F2CONSULTING®

Just recently I found myself needing to call the technical assistance service of a supplier, due to a problem I was having with a programme.

It made me think about how complex the how-to-relate-with-a-Help-Desk situation is.

The user who asks for help expects instant total comprehension of their problem and an immediate solution.

But frequently the information they supply is insufficient or even incorrect.

Because of this, the Help Desk’s attitude often betrays an ingrained distrust in the user’s ability to explain their problem.

This can easily lead to an impasse.

The next problematic phase can be that the user correctly sends all possible information in the correct way, only to discover that this does not necessarily guarantee the immediate solution of the problem.

In general, the best thing is that the Help Desk be enabled to “see” what is happening in the user’s programme (using webex or remote access).

In my recent case, I had sent all the information that seemed necessary, and then we carried out a webex session: as we were going through all the operational phases together, I noticed an anomaly in the programme that had previously escaped my attention.

Before long we could both see that this had been the cause of the problem.

All this led me to reflect that in these situations, in order to reach a solution, the vital thing is to overcome diffidence on both sides and establish a totally collaborative process between the person with the problem and the person whose job is to solve it.

If the user fails to apply all their knowledge and experience, the technician may not be able to perceive certain aspects that turn out to be fundamental, because the user’s computer environment may well be strongly personalized and not correspond to the technician’s expectations.

On the other hand, the technician’s specific skills are probably indispensable for the implementation of an effective solution.

The moral of this incident, I concluded, was that the successful conclusion to a Help Desk experience depends on a positive, flexible and intelligent attitude towards the communications being exchanged, activating a personal ability on both sides to “tune in” without diffidence to the other partner in the technical conversation.