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> LISTEN TO THEIR ACTUAL PROBLEM ALL THE WAY. This is the key. People want to be heard, and also people don't necessarily divulge detail in the order you expec
by efitz 2y ago
> LISTEN TO THEIR ACTUAL PROBLEM ALL THE WAY.
This is the key. People want to be heard, and also people don't necessarily divulge detail in the order you expect. The very last thing that they say may completely invalidate the solution you've been building in your mind as they've been speaking.
Back in the mid 90's I was working support for Windows NT Server. In my area we had our heavy hitters- the issues that came up several times a week- and we all knew them inside out. One day a paying support customer called and within 30 seconds of him starting to talk, I knew exactly what the problem was. I let him talk but after 5 minutes I was getting bored of minesweeper and thought maybe he'd appreciate me fixing his issue. I interrupted him and say, "hey, let's try this". Sure enough, within 2 minutes his issue was fixed. We ended the call politely and I congratulated myself on getting him to relief so quickly.
A couple weeks later we got our support survey results for the month. That customer had been surveyed and was nice enough to write something other than just give a star rating or whatever. I will never forget what he wrote:
"I don't feel like the engineer listened to me before he solved my problem."
That was a lot to unpack at the time- at first I was frustrated because he didn't give me a top score when I knocked it out of the park in my own estimation, but after a lot of reflection I've taken that lesson to heart. That person's short comment made me a better person, certainly better at support but more empathic in general, and I owe them a debt that I can't repay but will pay forward.
- shiroiushi 2y agoThe problem here is that different people have different expectations. If you can fix my problem in 30 seconds and I don't have to waste 5+ minutes of my time describing the problem when you've already seen it and know the fix, I would prefer that you just stop me and fix it. However, that other guy obviously doesn't care about saving time, and wants to waste your time and his by venting and a known issue. Unfortunately, there's no way to know which type of service a customer wants unless you already know that customer well.
- Dylan16807 2y agoBut it's tech support. There are lots of situations where listening is the priority, and I'm glad you learned something for everyday life, but limiting excess explanation in a minimally rude way is a good thing for tech support. And allowing an extra 5 minutes is more than enough for being minimally rude.
- Doxin 2y agoYou'd be surprised how many people will contact tech support mainly to complain and view getting their problem fixed as secondary. Back when I did tech support I spent a lot of time commiserating with people while fixing their problem. Allows people to vent and we all know the need to vent when tech isn't cooperating.
- kamaal 2y ago>>"I don't feel like the engineer listened to me before he solved my problem." I worked in tech support in the mid 2000s. The crazy thing was the agent ratings were a delicate balance between customer ratings, resolve rate and call duration. While its true some people just want to be heard, its also true some people just want their problem solved quickly.