Help Desks

I spent Thursday and Friday trying to understand why I could send but could not receive email messages. Though my problem still existed Friday afternoon after hours of unsuccessful troubleshooting, I was reminded of customer service as it pertains to help desks.

During the time, I talked to two different help groups. At the first desk, I spoke to three people. The first person asked me several times to repeat myself as he could not hear for the ambient noise. I finally told him to tell his co-workers to quit talking. Once this was out of the way, it was clear he was not technically able to troubleshoot my problem. He connected me to a second person who was more technical and helpful but spent the time telling me the root cause was not in their server. Not once did he offer any solutions or try anything to help me. He eventually connected me to his manager who repeated the second person's line about not owning the problem. At the end, he told me a mistake was made (by the receptionist) in connecting me to them. That after one and one half hours of my time.

The second day, I called customer service and was connected to a different desk. This gentleman immediately started helping me. He had me download a program so he could see my computer screen. My first day's frustration was that I kept relaying what I was experiencing but it fell on deaf ears. They were fixated on the problem not belonging to them. This new guy immediately went to my screen and saw what I saw. He spent much time trying to help me. Though we did not fix the problem, he pointed me in a direction to follow. It was the same direction offered the previous day but I was more receptive (this time) since it came after his diligence to solve the problem. His effort and patience made me feel every possible solution had been tried.

According to the second help desk, the problem was with my mail host's server. I called their help desk for two hours and received busy signals or voice mail. Their website did not list office hours. I eventually talked to a human who confirmed there was an issue with their server. He quickly implemented a solution and by Saturday afternoon, email was working fine.

Of the processes a business possesses, those interacting with customers must be beyond reproach. Most callers to a help desk are in an ill mood when the number is dialed and it does not take much to blow a fuse. The two help desks I dealt with were diametrically opposed. And they were in the same company! One's defensive posture kept them from trying to help me. Frustration was blowing from my ears. The other talked to me in a rational and structured manner. He led me through a troubleshooting process which conveyed a helpful and empathetic message.

If anyone reading this works with customers, God bless you. Your position is critical and can make or break a supplier/customer relationship.