Anatomy of an Interaction 💬

Now that we've covered the main customer service techniques, we're going to dive into some of the nitty-gritty by looking at the anatomy of an interaction. These apply to any channel of IT support—email, phone, chat, or in-person interactions.

From the first moment you interact with someone, it's important to think about how you say, "Hello." Do you make sure to tell them your name? Do you incorporate information you know about them in your greeting? Do you ensure a positive tone? Are your spelling and grammar on point? These are all ways to create a really good start to the interaction. Some of these things are hard to achieve though. I'm a horrible speller, especially when I'm in a hurry. But knowing some of these trouble spots ahead of time will let you find ways to address them before the interaction. For me, I know that when I'm in a hurry, I need to recheck my spelling before hitting "Send".

Have you ever heard the phrase 'first impressions last a lifetime'? Well, that might be a bit of an exaggeration. It touches on some truth. How you first interact with someone will influence how the rest of the interaction plays out. I'm not saying you have to be over the top, gushy, and nice—that might have the opposite effect. Just be professional, acknowledge the user, and show them some respect. Taking the time to get the interaction off to a good start will make everything that comes after easier.

Let's check out two scenarios:

🌟🤔 Scenario 1: Positive Interaction

In this scenario, the IT support representative starts the interaction with a friendly greeting, introduces themselves, and expresses a willingness to assist. They maintain a professional tone, ensuring clear and concise communication. The representative pays attention to grammar and spelling, and they make the user feel valued and respected throughout the interaction.

😕👎 Scenario 2: Negative Interaction

In this scenario, the IT support representative neglects to greet the user properly and fails to introduce themselves. They come across as abrupt and uninterested in providing assistance. The representative's tone is dismissive, and there are several grammar and spelling errors in their responses. As a result, the user feels ignored and frustrated, leading to a negative interaction.

Remember, the way you initiate the interaction sets the tone for the entire conversation. Pay attention to your greeting, maintain professionalism, and strive for clear and respectful communication.

📞💬 Greeting and Building a Relationship

To see how this plays out:

Greeting 1: "Hi, Gail. How are you today? What can I help you with?"

Greeting 2: "Hi, Gail. I hope you're having a good day despite your computer randomly turning off. Let's see what we can do to fix your issue."

It's important to be transparent with the user. If they start asking you a bunch of questions while you're still troubleshooting, you can do two things:

1. Option 1: You can ignore them because they're just talking out loud.

2. Option 2: You can pause and say something like, "I'd be happy to answer all of your questions, but I want to look up this one first. I've written them all down though, so I won't forget them." If you say that, make sure to write the questions down.

To really build a rapport, try to remember a personal fact they've mentioned and bring it up later. Maybe they mentioned they love cats. Later, while you're waiting for something to load, ask them if they have any cats or what their cat's name is. This shouldn't be forced. If you're not the type to engage in small talk, skip it.

🔍💡 Clarifying the Problem

Now, you're getting to the point where you're ready to troubleshoot, just make sure you clarify the person's issue before you start to troubleshoot. If you don't, you might find yourself going down a rabbit hole.

Example:

Thank you for calling. This is Leon. How can I help you?

Hi, Leon. My computer isn't working.

That doesn't sound fun. What do you mean by the computer isn't working?

It won't connect to the internet.

Do you have the corporate password for the wifi?

No, why do I need that?

In order to connect to the wifi in the building, you need to use the corporate password.

Well, I'm not in the building. I'm at a cafe.

That's odd. Your computer seems to be different than what we normally use. Can I get your name so I can look up your configuration?

Ling Chan.

Do you work at this company?

No, my friend gave me the number.

🛠️ Problem-Solving and Information Gathering

Problem-solving is a super important aspect of an IT support interaction. Being an IT support specialist means that you could be asked about anything. Even though you aren't expected to know the answer off the top of your head, you should know where to start looking to find it. People are coming to you because they have a problem they can't fix themselves. Sometimes they feel self-conscious about asking for help. Be aware of how you probe for information. Pummeling the user with question after question will probably create frustration on both sides. Make sure to set context and explain why you're asking the question. Saying something simple like, "In order for me to figure out what's really going on, I need to ask you some questions," can make all the difference.

When you're in person, things are a lot easier because you can see each other and read each other's expressions. But you might find yourself too comfortable. Imagine you're asking for help with your phone. You wouldn't want the person helping you to just take it out of your hands without asking. Make sure you tell the user what you're doing before you do it. If you're supporting a user remotely and need them to run some commands, don't forget to tell them why you need them to execute the commands. There's no need to go into a ton of detail. Without some context, you could strain the trust you've built. Make sure that when you're asking these questions or asking the user to run a command, you're really listening to the response. Those little nuggets of information may help solve the issue.

✅👋 Ending the Interaction

The last five minutes of the interaction will set the tone for how the user feels walking away from the interaction. Make sure to end on a positive note. You might have solved their issue, but if they don't feel it was resolved or they're unsure of the next steps, then they're going to walk away feeling like it was a poor solution.

How do you make a good final impression? Simple, reiterate the resolution, state the next steps, then ask the user if they have any questions.