Never Byte the Hand That Feeds You
The care and keeping of a healthy Help Desk operator/church relationship

By Wes Haystead

Your computer may waver between friend and foe from day to day. But your Help Desk technician invariably has your best interests in mind. Here's how to treat these representatives accordingly and get something accomplished all at once.

At some point, every computer user's life becomes a moment of frustration when he admits to himself, "I just can't figure this thing out!" This moment may be the result of not knowing how to do something. Or, it may arise because the program is not doing what it is supposed to be doing the way it is supposed to be doing it.

This inevitable moment is almost certain to occur at the most inconvenient of times. You may be facing a major deadline for which you are already hopelessly behind schedule. This is the moment when you put your software and the people behind it to the ultimate test. This is when you contact the Help Desk!

"Help Desk" is a generic name for a software company's user support operation. Other common terms for Help Desks include:

• Support Department
• Customer Support Center
• Information Center
• Response Team
• Solutions Center
• Resource Group
• Technical Support

Whatever name your software provider uses, the Help Desk is there to help you in that moment of frustration. Why, then, do so many computer users view an inquiry to the Help Desk as akin to a visit to the dentist? Here are the top five reasons people delay calling for help:

1. "It's a 'guy thing.' We hate to ask directions."
2. "I'm afraid the techie-whiz on the other end of the line will make me feel stupid for not knowing what to do."
3. "I hate to pay money for information."
4. "The last time I called a Help Desk, I sat on the line forever before I could talk to someone knowledgeable."
5. "Real computer users never call for help. Nor do they read manuals. They figure everything out on their own!"

Keeping this ambivalence in mind, here are some tips for getting help and liking it:

• Invest in a support contract. Of all the areas of your computer operations where it's not a good idea to cut corners, ready access to the Help Desk is certainly high on the list. When a church or school attempts to operate without purchasing a support contract, the effort to save a few dollars results in lowered proficiency and higher frustration levels among the staff who use the software. Check with your software vendor about available support plans and consider the cost a very minimal investment in staff development and morale.
• When you call (or fax or e-mail), be prepared to be as specific as possible in describing the issue at hand. What program were you running? What function in that program were you attempting to run? What window was open?
• Also, be ready to describe the system on which you are working. The problematic issue you are calling about may be impacted by the answer to questions like, "Are you running on a network and if so, what kind?" "How much RAM does your computer have?" "What's the speed of your processor?" "Were any other programs open at the time?"
• While being specific, also be concise. Brevity is good. Avoid the temptation to unburden yourself of the whole history of the computer and every quirk you've ever noticed.
• If you see an error message, write it down with a notation of exactly what you were doing at the time.
• Be friendly and patient with the technician. Even if you are convinced that the software program is the cause of all your problems, the person who is trying to help you did not write it. He or she will work more efficiently at resolving your problem if free of the pressure of antagonism or blame assessment.
• Expect your technician to sometimes suggest one or both of the following:

1. Actions that are so basic and obvious that you feel insulted they were even suggested. These include, "Is your printer turned on?" "Is the Caps Lock button pushed?" "Does your printer have paper in it?" It is essential that the simplest, most obvious potential causes of a problem are considered before moving on to more complex possibilities.
2. Actions that sound like guesses. These include, "Let's try reindexing the database." "Have you restarted your computer?" Once the obvious and simple possibilities have been exhausted, trying to identify the cause of a problem is like finding a needle in a haystack. This need to try various things (some of which won't work) is not due to lack of knowledge by your technician. It is simply the only way in a complex system to eliminate possible reasons for the problem and ultimately discover the actual cause. There is not always a "quick fix," no matter how fast your processor runs.

• Find out your technician's name and start building a friendship with him or her. Then the next time you need to call for help, you'll know whom to talk with about the problem.

Wes Haystead is vice president is of Lowell Brown Enterprises, Santa Paula, CA. He is an author and speaker at church leadership conferences.