The Secret to Small Business Tech Support
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Ever get that sinking feeling? That pit-of-the-stomach sensation when you recognize something’s long gone wrong. Business proprietors understand what I’m speaking about. We get it while that customer calls to bitch approximately a process. Or whilst a dealer’s key cargo does not arrive on time.
You’re a commercial enterprise proprietor. You understand this sense. When is it the absolute worst? When it is a generation guide problem. You come to paintings, and your laptop screen isn’t how you left it the night time before. When you arrive at your office this morning, you are now not greeted utilizing the everyday computing device. Instead, the display is frozen at “Windows is starting.” A replacement that robotically downloaded last night screwed something up. Your screen is black. And now so is your temper.
You watch the screen for a few minutes, anticipating something to manifest, but you recognize not anything will. Finally, you restart the pc. Twice. The same result. Now you have that sinking feeling. You see your morning slipping away: This pic isn’t always going to begin. And nor is your day. Until you get some help, you may have to call a technical assist. But halt your hyperventilation-there is no want to fear at all. As a fellow enterprise owner, I’m going to help you because I’ve discovered a way to handle technical assist with a few policies for people like us.
Rule One: Don’t Get Angry
You can get angry if you live in a town where it snows half the yr and your crew starts the season 0-4. You can get irritated every time you hear that Jennifer Lopez is paid $12 million to choose American Idol. But this time, getting irritated may not help anyone. And it won’t assist you in getting your problem resolved any quicker. If you’re walking your personal, commercial enterprise, the final thing you want is for your employees to peer you storming around your workplace, wildly swinging a golf club over your head like a tomahawk whilst you kick over your chair and repeatedly yell, “Why, why, why!” It’s sufficient that your family’s seen this behavior. You must supply employees with the impression that everything is on top of things. That YOU are in control. You are a businessman. You are Don Draper. So do what he would do at 8 a.M.-have a bourbon and smoke. Microsoft (MSFT) Windows never rattled Don Draper, proper? So be calm.
Rule Two: Be Nice to the Technician
Of direction, it’s demanding that you have to wait on maintain. And we all realize how tense it can be if you have to punch your “patron ID,” ZIP code, mother’s maiden call, preferred vacation spot, and social protection number into the automated device three times, best to be asked for that equal records again the minute a stay character comes at the telephone. It’s now not his fault. The technician is just doing his activity. He’s going to be first-class. You need to be the best, too. You’re an enterprise owner. How would you want it if a few patrons become being a jerk to considered one of your employees? You’re not going to get on his appropriate aspect via being a jerk to him. A first-class, you’ll earn the proper to be placed on hold 5 greater instances than essential or be compelled to take a seat and wait in silence for many greater mins, thinking what he is actually doing as he is clicking away on his keyboard.
Rule Three: Be Patient
You recognize from jogging your own enterprise that now and again, the solutions can’t be delivered right now. Don’t you wish your customers could additionally be a touch extra patient when they call with a hassle? Of route you do. So take a deep breath. Don’t fear approximately those long silences on the line when you assume you’ve been disconnected. He’s there. He’s possibly just mulling things over. Or talking approximately the problem along with his colleagues. Whatever. Be patient. Answer the questions. Take this time to rearrange your timetable. This hassle will ultimately get resolved. It’s going to take a tough time; it’s all. Don’t even don’t forget grabbing the golf membership once more and knocking that photo of your spouse and children at Disney (DIS) off your table.
Rule Four: Cede Control
As an enterprise owner, you are possibly a control freak. Like me, you hate other people doing stuff you don’t understand. That’s why you do not work for every person anymore. But to get your hassle fixed, you’ll want to relinquish that manage… As a minimum for a couple of minutes. When the technician asks to take over your device to do his troubleshooting remotely, let him. Don’t worry approximately security. Try now not to consider something malicious he can be doing. Please don’t be anxious that he’s going to look at the websites you recently visited. Remember, he would not care approximately all that. He has others for your state of affairs he wishes to help, too. Let him take over your laptop and run all those complicated scripts and programs that most effective the technical help guys understand how to run. Could you not ask what he is doing? In truth, don’t even watch what he is doing. Look for some office work as a substitute. Try to appear busy. Walk across the workplace as if you’re misplaced for your thoughts, conjuring up a few notable plans to take your enterprise to new heights. The tech guy will quickly end.
Rule Five: The Most Important Rule… Delegate
Haven’t you discovered anything over the past twenty years strolling your very own business? You’re the boss. So act like one! You recognize using now that you will most effeceffectivelyw matters up via doing the provider yourself, so you have a person else do it. You know by way of now that you will lose that client in case you name him and scream approximately his overdue bill, so you have someone else do it. And you must know by now that you’ll by no means be the technical wizard that you as soon as a concept you can be when you purchased your first Windows three.1 pc-so you want to delegate this, too. The minute you see something is inaccurate, have every other guy in your office or your tech man addresses the trouble. And rather, select up the telephone and phone a consumer. Check-in an order. Walk around the warehouse—order lunch for the team of workers. Just do something else greater beneficial. And extra suitable for the proprietor of a business enterprise.