10 steps to a better IT support process

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

As an IT professional, you need to have a structured mind to be able to think through all the different problematic situations that can present themselves to you on a day to day basis. After having worked in IT for a while, you should eventually start to develop a certain methodology that will help you solve most problems quickly and effectively. The goal of this article is to help junior IT workers in the task of supporting users in a corporate environment. I also wanted to put down on paper something that I've been doing for years, but never actually took time to document.

1. Answering the call

When users call for support, they usually feel helpless and may sound irritated over the phone. Always be polite towards them. After all, it's because of these guys that you have a job. Yes, I know that some of them can be major pains in the behind, but explain that if they cannot be polite, you will not be able to help them to the best of your skills.

2. Asking the user to explain the problem

Ask the user to describe the problem to the best of his knowledge. What was he doing when the problem occurred? Did he change any settings recently? Did he install any new applications on his computer? I know that in a utopian world, no users should have administrative privileges to their computer, but the reality is that most companies give them this kind of access for reliability reasons. A lot of applications do not work very well when a user only has a restricted access.

3. Reproducing the error

Reproducing the error is an important part of the troubleshooting process because it helps you determine when and where the problem occurs. If it is possible, go to the user's computer in person or via a remote management application to do it. If the location is inaccessible, ask the user to reproduce the problem himself to see if it is an isolated issue. Often, a simple reboot will fix most computer problems.

4. Identifying the problem

Using the gathered information from step 2 and 3, establish the cause of the problem. Is it hardware or software related? Try to think about a couple of possibilities. It is important to keep an open mind when dealing with computer problems. With all the hardware and software installed on a PC, the possibility for conflict between all the components is pretty staggering.

5. Gathering technical information

Gather as many technical details as possible about the problem and the user's environment. What are the versions of his applications? Is the operating system using all the latest drivers and service packs?

6. Determine possible solutions

Establish a few possible solutions using the knowledge you've gained in the previous steps and your personal experience. If you can't think of anything, the Internet is there to help you. Here are 2 resources that saved my life a couple of times. Don't leave home without them!

7. Fixing the problem

If the problem is related to mission critical data, never forget to do a backup before applying your fix. If you are uncertain about the problem and you came up with several possible solutions, always implement them one at a time, so that if something goes wrong, you'll be able to undo your changes easily.

8. Test and test again

Did I say test? Test again! Sometimes, a problem may seem to be resolved, but it is not. The solution may also have broken other part of the user's system, so you need to test everything extensively to be sure everything is working fine.

9. Documenting the issue

Always write down what you did to resolve an issue. Who knows when it might happen again? I've done the mistake of not taking any notes about how I fixed a problem a few times and I can't count how much time I've wasted searching for these solutions all over again.

10. Pat yourself in the back for a job well done.

Yes, you've earned it after all!

After having worked in an IT support related job for a few years, you'll eventually realize that you won't even have to think about doing these steps anymore; they’ll come to you naturally. Sometimes, you may even skip some of them, but if you do, I can guarantee you that you'll have to come back to the one you forgot later in the troubleshooting process.

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8 Comments:

Good post. As someone who works in IT support, staying polite can sometimes be difficult, but it's a hell of a lot better than blowing up at someone and losing your job!

By Gerard McGarry, at 6:02 PM
@Kiltak
Your text is fine.
Thanks for such a helpful article. Sometimes even seasoned phone-jockeys need to step back and rethink their strategies.

By Tom Wright, at 6:19 PM
Good stuff. Definitely going to keep a link to this post hanging around for our newbs to read.

It's also a good idea to have some kind of stress-release mechanism. Sometimes the troubleshooting goes smoothly, sometimes it's a long and painful process. By the time the phone is put down, or you've returned from an on-site visit, the frustration of either the problem itself, or trying to talk to a user who doesn't listen/care/understand can be pretty intense. At the helpdesk where I work, we have a black wiffle-bat that you can grip menacingly (or something) after the client is gone. There's also usually someone around that can watch the phone for a minute while some quality banging-of-head-on-desk takes place.

By theMatt, at 1:24 AM
Sometimes, I wish I could have a big punching bag with the face of a clueless user on it sitting right in the corner of my office, with a baseball bat hooked to the wall beside it. Whenever I need to let the rage and frustration out, I could pick it up and bash it with a "finish him" move à la Mortal Kombat ;)

That would be a good "Stress-release mechanism".

By Kiltak, at 9:53 AM
I've often wished for a voodoo doll, or something with a face, or something that could gracefully withstand a good pounding. Unfortunately, our helpdesk is also the lobby of our department. The wiffle bat hides under the desk most of the time.

By theMatt, at 7:55 PM
"After all, it's because of these guys that you have a job."

[This sounds like a flame, but it's not. Pretend you hear a stand-up comedian's voice reading it :)]

My writing style may be a bit subtle, so please lean in real close and listen carefully: DO NOT EVER USE THAT PHRASE AGAIN IN YOUR ENTIRE LIFE.

What are you thinking, man? That tech support is poor because of all the lazy workers who simply don't appreciate how good they have it? It's hard to believe you've ever done CS/TS with that anachronism dwelling within your cortex. Most people do this job because they can't find anything better. They may be intelligent and skilled but lack degrees or connections to get positions with genuine upward mobility. High volume call centres are generally hell on earth.

Here are the reasons CS/TS is so poor: the employers desire to save money any way possible. They overwork call centre workers who burn out and lose empathy for the customers. They impose strict, asinine procedures and constraints upon the workers which interferes with their interaction with the customers. They use the workers to wear out the customers who don't call back and co$t the company any more money.

The call centre is there to insulate the company FROM the customers, not to reach out to them. We all get a laugh when someone demands to speak to the president. Not even our head manager knows how to do that! Ask for my supervisor, and i'll give another tech a quick briefing and then hand you off to her.

The rest of your suggestions are very good, but CS/TS workers don't have any time to do them properly, even when they honestly want to. They have a supervisor breathing down their necks about their average call times, and the phone will ring again the instant they end the last one.

By Austin TX, at 6:31 PM
Hi "austin tx", or whatever your name may be :)

I realize that there are some truth in what you said, and yes, most big company's support department employ people who do not give a "beep" about their jobs, but this guide not only applies to CS/TS people, but also to system and network administrators, desktop specialists, operators, phone system admin..[And the list goes on]. If you take a minute and think about it, you could apply this guide to about any problematic situations that comes into your life, and it will help you deal with it in the best way possible. Thanks for the great comment.

By Kiltak, at 9:13 PM
What about better tools? I think that part and parcel of improving the process is using better tools more effectively. For eg: I use a tool called Spiceworks. I can quickly check the user's computer in Spiceworks to get all the information I need. (in practice I have it set up to alert me whenever a user installs a new piece of software, and I periodically compare computers to see if there are any differences from my original build image (the software does the compare for me)). More importantly, I run reports on which machines (and users) are causing the most support tickets. This way when I go to my boss asking to upgrade some machines I can back up my claim that doing so will reduce the support cost/time.

I think automation is they key to reducing the workload so we can focus on the important stuff.

By Anonymous, at 6:13 PM