How to describe key troubleshooting steps/components to customer

[Redefine IT]

I was on the phone with a customer earlier and she said she was having internet connectivity problems. We got into her network connections tab and it said she had a network cable unplugged. I asked her to look behind her computer and see if the Ethernet cable was plugged in, and she had no idea what I was talking about. I then proceeded a far too long process of trying to describe what an Ethernet cable looks like. This got me thinking, how to you describe certain things to customers while you aren't available in person? Via email, phone, etc? I spoke with another tech I know and he just said he always describes Ethernet cables as fat phone lines...What other things do you have easy descriptions for? I'm looking for things like:

1. Different types of cables, wiring, ports, wireless switches, just generic hardware components.

2. Software icons: Internet Browsers, Antivirus, Batch files, Registry files, etc.

3. Task menu icons: Network Connections, and whatever else you have found useful to describe.

4. Maybe some easy methods to have someone open the run command (do you have them hit win + r? Start -> run?), get into certain helpful applications, just little shortcuts you have come up with over the years.


Anyways, I'd love to put together a little "cheat sheet" of a bunch of different things that can be referred to to just streamline processes. Which obviously I'd post on here once completed. Thanks in advance guys!

 

[HFultzjr]

I was on the phone with a customer earlier and she said she was having internet connectivity problems. We got into her network connections tab and it said she had a network cable unplugged. I asked her to look behind her computer and see if the Ethernet cable was plugged in, and she had no idea what I was talking about. I then proceeded a far too long process of trying to describe what an Ethernet cable looks like. This got me thinking, how to you describe certain things to customers while you aren't available in person? Via email, phone, etc? I spoke with another tech I know and he just said he always describes Ethernet cables as fat phone lines...What other things do you have easy descriptions for? I'm looking for things like:

1. Different types of cables, wiring, ports, wireless switches, just generic hardware components.

2. Software icons: Internet Browsers, Antivirus, Batch files, Registry files, etc.

3. Task menu icons: Network Connections, and whatever else you have found useful to describe.

4. Maybe some easy methods to have someone open the run command (do you have them hit win + r? Start -> run?), get into certain helpful applications, just little shortcuts you have come up with over the years.


Anyways, I'd love to put together a little "cheat sheet" of a bunch of different things that can be referred to to just streamline processes. Which obviously I'd post on here once completed. Thanks in advance guys!

I don't have much to suggest here.

Looking forward to others' posts.

If I have a customer with a "reasonable" knowledge of computers, I'll attempt.

But, for most, if they don't have a clue what I'm talking about, I'll go to their site.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Kind of hard to answer...depends on a "case by case basis"...today a dumb question about 1 thing, tomorrow a dumb question about another thing.

Network cable though..I usually tell them it's something that looks like a large phone cord. Often blue (since you're on the phone it's probably a home user and it's probably a STinksys or DStink or Nutgear home router that comes with a blue patch cord)

If it gets too lengthy over the phone...push for them to bring it in, or for you to go onsite.

 

[16k_zx81]

I was on the phone with a customer earlier and she said she was having internet connectivity problems. We got into her network connections tab and it said she had a network cable unplugged. I asked her to look behind her computer and see if the Ethernet cable was plugged in, and she had no idea what I was talking about. I then proceeded a far too long process of trying to describe what an Ethernet cable looks like. This got me thinking, how to you describe certain things to customers while you aren't available in person? Via email, phone, etc? I spoke with another tech I know and he just said he always describes Ethernet cables as fat phone lines...What other things do you have easy descriptions for? I'm looking for things like:

1. Different types of cables, wiring, ports, wireless switches, just generic hardware components.

2. Software icons: Internet Browsers, Antivirus, Batch files, Registry files, etc.

3. Task menu icons: Network Connections, and whatever else you have found useful to describe.

4. Maybe some easy methods to have someone open the run command (do you have them hit win + r? Start -> run?), get into certain helpful applications, just little shortcuts you have come up with over the years.


Anyways, I'd love to put together a little "cheat sheet" of a bunch of different things that can be referred to to just streamline processes. Which obviously I'd post on here once completed. Thanks in advance guys!

Use photos. "a picture speaks a thousand words"

Jim

 

[Altster]

You need to adhere to the "KISS" principle - Keep It Simple Stupid! And no, I'm not saying anyone is stupid here.

You answer for the "what does an Ethernet cable look like?" could be - it's like a phone cable (telephone cable) but wider and has 8 (usually) gold contacts on it. I'd call that fairly simple and hopefully the client will be able to understand this.

When it comes to hardware connections, most are color-coded so most people should be able to match connections to their connectors. Just make sure you insist that they (clients) NOT force any connections!

Personally I don't want a general user messing about in their registry. Do you REALLY want them in there?

Just keep it as simple as possible. You may have to dumb-down your explanations to the point of:

1. Is the printer powered on (turned on)? If not make sure that it is.
2. Have you (the client) installed the software as the user manual suggests (to make this piece of hardware work)? EX: some printers require that the software installation be started before the cable (USB) is connected to either the printer or the computer.

I have written some "how-to's" in the past and realized that I was using "tech-talk" to explain how something is / should be done when I should have been using "absolute" beginner-talk.

Try writing some "how-to's" in plain speak and let someone who is not a experienced computer user critique it for you. You might be surprised at the response you get by doing so.

 

[Redefine IT]

@HFultzjr & YeOldeStonecat: I know that ultimately being onsite yourself is the best solution, but sometimes that isn't possible. For instance, I am still in the "fixing friends of friends computer issues" stage in my business which I rarely do anything over the phone, but I work for an outsourced tech company and we have people call in from all over, including the UK. In these instances there's nothing I can do except escalate it if I can't describe something.

@16k_zx81: I'll agree with that. Screenshots in "how-to's" are by far the most helpful things ever.

@Altster: I understand that for the most part registry is something never to let a user touch, but there's been a few times I've had people call that their antivirus took care of some infected files, but the default file association for an .exe file has changed and it's a simple registry file to change it back. I'm not going to ask a user to open regedit or anything, but install a registry fix that I emailed them a link to? Yah, I'll tell them to do that.

I agree with keeping it simple. I think mostly what I was expecting in answer was simple ways to describe things, as for us tech guys that's difficult sometimes.