How I Learned to Stop Worrying & Love My IT Support
Introducing Stephen Hamilton! Many of you may know Stephen from his myriad enlightened comments on SBO over the past 12 months or so. Today we welcome his maiden guest post on a topic that many of us find pretty darn annoying…getting decent IT help.
I’ve worked in IT for most of my working life. Please don’t hold that against me.
Like you, I’ve witnessed first hand the puzzling, pathetic, or just plain paltry levels of service many regular folk seem to receive at the hands of many in my industry.
You know what I’m talking about: you ask a simple question and you receive an astonishingly complicated answer in a language best described as ‘geek-speak’.
Or despite promises and guarantees that have lead you to reasonably expect a specific result from a product or service, you’re provided with something that apparently does nothing, except force you to interact with antagonistic persons euphemistically called customer service representatives.
It’s enough to drive you insane! Well maybe not quite, but sadly it’s often enough to make many people adopt a ‘near-enough-is-good-enough’ attitude. It seems that putting up with the pain of imperfect service is less than the pain of trying to rectify the problem.
Allow me to make three points:
- It doesn’t have to be this way (Yes, there are many individuals and companies who give fantastic customer service)
- Putting up with poor service only benefits those giving poor service
- It doesn’t have to be a hair-pulling experience to switch to a better service
Maybe the top two statements are obvious. The third statement is a little trickier. It’s the prospect of change, and the perceived friction that accompanies it, that often stops people from taking positive steps to improve the situation.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
Want proof?
Look no further than the recent experience of SBO’s very own Paul Hassing. Paul was having some problems with his ISP. They weren’t one-off issues; Paul had recurring problems that were never resolved to his satisfaction. Sound familiar?
Paul broached the issue with his readership. He received lots of sympathy, but more importantly he was assured by many of his readers that this was a torture he didn’t have to endure. There were alternatives. Paul rightly tried to rectify the situation with his incumbent ISP, but sadly these efforts came to naught.
He decided to take the plunge and switch ISPs. But to whom would he turn? Again, the ‘collective wisdom’ of the community came to his rescue. Many made good suggestions, and in particular Sonia Cuff and I recommended Internode.
Paul checked out the quality of this advice by once again turning to the collective wisdom of another community, one that has a specific interest in ISPs, Whirlpool.net. He was very impressed by the Customer Appreciation Thread for Internode.
Thus, Paul was able to confidently make a decision to move to an ISP that offered better service.
What does this mean for you?
Let’s consider the takeaways from Paul’s experience:
- First, Paul needed to make up his mind that change was needed, and was going to happen
- Paul canvassed his community and network for advice. Twitter is becoming, in my opinion, increasingly useful for this. Even if you don’t have a blog with lots of readers, or a Twitter account, you can still do the same. Pick up the phone and ask you friends, colleagues and even IT people who give you a different product or service for their opinion
- Paul checked the quality of these referrals with others that had direct experience with the recommended service, or could give expert, impartial advice
- He acted on the info he received, thus reducing the pain he felt trying to get customer service
You can do the same. And this doesn’t just stand for finding a better ISP. Not happy with your computer network maintenance? Sub standard results from your line-of-business software? Lousy helpdesk? All of these issues can be fixed – you’ll feel less pain, and more often than not you’ll save time and money in the long run.
So whaddayagunnadoabowtit?
Stephen Hamilton
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Wow, Stephen! I suspected you might be a good guest poster, but I had no idea you’d deliver such a corker.
Fabulous content. Ripper writing. Generous mentions of me. And not a single link to any of YOUR stuff!
And now for my shameful reveal. Everything you wrote is true. Except for one teensy weensy little word.
‘Acted’.
Yes. I got fed up, I did my research, I got the best advice, I cross checked it, I found my new plan, I picked up my phone and … I gutted out.
I was afraid this awful truth might out. That I was too scared to make the change. Compounding the situation was the fact that since my latest round of crazy rants, my ISP has actually stopped bugging me.
It’s true I had my finger on the trigger. And still do. But fear, inertia, unwillingness to go through the hassle of change and ‘just give the mongerels one more try’ combined to stay my hand.
In a way, I’ve illustrated all your points. Our readers need only add human frailty to the mix for the FULL story.
Mind you, if Telstra makes one more false move, it’s off with their head. I now realise that I’ll be held to account on that boast!
Thank you so much for this insightful, useful, (painful) post!
Well, Paul, I think we’ll all hold you to account on that one!
Alas, my fact checking failed at a critical point, but you’re correct – this does illustrate my point that fear of change and the perceived friction can hold all of us back from initiating positive change (a truism, one I suspect applies in many areas of life).
Thanks for the opportunity to write a post, thanks for the comment, but most of, thanks for coming clean with the real story!
Guilty as charged.
Administering smacks with ruler.
The steel one.
Ouch!
Stephen,
I can and I am sure others can relate to this post. One thing I found when facing a similar situation is that the communication between those in technology and the rest of us can at times be as clear as mud.
Of course this is a generalisation and also probably true of most industries.
Great post
Susan
Susan – You are ABSOLUTELY on the money with that observation.
While it can be difficult making sense of ‘geek-speak’, it astounds me that many IT service companies lack either the ability or the inclination to talk to other IT companies on behalf of their customer.
Passing the buck and not liaising in a basic manner with other IT companies involved with project or support issues is commonplace.
However, it is well worth repeating that it doesn’t have to be like that, as there are lots of individuals and companies out there who do things the right way. You’ve just got to sometimes do a bit of legwork and or homework to find them.
Stephen,
Perhaps it is a case of they have not been taught how to. From your last sentence it seems there is an opportunity for someone to help in this area, especially as small business owners are time strapped.
I must say my IT guy is great and has talked to others on my behalf.
Once again, I completely agree, Susan.
Funnily enough, I think many people who run IT companies are aware of it, but I suspect it is the fear of change and the perceived friction of changing their systems that also holds many of them back.
The one thing that will change that mentality is customers voting with their dollars, by choosing to spend them where they do get better service.
Oh, and if you’ve got a good IT guy, hang on to him, and sing his praises from the rooftops. Hens teeth etc.
Dear, Dear Stephen
You continue to pour much needed Chi into the too often collapsing nadi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nadi_%28yoga%29 ), of my ‘Faith in Humanity’
Mate, I’d whole-heartedly request you to do brain surgery on my offspring, knowing that, even though you weren’t ‘qualified’, you would thoroughly research the task before hand, say it how it is up front, and do your absolute wringin’-wet best…Genuine intent and integrity is IMHO where real ‘Magic’ comes from. You can’t teach it, measure it, manufacture it or ‘IT’ it…it’s just either their or it ain’t…and both you guys have it in buckets
And Paul? Only the Messiah would deny his true Divinity!
This is where you say “Well what chance does that give me then?”…”Oh F___ OFF!” ;-P
I could go on yet another rant about IT Support here, but I reckon this comment (No 2), by Pete Michaud on the ‘A Smart Bear’ blog nicely sums up a ‘real world’ approach that at least fits my bill
Great debut Stevo…I look forward to more
Cheers
Stephen G
PS I finally replied to you on Google Wave yesterday
Thanks Stephen! I really appreciate your kind words. I’m not as versed in eastern mysticism as you are, but I think I catch your drift.
Your point from the ‘Smart Bear’ blog about not always perfecting a task before moving on is a good one, and something I do struggle with at times. As Seth Godin says, shipping on time and in budget is the most important thing. He basically means, set a goal and stick to the parameters you’ve set, and don’t get bogged down in too many details.
Lastly, I have replied to your reply on Wave. Hoo Roo mate!
Stephen
As usual eloquent and meaningful not to mention accurate, it is only fear with comments like better the devil you know that stop customers from changing their circumstances. It is not as difficult or as painful as the industry would have you believe.
As you know I have also been in and around the IT industry for many years and the number one thing that I think we all forget to remember is that we are a service industry that is meant to serve.
If it is being done for the money or the status of the deal then I think it will more than likely break down and fail at some point.
To serve because it is the right thing to do, what a wonderful sentiment but probably not a very lucrative one from a business point of view, or is it? I believe that if to serve is always the underlying reason of why you are there, then a solution can always be provided regardless of circumstances and budgets.
Jonathan – very glad you could make it here!
I agree that having a primary focus on customer service is NOT a namby-pamby sentiment. It is a fabulous way to increase the value you offer to a customer. This brings many obvious benefits; some tangible and other intangible.
I know that you and others in the industry understand this fully.
(FYI: Jonathan has, in this order, been a customer, boss & colleague of mine, and throughout has always been a valued mentor).
Thanks for your comment, mate!
Ooh, where do I start with this one!
Stephen, appreciate the mention and agree with your comments. From my experience, the fear of changing anything related to IT often stems from a lack of knowledge and what the implications are, e.g. but my current computer guy knows how everything is setup. Often looks like the dog whinging about laying on the rusty nail but the pain of moving off it would be worse. All I can say to that is ‘documentation’! Get your computer guy to give you a list of all relevant passwords, configurations etc. It may look like German to you, but if you have it on file at your place, you’re no longer as much at the mercy of an unreliable computer guy if you do decide to get someone else in. The information is yours and it’s your right to have a copy.
Now lemme play devil’s advocate and jump back on the ‘IT provider’ side of the fence. Here’s a quick list of how to make it as hard as possible to get good computer support (read through and see if you are a bad customer!) ….
1. Dont spend any money maintaining your systems (e.g. regular software tune-ups or replacing ageing hardware).
2. Dont spend any money on pro-active monitoring to catch the little problems before they turn big.
3. Expect your computer person to drop everything and work on your problem the minute you call them. They have other customers too and prioritise calls like a doctor. Want an immediate response? Employ your own IT staff.
4. Ignore your computer guy’s recommendations and do it your own way instead.
5. Purchase that super cheap special deal then complain when we tell you it wont work in your office setup.
6. Expect your computer person to sit on hold to your ISP for hours and then complain when you receive a large bill for all of his hours.
7. Leave your computer guy’s invoice as long as possible before you pay it. It’s not like he can cut your power off or anything.
8. Don’t call your computer guy if the problem re-appears, but moan to all of your friends about how he didn’t fix it.
Most IT guys walk a fine line between wanting to deliver the very best customer service and only being compensated for the actual time they can put on your invoice. Understandably, you want the job doing as fast and as cheaply as possible.
I guess I’m saying there are some tradeoffs for the benefit of only having to pay for computer support when you need it, instead of paying an annual salary to an IT staffer. We’re trying to remove the time=income catch22 with more flat-fee services, but troubleshooting can be a tricky one due to so many components and unknowns. Yes, still much like the doctor analogy where a sore throat can range from ‘take a lozenge’ to ‘let’s run lots of expensive tests, diagnose cancer and put you on chemo’. Remember, like a doctor, we’re being rewarded for our experience, knowledge and skills … things you dont have to sort out your own problems.
Sorry if this little rant came across a bit harsh. There is no excuse for poor customer service and there are some shockers in our industry, no doubt. Just be a little realistic about your expectations though and talk to your computer guy about your concerns
Sonia, I was hoping you’d drop by.
You make excellent points here, and I don’t think it sounds harsh at all. After all, like you, I am on the IT provider ’side of the fence’.
Firstly, your point about documentation is one of my pet subjects. If you’re paying for a halfway professional service, you should be getting some kind of documentation outlining how your systems work. We don’t need encyclopaedias, but an accurate overview accompanied with, as you point out, relevant passwords are an essential minimum.
Secondly, I agree with everything you point out about being a good (IT) customer. I understand it can be hard for customers to be trusting after a bad experience, but one needs to put a measure of faith into ones’ IT providers. I will point out that all of the scenario’s you portray can be avoided with better communication. Communication after all doesn’t only require talking, but listening too.
If you really want the best service, as the customer you also have to make an effort in the relationship.
I particularly like your point about flat-fee services – this is becoming more common, and can be a great solution. Customers do need to understand the IT providers are assuming a great deal of risk, and therefore must outline exactly what, when and how they will deliver these services. That often puts some customers off, but some people will always prefer an ad hoc arrangement. Personally, I think this flat fee, or fixed cost, model is a really great option for businesses who need professional support with budgets requiring forecasted expenditure.