Explaining a series of complex technical instructions to non-Tech customers has many challenges. First of all, you have to consider the fact that the customer’s IT vocabulary and knowledge extent are quite limited. Second, the fact that they already called Tech Support suggest they are already in a somewhat frustrated state. These could result in miscommunication and even frustration that could lead to further damage.
It is one thing to know your product or services well, especially if it’s a complicated software. But, it’s another thing to talk to non-IT people in a language that keeps both sides on the same page. This is not always easy to do, especially since some IT jargons do not have a layman equivalent.
So, how can technical employees provide effective tech support to non-techie folks? Whether you’re providing tech support to customers or a company’s employees, here are some ways you can help non-IT people do the trick.
Tech Support Tips for Non-Tech Folks
Don’t make assumptions. Rule number one, don’t make assumptions about the customer. While customer data can provide some basic information about the customer and the problem, always assume that the client’s IT knowledge is not as extensive as the others.
In the course of listening to the problem and assessing the concern, you’ll learn more about the customer and his or her level of IT knowledge. From here, you should be able to pick the language that you can use to address the problem.
Choose your language carefully. IT jargons can be quite scary for non-techie folks, especially if they risk losing a massive amount of data with a simple click of the wrong button.
Base your language on the level of IT knowledge of the customer. If you send a highly technical, despite being accurate, list of instructions, chances are, you will end up losing the customer. So, use a language that both you and the client will understand.
Put yourself in the customer’s shoes. An effective tech support personnel will try to always think like a client and understand that it’s not just a technical problem, but it could also be an emotional one.
For someone who has a very limited technical background, a simple glitch could be as serious as a virus. Of course, there are also savvy customers whose IT vocabulary is way advanced than others. A good tech support should always strive to straddle the balance between accuracy and simplicity.
Explain the solution in several ways. Tech support caters to a wide array of customer clusters with varying levels of IT expertise and knowledge. Therefore, it is important to explain a single solution in several ways that the client will understand. These formats could be in the form of a phone call, emails, images, bulleted lists, and even GIFs.
Request for visual aid. Sometimes, a customer’s explanation of the problem could be skewed, especially if he or she has the very little technical know-how. This is where screenshots could come in handy. Ask them to send you visual documentations of the problem so you are both, literally, looking at the same page.
Build a comprehensive help section. Some customers don’t like emailing or calling tech support. This is where a comprehensive FAQs and help sections would come in handy. Make sure that these are easy to read, simple to understand, and can easily be found on your website.
Tech Support That Works
A proactive tech support looks for ways to continuously improve their communications with the clients and customers. Apart from just increasing their knowledge about the products and services, a competent tech support team should always understand their customers and clients and connect with them from various communications channels and styles.
Tech support teams like Merlin can help businesses not just in dealing with tech-related calls, but also help organizations know more about their clients and customers.
