How to Get the Best Service from Your IT Support Team

We love our computers, but we know how frustrating it can sometimes be to work with them. They can be fussy, mysterious, temperamental, and downright maddening. And we know that when your computer crashes unexpectedly in the middle of that proposal you’re preparing for an important client you just want to scream and go back to using a typewriter. We’ve been there too.

As cathartic as it might be to throw that offending computer out the window, you’re going to get the best results if you take a deep breath and relax. We are here to help you. Below are five things you can do to help Cyber City fix your computer problems and answer your IT needs as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Remember, we want to resolve the issue just as much as you do; a quick, successful resolution to a computer problem is always in everyone’s best interest. Try following these steps that will help to get you back to that proposal as quickly as possible, no matter what mood your computer is in.

Tell Us What IS Happening

Instead of saying, “My printer isn’t working,” describe to us what is happening when you try to print. Does a message flash on the screen? Does the printer make retching sounds? The more descriptive and detailed you can be about what is actually happening, the better we can assist you. It is also very helpful to us if you copy down any error messages you see — you will get a lot of brownie points with us by being as informative as possible!

Let Us Guide You through the Troubleshooting Process; Try Not to Get Ahead of Us

When you call in for help, let us walk you through the process, even if you think you know what the problem is or what we are going to ask you to do. It can take longer to solve a problem by jumping ahead. We endeavor to be methodical in our troubleshooting process. Even though it can be tedious to walk through the steps with us, in the end this will help to get the issue resolved promptly.

Avoid Installing Programs or Hardware on Your Own

Untested software and hardware can wreak havoc on computers and networks and can actually impair other applications. Some companies restrict what end users can install on their systems in order to avoid these problems. If you do have administrative rights to install applications and devices on your computer, be sure to check with us beforehand to make sure that installation won’t cause any harm.

Don’t Store Data on Your “Local” Drive

The internal hard drive on your desktop computer is vulnerable. As a result, it is not a good place for you to keep important files and other information. Rather than storing files on your desktop or in your internal hard drive (C: drive for PCs and the Macintosh Hard Drive for Macs), store the files onto your network server where they can be properly backed up and restored if lost or damaged.

Reboot Before Calling

One of the first things that we are likely to ask you when you call with an issue is whether you have restarted your computer. While it won’t fix every issue, restarting the computer is still the easiest, quickest, and most common way to resolve a significant number of computer problems; please try this first before calling support. It can’t hurt and may well get you the fastest results. Remember that it is best practice to restart your computer before you leave the office for the day as well — this ensures your computer will be as trouble-free as possible when you start work the next day.