The Secret to Small Company Computer Help
Tags: Business Development

Ever get that sinking feeling? That pit-of-the-stomach sensation whenever you know something’s gone wrong. Business owners know very well what I’m talking about. We have it when that customer calls to complain about a job. Or when a supplier’s key shipment doesn’t arrive on time.

You’re a business owner. You know this feeling. When is it the absolute worst? When it’s a technology support issue. You come to work and your computer screen is not the way you left it the night time before. Once you arrive at your office today, you’re not greeted by the normal desktop. Instead, the screen is frozen at “Windows is starting up.” An update that automatically downloaded yesterday screwed something up. Your screen is black. And now so is the mood.

You watch the screen for a couple minutes, awaiting something to happen, but you realize nothing will B2B Guru Class. Finally you restart the computer. Twice. Same result. So you have that sinking feeling. You see your morning slipping away: This computer isn’t likely to start. And neither is the day. And soon you get some help. You will have to call technical support. But halt your hyperventilation-there’s you should not worry at all. As a fellow business owner, I’m going to greatly help you. Because I’ve learned how to handle tech support team with several rules for folks like us.

Rule One: Don’t Get Angry

You may get angry if your home is in a town where it snows half the season and your team starts the summer season 0–4. You will get angry everytime you hear that Jennifer Lopez is paid $12 million to be always a judge on American Idol. But this time around, getting angry won’t help anyone. And it won’t help you receive your issue resolved any quicker. If you’re running your own business, the past thing you need is for the employees to help you storming around your working environment, wildly swinging a golf club over your head like a tomahawk as you kick over your chair and repeatedly yell “Why, why, why!” It’s enough your family’s seen this behavior. You must give employees the impression that everything is in control. That YOU have been in control. You’re a businessman. You are Don Draper. So do what he’d do at 8 a.m.-have a bourbon and a smoke. Microsoft (MSFT) Windows never rattled Don Draper, right? So be calm.

Needless to say it’s annoying that you have to attend on hold. And all of us realize how aggravating it could be if you have to punch in your “customer ID,” ZIP code, mother’s maiden name, favorite vacation spot, and social security number to the automated system 3 x, and then be asked for that same information again the moment a live person occurs the phone. It’s not his fault. The technician is just doing his job. He’s likely to be nice. You need to be nice, too. You’re a company owner. How would you like it if some customer was being a jerk to at least one of one’s employees? You’re not going to get on his good side by being a jerk to him. At best, you’ll earn the best to be placed on hold five more times than necessary or have to sit and wait alone for all extra minutes, wondering what he’s actually doing as he’s clicking away on his keyboard.

You understand from running your own personal business that sometimes the answers can’t be delivered immediately. Don’t you wish your visitors would also be a bit more patient if they call with an issue? Obviously you do. So take a deep breath. Don’t bother about those long silences on the line when you think you’ve been disconnected. He’s there. He’s probably just mulling things over. Or speaking about the matter together with his colleagues. Whatever. Be patient. Answer the questions. Take this time to rearrange your schedule. This dilemma will ultimately get resolved. It’s going to take a while, that’s all. Don’t even consider grabbing the driver again and knocking that picture of your wife and kids at Disney (DIS) off your desk.