp uter an d network jargon and acronyms if you can

avoid it. You m ay think that u sing such language makes you sound smarter or

more knowledgeable. In reality, it makes the customer or client feel less valu-able and stup id. It breaks down their confidence even further than it already

mu st be. The customer or client shou ld feel comfortable while engaged in a

conversation w ith you.

Always begin your conversation w ith a warm greeting. For examp le, Good

morn ing, what can I do to be of service to you? While engaged in conversation

with a customer or client, use positive words to establish a Can d o! attitude.

Use reinforcing sta temen ts, such as, Dont worry, Ill have th is fixed in no

time, or This is a very common problem. Lots of people have trouble at first.

Do wh atever you can to bu ild their self-esteem an d th eir confidence in you and

in your company. The following are some good and bad examples of statements

used w hen commu nicating w ith a customer or client:

Good examples:Yes, we can fix that.

No p roblem, we can hand le that.

Yes, we fix that type of problem all the time.

If you have any more problems, dont hesitate to call.

You are no bother. This is wh at I am here for.



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Bad examples:I hope we can help you.

Ive never fixed that type of problem before.

I dont know, but Ill try.

Ill be busy later, so lets get th is finished now.

Body Language

Body language and mannerisms can say more than the spoken word and

reveal your true feelings. For example, as an emp loyee you may say, How may

I help you? How ever, if you continue to work on a custom er s comp uter an d

avoid eye contact with the customer, you are send ing the nonverbal message, I

am very busy right now and really do not have time for your problem. If you

greet a person w ith open arm s or hand s, you w armly say nonverba lly, I am

open to your p roblem. On the other hand, if you greet the customer w ith arms

folded across your chest and a scowl on you r face, you are sending the non -

verbal message, Keep ou t. The following a re some body language key p oints

to keep in m ind:I Smile.

I Maintain eye contact with the customer w hile listening, Figure 23-8.

I Face the customer squarely.

I Never look aw ay from the customer or stare off at a distant point wh ile

conversing.

I Do not fold your arms across your chest or take a d efensive posture.

Always face peop le directly and squarely. Do not turn away wh ile

addressing a person or engage in other activities wh en you shou ld be giving

your comp lete attention to the customer. If you are alone in a shop and mu st

answer a p hone, always apologize and ask if you can retu rn their call at a better


Figure 23-8.

By maintaining eye

contact with the

customer w hile

listening, you tell

that customer you

are truly interested

in helping him or

her w ith their

problem.


12/25

time. All customers appreciate that they are being given fair attention. If you d o

ask to return a call at a better time because you are helping another customer,

return the call.

Attitude

Attitude is easily perceived by a customer bu t is very hard to define inobjective terms. Everyone knows a good attitude or a bad attitude w hen

they experience it. It is critical to your success to always maintain a positive atti-

tud e wh ile working w ith people. Without it, you may not have a job. It doesnt

take long to earn a repu tation for your attitudegood or bad.

For this chapter, the best definition ofattitude is a subjective judgment of

character m ade by the customer based on the p erception of how the technician

presents himself or herself and meets the customers needs.

Show the customer that their p roblem is your m ain concern. You do this by

asking probing questions such as, How long have you h ad th is problem?

Never be judgm ental or indicate that the customer caused the problem, even if

they d id. You will use training techniques and suggestions to help them avoid

the problem in the future.Avoid d istractions. A customer or fellow worker will feel you are not inter-

ested if you do n ot give them you r full attention. For example, when w orking

on a project, always stop your work to talk to a customer. This will give the

customer a feeling of imp ortance and show that you care about their problem. It

will also keep you from making an error on you r p roject because you are

distracted. In m aking a customer feel important, you will gain their confidence.

Listening Skills

Listening skills are the most important trait listed by employers in recent

surveys condu cted to identify the trait most desired in customer sup port. They

all agree that emp loyees who work with clients and customers mu st have excel-

lent listening skills. It seems like listening is such a simple task. So why do not

all people have good listening skills? Many people, especially the type of

personalities that gravitate toward the compu ter field, are often bright and artic-

ulate and may a lready be thinking ahead of the customer. Avoiding this habit

will keep your customers from feeling small and inadequ ate. The following

are a list of guidelines to put into practice:

I Always m aintain eye contact while listening.

I Avoid d istractions wh ile listening. Do not try to perform other tasks w hile

the customer or client is talking to you. Focus on the speaker.

I Never eat or d rink wh ile talking w ith a customer.

I Always allow the customer or client to complete his or her sentence. Never

cut off or interrup t them , anticipating what they are going to say.

I Restate the problem to the customer or client. This will ensure that you

know wh at they are saying or describing to you as the problem.

Check out www.listen.org, a Web site dedicated to listening skills. There you

will find many interesting facts, such as only 7% of the meaning in a conversa-

tion is transmitted by actual word s.



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Telephone Skills

Many of the same skills used in face-to-face communication also apply to

telephone sup port. Always speak clearly and concisely and avoid trad e jargon,

slang, and acronyms.

Never engage in other activities while talking to the customer or client. A

person can a lways tell when someone is not focused on his or her conversation.When you are engaged in another activity, like working on a compu ter wh ile

talking to th e customer on the telephone, the customer will be able to tell you

are not fully engaged with their conversation. This will generate a feeling that

you are not tru ly concerned w ith their problem or need an d w ill probably irri-

tate the customer.

Always avoid talking on a speakerph one, as this only confirms that you are

not paying atten tion to the caller. You are a techn ician. If you m ust be hand s

free, get a headset. At least this way, the customer will feel that they are the

focus of your conversation. Unless it is necessary to use the keyboard or

remotely access the customer s compu ter, keep your hand s off the keyboard.

Customers can hear that you are u sing the keyboard an d w ill nearly always

conclude that it does not have to do w ith their problem.Smile while on the ph one, Figure 23-9. It might sound crazy, but it actually

works. A person on the other end of the telephone conversation can actually

perceive wh en a person is hap py on the telephone. This is interpreted as a

feeling that the sup port p erson is pleased to hear from the customer an d w ants

to help them. A good idea is to hang a mirror near the telephone with a sign

that says Smile!


Figure 23-9.

Smiling while on the

telephone can help

you convey that you

are pleased to hear

from the customer

and w ant to help

them.


14/25

Again, do not use acronyms, jargon, or sophisticated technical terminology.

Customers are not typically sophisticated compu ter users and are frequen tly

intimidated by your conversation. Always use language that anyone can und er-

stand, no m atter wh at his or her technical background . You d o not impress

customers w ith technical terms. If you w ant to imp ress a customer, use term s

that express your sincere desire to help them with their problem.

Writing Skills

Writing is a part of all customer sup port technician du ties. As a customer

support p erson, you will either write by hand on repair tickets or enter into a

computer the specifics about a repair. Content typically consists of a description

of the problem an d the repair procedure u sed to fix the problem. Often, your

wr iting and docum entation of specific problems and the method used to fix the

problem w ill become valuable company information for p roblems encoun tered

in the future.

When creating written comm un ications, always use app ropriate gramm ar

and correct spelling. All word processing packages and software p rograms that

require written responses have sp ell checkers and usually gram mar checkers.Use them! Do not disable them or ignore them. When w riting, use sentences

limited to 15 to 20 words. Avoid long, run-on sentences.

Always be p olite in your correspond ence, and never u se sarcasm. Sarcasm is

always inapp ropriate because the customer or client may very w ell misinterpret

your intent. Sarcasm is based on familiar p ersonalities, and you are not familiar

with all who might read your correspondence.

Many help d esk supp ort software p ackages contain sections to sup port

e-mail directly from within the software package. You w ill need to respond to

customer and client e-mails. E-mail correspondence is covered in the next

section.

Another function of customer support m ay involve wr iting training manuals

or a set of procedures for a company. Often, part of a contract of installingcompu ter equipm ent and software involves training the customers on how to

use the equipm ent. Many times technical support p ersonnel must w rite training

packages to supp ort the customer. You may very w ell find yourself responsible

for part of the written package.

E-Mail

Customer supp ort may requ ire a great deal of time answering e-mails from

customers and clients. When writing e-mails to customers and clients, avoid

compu ter jargon, acronym s, and abbreviations, just as you wou ld in spoken

language. Comm un icating in writing w ith other technicians is not the same as

communicating in w riting w ith customers and clients. While it might beperfectly all right to u se an acronym or abbreviation on a customer repair ticket,

you should avoid acronyms and abbreviations when communicating with

customers.

E-mail auto responders

Using an e-mail auto responder can show a customer or client that you care

about them and their problem. E-mail auto respond ers are e-mail program s



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provided by e-mail service providers tha t create an automatic response to a

received e-mail. The au to respond er gives the illusion tha t someone has just

read th e e-mail sent by the customer or client and that they w ill be answering

the request very soon. The auto respond er allows for an instant reply 24 hour s a

day, seven d ays a w eek. An au to responder can also be used to notify customers

tha t you are ou t of the office for a b rief time. Some mail client software, such as

Microsoft Ou tlook, will allow you to set up an auto response, Figure 23-10.

E-mail acronyms and emoticons

E-mail acronyms are very p opu lar w ith all of the electronic communications

devices, but they are never to be used in customer sup port e-mail. E-mail

acronyms became especially pop ular w hen p hone text messaging started

because th ey save a lot of keystrokes. You m ay receive e-mail acronyms or

emoticons from customers, but you should n ever respond in these terms. The

following are some e-mail acronyms:

I LOL: Laugh ou t loud .

I BTW: By the w ay.

I TIA: Thanks in advance.

I IOW: In other words.

Emoticons are cartoon face characters made from keyboard sym bols to

express emotions in e-mails, letters, and text messaging. The following table

lists some comm on em oticons.

Emoticon Emotion

: ) Smile or happy.

: o Shock.

: ( Frown.

; ) Wink.

If you have trou ble comm un icating w ith customers using e-mail, practice

regularly in a bu siness format. Try send ing a few e-mails every d ay to friends

and relatives. Writing e-mail messages daily will sharpen your skills. Use the

principles previously mentioned. The following is a list of key points you


Figure 23-10.

Microsoft Ou tlook

has a tool called the

Out of Office

Assistant, wh ich is

used to send an autoreply to senders.

emoticons

cartoon face charac-

ters mad e from

keyboard symbols to

express emotions in

e-mails, letters, and

text messaging.


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should always remember when communicating through e-mail with customers

and clients:

I Check your e-mail regularly.

I Keep the e-mail brief.

I Do not use e-mail emoticons.

I Limit the size of file attachmen ts. This is especially tru e if the customer isusing a 56 k telephone mod em.

I Never u se all capital letters in an e-mail to emphasize a word or ph rase. If

you m ust emp hasize a word or ph rase, use italics or an asterisk, for

example, *this is very important.* Do not use bold or underline. This can be

misinterpreted as a link.

I Never ever send sensitive or inapprop riate information in e-mail.

I Do not send personal greetings, jokes, or other m aterials that are not suitable

for the work environment.

Professionalism

Professionalism is a businesslike characteristic reflected in a person and

work environment. In relation to a person, it is identified in a p ersons attitude

and dress. In the w ork environment, it is iden tified in its dcor and general

atmosphere. This section explores various aspects of professionalism in an

employee and work environment.

Professional Image

Businesses and their employees are often judged by a customers or clients

first imp ression of them. For example, if a technician looks p rofessional, the

customer feels confident in them. If the technician looks sloppy, dirty, unkempt,

or bizarre, the customer or client might have a less than confident feeling about

the technician.

Dressing app ropriately means d ressing professionally. In the w ork environ-

ment, there are tw o d istinct types of acceptable dress: formal business and busi-

ness casual. Formal business typically m eans a su it coat or sport coat with a

collared shirt and tie (or just a collared shirt and tie) and a pair of dress slacks

and leather shoes, Figure 23-11. Business casual generally means a polo shirt

(often with a company logo) or collared shirt with no tie, dress or casual slacks,

leather shoes, and in rare cases, tennis shoes, Figure 23-12. Some compu ter tech-

nicians believe that they are entitled to wear torn or tattered blue jeans, T-shirts,

tennis shoes, flip-flops, or sandals. These are never acceptable forms of business

attire. Remem ber that your casual attire may reflect a casual attitud e and not

one tha t is serious abou t getting the job done. You are a tra ined p rofessional;dress like one.

Many bu sinesses provide shirts for their sup port staff. When shirts are

provided , the d ress code is clearly stated to th e emp loyees. If the dress code is

not clearly stated, then it is assum ed. When w orking in the area of customer

support, a polo shirt is most app ropriate, but be aware that some companies

require a dress shirt and tie to be worn w hen d ealing w ith customers and clients

at their locations.


professionalism

a businesslike char-

acteristic reflected in

a person and work

environment.


17/25


Figure 23-11.

This IT person is

wearing formal

attire.

Figure 23-12.

This IT person is

wearing casual

business attire.


18/25

As a computer technician, you will likely be crawling on the floor or

reaching behind desks. Unisex (the same for both men an d w omen) dress is

typically the best and safest choice. Women should never w ear short d resses or

revealing clothing if they have to work in this environment. The following are

some well-though t-out tips that shou ld become a part of your ow n p rofessional

image:

I Dress professionally. Clean, neat slacks and a shirt with a collar is muchmore appropriate than a T-shirt with a slogan. This is especially true if the

T-shirt has a controversial slogan or image printed on it.

I Hair shou ld be neat an d clean. Hair w ith spikes or wild colors might be cool

to you, bu t it is entirely u np rofessional in the workplace.

I Speak to customers in a professional manner. Never u se curse w ords or

inapp ropriate language or term s, even as a way to emphasize certain points.

I Do not eat, drink, or smoke w hile dealing w ith a customer.

Many students feel that if they have exceptional technical skills, they will

never be fired. Nothing could be further from the truth . More employees have

lost their jobs because of their u np rofessional man ner than from technical

incomp etence. An emp loyer w ill tolerate an emp loyee with average technical

skills, but will not tolerate an em ployee wh o condu cts himself or herself in an

unprofessional manner. When em ployers contact other p rofessionals for hiring

recomm enda tions, they typically request someone w ho can w ork well with

peop le rather than request the smar test or most technically able person. The

most important thing to the emp loyer is an em ployees image and personality.

Employers rarely, if ever, call a second tim e if a nonp rofessional p erson com es in

for an interview.

Work Environment

The store or w ork location image is also critical, and is often a direct resu lt

of the employees efforts to maintain a professional image. The work environ-ment m ust represent a p rofessional atmosphere. If the work environment is to

be visited by customers and other emp loyees, it should be maintained so as not

to be offensive to others. For example, you may enjoy a particular style of music

wh ile you are working; however, it may not be the choice of many customers.

The customer should not be offended by loud mu sic of any generation. You

should avoid music in the work environment where customers may be present,

except for soft, neutral background mu sic.

Also, be aware that listening to an MP3 player or other d evice through

earphones is offensive to m any people. You should be concentrating on the

customer or client. This also applies to working at a clients workstation and in

the corporate environmen t as a w hole. The following are some tips to help you

maintain a p rofessional environment in your workp lace:I Keep you r location and workstation clean and well organized.

I Never keep food containers, cup s, and general trash on coun ters or work

areas.

I Do not p lay music that is not in the m ainstream or blast music of any kind.

I Do not let friends han g out arou nd the store or workspace. The workplace

is not a social club.



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I Do not d isplay inapprop riate posters, pictures, or signs. You may think they

are fun or en tertaining, but n ot all customers share you r view.

Handling Difficult Situations

When a client is angry and up set, they will vent their emotions toward the

person w ho represents the company or p roblem. Dealing w ith difficult peop lerequires patience and composure. Do not take complaints personally. Never

react to a difficult customer, but rather listen and respond with em pathy.

Empathy means that you show by your w ords that you und erstand the other

persons feelings and their situation. There is likely always a situation that

wou ld warrant a statement like, I can und erstand how this problem is frus-

trating you.

A coworker or other customer might normally be very pleasant and fun to

be around un til a situation causes them to be very an gry. While in an an gry

state, they say things that they norm ally wou ld never say to another p erson.

Arguing back at an u pset person w ill only make things worse.

Your job is to defu se the situa tion by letting th e client ven t. When

respond ing to the client, use a calm assu ring voice. What you w ant thecustomer to do is stop yelling at you and begin to talk with you. At an opp or-

tune time, simply say, Lets see what I can do to resolve this problem. When

you start to work on the p roblem, or to tell them what you are planning to do,

check if it is all right w ith them .

If the customer continues to vent, find out w hat w ill make them happy. For

example, a customer m ay have brought their compu ter to the shop several times

for the same problem. It may or m ay not be the same p roblem, but that is their

perception. Find out what w ill make them hap py by asking, What do you

think it will take to make you satisfied?

They may w ant their bill adjusted or to n ot be charged for the present repair.

If you are not authorized to waive the costs, simply say, Ill see what we can do

for you, and then check with you r supervisor. If a p erson is up set, it w ill only

become w orse if they think that they are not being taken seriously.

Is t he Customer Alw ays Right?

There is a very old business saying: The customer is always right. Well,

this is true most of the time, but there are times when th is motto just d oesnt

app ly. When the customer or client wishes you to d o something unethical or

illegal, they are w rong. For examp le, a customer m ay request you write a receipt

for more value th an th e actual cost of the repair. Or, a customer m ay ask you to

violate some copyright law. Do not do it.

How about when a customer uses foul language in a loud tone and

threatens you? Can you really make that p erson hap py? You n ever need to fearfor your life or bodily harm. If the customer threatens you , you shou ld p olitely

ask the person to leave, and if they will not, call the police or security. What if

the customer is intoxicated and becomes abu sive? Again, this customer should

be asked to leave, and if they refuse, call the police. An intoxicated or violent

customer is not only a threat to you and the business, they are also a threat to

any other people who enter or are present at the business.



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Follow -Up

A follow-up h elps to build a good relationship w ith the customer or client.

Perform a follow-up after you have had a break in contact with the customer or

contact. For example, after a customers problem has been fixed, follow up a

few days after completing th e repair to see if they are satisfied and all went

well. This technique improves service and builds a clients trust. Customers andclients love the fact that someone is checking if their problem was handled in a

timely fashion and that th ey were dealt w ith professionally.

Your Word

One of the most important assets you have is your w ord, and it costs you

nothing. Your word or p romise can make or break your client relationship. Be a

person of your w ord. Your w ord shou ld be your bond. Sup pose you tell a

customer you will contact them w ith a repair estimate the next day, but you run

into a problem with a vendor. The vend or does not respond to your inqu iry, so,

in turn , you do not have the customer estimate ready. If you told th e customer

you w ould call the next morning, do so, even if it is to say you do not have the

estimate yet. It is imp ortant that you be a person of your w ord.Keep you r p romises. If you say you will be there in the m orning, be there.

The client may have rearr anged their schedu le to accommodate you. If you h ave

a problem, call ahead, and always apologize. How often have you been given a

date an d been required to sit home a ll day to have a service done. Do not allow

this type of behavior to become your business signatu re.

Contracts

If a company is large, it may be necessary to create a w ritten docum ent or

contract to be sure everyone has the same expectations. The contract should

contain a d escription of the work to be p erformed, the estimated or actual cost,

and other terms agreed on . By having a customer signature p rior to work, youalways p rotect you rself against a m isinterp retation of expectations. A client or

customer should always receive exactly what they agreed tomaybe more, but

never less.

Teamw ork

Teamw ork is two or more peop le working toward a common goal. For

example, the goal of customer support is customer satisfaction. When you work

as part of a team, you p lace the common goal of the team customer satisfac-

tion above your ow n ind ividu al goals(s), such as recognition and prom otion.

Teamwork is an essential component of a successful business.

As a team member, you m ust be willing to help other team m embers and to

share your ow n expertise and know ledge with others. For example, a customer

calls and asks about the status of their compu ter. If the p erson assigned to repair

the compu ter is out of work that day, you should check the job ticket to review

the status of the repair. It could be ready for p ickup or aw aiting p arts. You

should try to help the customer even if it is not your assigned rep air. Make a

note of the customer call and record your actions. For examp le, you m ight wr ite

a note on the ticket such as Custom er called and asked the statu s of the repair.


teamwork

two or more people

working toward a

common goal.


21/25

I informed h im it was awaiting parts and should be ready in a day or two.

Then, sign the note.

When w orking as a mem ber of a team, you shou ld be willing to share your

know ledge with other team m embers. Knowledge is not just limited to technical

issues. It also covers company procedu res or any other bit of knowledge that

might help another team member perform their duties.

Job protection attitude

A common, yet unattractive trait in the business world occurs w hen a

person w ill not share their ind ividu al knowledge w ith another team mem ber.

The concept is referred to as job protection. This happens, for example, if one

person is the only person that knows how to perform specific tasks and they are

not w illing to share this information or train another person. They feel they are

secure in their position w ith the comp any if they are the only person who

knows how to perform that task.

In reality, this type of person is actually jeopardizing their position with the

company. The compan y managemen t or owner w ill not like the fact that an

emp loyee is not w illing to share their know ledge for the good of the company. Ifthe person is unwilling to share their knowledge or to help other team

mem bers, they w ill most likely find themselves looking for other em ployment.

Remember that working as a team requires supporting other team members,

especially by sharing kn owledge an d reinforcing good work prod ucts. If you are

not w illing to fun ction as a team m ember, then you will most likely not be a

mem ber of the team very long.

Helping team members

You m ust be w illing to d o more than just what you h ave been assigned. For

example, a collection of repair tickets might be d ivided between team members.

Each member is assigned four tickets each. If you finish your repairs before

anyone else, you should n ot assume that you are done for that day. You shou ldsee if you could help someone else with his or her assigned w ork.

Employers do not like to see employees that are doing just enough to get by

or w asting comp any time. Employers love to see employees going above an d

beyond th eir assigned d uties. When you finish your assigned tasks, you should

immediately inform your supervisor and volunteer to help other team members

with their assigned du ties. This will impress your emp loyer and also be appreci-

ated by fellow team mem bers. Remember, the comp any goal is to repair all the

customers compu ters, not just the ones assigned to you that p articular d ay.

Summary

I A help d esk or call center is usually the first contact point for service.I A help d esk can belong to a single comp any or be p art of a call center.

I A call center typically provides supp ort for more than one company or

product.

I Level-one supp ort is the initial contact w ith technical sup port.

I Level-two sup port is supp ort provided by a person w ith more expertise

than someone in level one.



22/25


I Level-three sup port is typically p rovided by a comp any outside the level-

one and level-two location.

I Avoid u sing comp uter jargon or computer acronyms w hen talking to

customers.

I Body langu age says more to a customer than the actual spoken w ords.

I Smile when d ealing w ith customers, even when on the phon e.I Always maintain good eye contact with a customer and avoid d istractions.

I A customer makes an attitud e jud gment of your character based on their

perception of how you m eet their needs.

I Listening is the m ost importan t commu nication skill listed by emp loyers.

I Sarcasm is never app ropriate when w orking with customers.

I Keep e-mail messages short and to the point.

I Never send inapp ropriate material in e-mail.

I Avoid large e-mail attachments.

I Keep the work environment p rofessional.

I When han dling angry customers, allow them to vent.

I Respond to angry customers w ith a calm, reassuring voice.

Suggested Laboratory Activities

Do not attemp t any suggested laboratory activities without your instructor s

perm ission. Certain activities can rend er the PC operating system inoperable.

1. Check out the FAQ sections of the Dell, IBM, and Sony Web sites.

2. Write a step-by-step p rocedure for checking the IP add ress of a Windows

2000, Wind ows XP, and Window s Vista computer. This step-by-step p roce-

dure would be used for customer support when, for example, a customercalls an ISP for a connection p roblem. Through the procedu re, the customer

should be able to check if they have an ap prop riate IP add ress assignm ent,

not one su ch as 0.0.0.0 or 169.254.12.34. (IP ad dress 0.0.0.0 means tha t a

connection has no t been established. IP address 169.254.xxx.xxx means tha t

the Autom atic Private IP Add ressing (APIPA) feature has assigned the IP

add ress, instead of a DHCP server.) Make the p rocedu re as clear as possible.

3. Write the step-by-step procedure to have a customer p ing a server located

at www.helpdesk1.com. Include wh at to d o next if the ping is successful

ping or u nsuccessful.

4. Write a step-by-step p rocedu re for using System Restore on a Wind ows XP

and Wind ows Vista compu ter.

Interesting Web Sites for More Information

http:/ / oneorzero.com

http:/ / technet.microsoft.com/ en-us/ default.aspx

www.helpstar.com

ww w.microsoft.com/ smallbusiness/ resources/ management/ customer.mspx

ww w.troubleticketexpress.com/ open-source-software.html

www.unbf.ca/ its/ faculty/ help/ level1.htm


23/25

Review Questions

Answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper. Please do not

wr ite in th is book.

1. What is customer support?

2. Explain the difference between the help desk mod el and call center model.

3. Which level of support is provided wh en the problem is elevated to person

with m ore experience or expertise than the first person contacted?

4. Is it permissible to use acronyms when commu nicating w ith customers?

5. What is att itude?

6. What are the key points of body language you should use?

7. Why is sarcasm inappropriate in communications?

8. What are emoticons?

9. What are the key points in writing an effective e-mail message?

10. What two elements are required to deal with difficult people?

11. Why is it important to perform a follow-up?

12. What is the goal of the customer support team?

Sample A+ Exam Questions

Answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper. Please do not

wr ite in th is book.

1. Which is an example of level-one supp ort?

a. A software engineer at Microsoft.

b. A hardware engineer at Apple.

c. The FAQ section of a customer support Web site.

d. A live conversation w ith a level-one sup ervisor.

2. It is 9:00 AM and you are repairing a customers compu ter that mu st be

ready by 3:00 PM because it was p romised to the customer. The phone

sud denly rings, and you answer to find that it is a new customer calling

about a problem w ith their comp uter. Which is the best way to deal w ith

customer support on the telephone?

a. Do nothing except focus on the customer and their problem. You shou ld

write down key points during the conversation, starting with their name.

b. You should continue to work on the compu ter repair while listening to

the customer. This is the most efficient use of time and your supervisor

will be pleased.

c. Have the customer call back later after another emp loyee comes into the

shop.

d. Tell the customer you are in the middle of an important repair and that

you w ill return their call later in the day. Take down their nam e and

telephone number.



24/25

3. Which is the most expensive element of customer service?

a. Employee wages.

b. Support software.

c. Support hardware.

d. Technical support articles and Web site access.

4. The compan y you work for performs compu ter system repairs in add ition

to selling new compu ters and hardw are. A repair ticket is completed at the

time of repair. The status of the repair is also recorded on the ticket. Some

items that may be recorded on th e ticket are when the repair was comp leted

or wh en pa rts were ordered for the repair. Mr. Smith d ropped h is comp uter

off at your company compu ter shop three days ago. The repair was

assigned to Joe and he is not in at the m oment. You an swer the phone and

find Mr. Smith is calling to find out the status of the repair of his computer.

What is the most ap prop riate response to Mr. Smiths inquiry?

a. Tell Mr. Smith that h is computer is being w orked on by Joe who is not in

today and that Joe will call him back when he return s.

b. Tell Mr. Smith to hold for a minu te wh ile you check the status of the

repair ticket.

c. Tell Mr. Smith that you are not the one that has been assigned to his

repair and to call back later.

d. Tell Mr. Smith to come by the shop and p ick up the compu ter. The com-

puter is most likely repaired, but if it isnt, you can have it repaired

before he gets there.

5. Match the body language image with the conveyed meaning.

a. Its really good to hear from you!

b. How may I help you?

c. I dont have time for your problem.

d. Im open to your problem.



25/25

6. When is it proper to use all uppercase letters in an e-mail?

a. When emphasizing an important point.

b. When making a list of steps in sequential order.

c. When listing parts in an e-mail.

d. Uppercase is never appropriate in an e-mail.

7. A customer calls and starts yelling about how she brought her compu ter

home to find it has the same p roblem it had before she brought it in for

repair. What is the first thing you should do?

a. Smile so that the customer will sense your willingness to help her.

b. Let the customer finish speaking and venting her anger.

c. Interrupt her by asking her w hat it will take to make her satisfied.

d. Hang u p, and h ope she will call back when she is in a better mood.

8. A customer brings into the shop a computer exhibiting a problem you have

never encoun tered before. Which of the following responses wou ld be

appropriate?

a. Yes, we can fix that.

b. Yes, we fix that type of problem all the time.

c. Ive never fixed that type of problem before.

d. I dont know if I can fix it, but Ill try.

9. You need to explain the cause of a boot failure to a custom er. Which of the

following explanations wou ld bu ild the customer s confidence in your

company?

a. A virus corrupted the MBR.

b. A virus corrupted the master boot record.

c. A virus corrupted the boot sector, which stores partition information.

d. A virus corrupted an area of the hard d rive that is required for startup.

10. A customer uses foul language because you w ill not write a receipt for more

value than the actual cost of the rep air. You can tell that th e customer is

intoxicated. What is the first thing you should do?

a. Write the receipt for the amou nt he specifies.

b. Politely ask him to leave.

c. Call the police.

d. Respond w ith empathy.


unprofessional verbal communication

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