Technical Support in a Technical Age

Are you frustrated by surly technical support personnel? Feeling emasculated by having to ask for help with your technical endeavors? Hate the condescending attitude most technical support staff convey? If the answer to any of the above is yes, then this article is for you.

In a growing age of technology, where new gadgets are all but thrown at us on a daily basis, it becomes decidedly difficult to keep our heads in this most technical of games. Technical Support teams, a carrot proudly dangled by even the smallest technology-related companies, are an industry enigma. On the surface they are there to assist your every technological need, but their presence delves well into the dingy underbelly of the industry.

Technical support roots deeply into issues of expectation, empowerment, validity, and attitude. At its heart is a frustration with the necessity of using a human service for technology assistance — something designed to virtually eliminate the need for human-to-human interaction.

Expectation

Unfortunately expectation, almost without exception, leads to disappointment. Technological products and services are the most frustrating in that they are designed to perform, to make day-to-day activities occur swiftly and easily, and more often than not fail in some way, making life harder.

When it comes to technology, the slightest breakdown is like a betrayal, igniting feelings of panic, rage, and disappointment.

If technology should fail us in any respect, it adds to the fear already lurking in our subconscious: What will become of our technological age if its very foundations prove themselves invalid? Technical Support exists to fend off this ever-present fear, to serve as a buffer between technical deficiencies and the consumer.

Empowerment

On paper, the job of the technical support staff is to troubleshoot any and all technological breakdowns that may occur. The reality of the position is more involved. We deal with panic, rage, anger, and feelings of inadequacy. Because of the regularity with which we face technological shortcomings, technical support teams often become callused and cold to the needs of their clients.

This callousness serves to further remove the technical support personnel, to elevate them because they — not you — fully comprehend the breakdown of your technology and can choose to fix the problem, or not, and at whatever pace they choose.

Technical support is a powerful thing to face; they know your weaknesses, they recognize the vulnerability of a person without their technological security blanket, and can exploit or help you; you are at their mercy.

Just as you should never send food back to the kitchen of a restaurant, you should never do or say anything that will annoy technical support. Be realistic, and be calm. If your ipod should malfunction, or your web site fails, the world will not end. We recognize this, and it creates enough distance between ourselves and the problem that we are able to visualize and fix it. Panic and anger will never solve a technological problem, and will only come across as irritating or humorous.

I am reminded of a particular encounter with technical support that I, unfortunately, experienced. While employed as a research assistant at my university, I was asked to install a disc-drive so that the professor could save her papers and files to cd. This sounds simple, right? Straightforward and uncomplicated. The device, however was deceptive and in the attempts to install it, the hard-drive on the professor's computer was completely destroyed. Don't ask how it happened, I probably couldn't even say. When I phoned the universities' technical support service — a group made up of fellow students — I was met with derision, spoken to like a child (slowly and with distinct enunciation), and was entirely unable to answer the allegedly simple questions that were asked of me. This experience left me feeling inadequate, unintelligent, and exposed. The ultimate outcome was positive — the professor was given a new computer system — and never let on that she knew the extent of what my technological inexperience had cost her.

This story is a marked example of the rudeness that we often face when contacting technical support. Because of my own negative experience with technical support, I am able to recognize that it is frustrating to have a technical malfunction, and yes, it does instill a sense of panic. When you count on technology to support you and it fails, you will feel let-down, and those feelings are nothing to be ashamed of.

Validity

Everyone harbors a need to be valid, a confirmation of our existence and purpose. When forced to go to technical support to solve our problems, we call into question our own validity. If technology is the very foundation of our society, and we cannot make up for its deficiencies, does that make us, in some manor, invalid? The answer to this is no , for one simple reason. Technology exists to supplement out existence, not replace it. It technology fails in some way, we must recognize that we, as people, have not.

When we rely on something to supplement our lives, it becomes tooeasy to remove all boundaries between the product and ourselves. Any deficiencies that your technical devices own are not yours, and we should not attempt to shoulder those burdens or we will never be free of their weight.

Attitude

When a product or service is advertised to perform certain way and proves differently, it is easy and natural to feel disappointed and misled. All too often, when someone contacts technical support with a problem or question, they bring a negative attitude with them. It doesn't matter what the attitude is nasty, snappish, or rude. When we experience a strong emotion we have a natural inclination to share it with someone else.

It is important to remember that while technical support staff will listen to your problem and should be able to relate in some way, we are not here to be verbally abused. We didn't create or cause your problem, so please don't treat us with disrespect. Just because you feel let down doesn't mean that we want that emotion passed to us. Accept the fact that technology is never perfect, and let the negativity go.

Final Thoughts

It should be said that while technical support teams do receive a number of calls from rude, frustrated clients, we also receive them from happy, positive clients as well. That said, a good attitude will go a long way in your relationship with technical support. Whenever you call technical support, keep a few things in mind.

BE POSITIVE.
Be realistic. Odds are your problem can be fixed, but don't assume that it will be fixed instantly.
When you call, have the details we will need readily available.
If we ask for feedback, give it to us. Help us help you.
RELAX — this is only technology.

Don't be afraid to phone technical support if you have questions or concerns about a favored technical device. We are here to help you, and will do our best to put your technical difficulties to rest.

To contact us, use our help desk.