BINARYBB.info - John Galbraith

We have all gotten that call from that frustrated and sometimes flaming mad user.  They are short and snippy, claiming that “the system” is a piece of crap and nothing works. Here is what you do with them:

Step 1 (Rant Stage). Listen to their entire complaint and take notes while letting them rant and rave.

Step 2 (Agreement Stage). Agree and accept their frustration with phrases like “Yeah, that isn’t right.” or “I certainly can see how frustrating that could be.”

Step 3 (Assurance Stage). Assure them that you are working diligently to generate a solution for their problem as fast as you can.

Step 4 (Pacifier Stage). Look for another way to help the user that would seem like a small victory for them immediately. If they have an old ball mouse, see if you can replace it with a nicer laser mouse. It is an easy and quick fix. While you are replacing their mouse, assure them that you are going to take care of their IT needs and give them the idea that you are working on their problem 100%.

Here are some techniques that are helpful in different situations (Use your best judgement):

(You are my only love technique) – Use the phrase “Wow, that is a problem. You are definitely top of my list.”

(Conversation Steering Technique) – Let them talk and listen for keywords that would allow you to steer the conversation away from the problem so you can work on the problem.  You must throw a distraction while you fix the PC. This is a skill that needs lots of practice to pull off. If you are married or have a girlfriend/boyfriend practice on them. Driving a car and talking about something not related to cars is  great practice. Try and use those keywords. The better you use them, the more smooth and flowing the conversation will be and successfully drifting away from the task at hand.

(Subject injection Technique) This one is best described with an example. The user is complaining about a power outage turning off their computer. You reply with and injection statement like “Bad weather like lighting storms are notorious for doing this, though, I am not sure when we will be expecting bad weather next.” If the user takes the bait, they will start to talk about the weather.

(Water Walker Technique) The idea in this one is to make the user think that you knew what the problem was before you even got in the room and you know exactly what to do. This boast of confidence has calming properties for the user. Don’t be a cocky prick though, it could have a reverse effect. Start doing your troubleshooting steps swiftly and without pause of flaw to give the illusion that the troubleshooting steps are part of the solution. Then, administer the solution like you had it timed and knew exactly when it was going to get done. Commonly, the user will be astounded at your performance and praise you not only because you got the job done, but because of the way you got it done.

(Bulldog technique) Use this one carefully! reserve this one for the users that are complainers and get in your face in an aggressive way. If they get in your face, ask them calmly “Are you going to fight me?” They will likely respond with no and back down. If they are yelling and screaming, cussing, and being nasty, use a phrase like “Would you like HR to be part of the solution or can we have a professional conversation so I can generate a solution?” Chances are, they will respond with an attitude infused “Excuse me??” That is when you state “I am perceiving your tone, attitude, and language as unprofessional.” They will either get worse in which case you then contact your manager (NOT THEIRS) for a resolution. Or, they will instantly flip their tune and apologize.  That is the effect we are aiming for.

(Wizard of Oz Technique) This one takes two techs to pull off. Use on users are are irate.  The first thing you need to do is excuse yourself for some reason and get out of ear reach of the user. Restroom is a great place. Call your buddy and have him call you back in 1 minute. Re enter the user’s area and listen to the rant some more. Then, interrupt the user’s rant by answering that supper important phone call you are getting. Talk kind of loudly. Tell them that you are with that certain user and relay the cliff notes of the rant you have been getting to the person on the other end. Ask semi loudly “What can we do for her/him?” End the conversation with ok, I will get right on that. Yeah, it should make her/him plenty happy. Hang up and tell the user “You are being taken care of from both the server side and from here.”  Then get on the PC and fix the problem that they are encountering. Likely, the user would have changer their tone quickly thinking that be man on the other side of that phone is solving all their problems.

When users are asking for a time frame they can get nasty. I made a mistake recently that cost me some cool points with the boss. NEVER NEVER NEVER give a definitive time range. Stating anywhere from 2 minutes to 2 weeks is bad. Very bad. Don’t do it. (That’s what I did. It didn’t turn out pleasant.) For the question “How long are we going to be down for?” Answer with “We have our entire on duty team working on the problem and we intend to get it back up and functioning ASAP. If they throw a time at you at all trying to get more info from you reply with “I certainly hope it is no where near that long.”