Technical Support: Expectation vs Reality

Not all customers are familiar with the technical know-how of the products they purchase and even if they have read the user’s manual, they would still need assistance from someone who is a professional in fixing a technical issue. However, customers sometimes feel more frustrated than reassured when they contact the technical support department and most of the time it is due to a misconception of the resolution given or having exceeding expectation.
Here are common expectations from technical support that customers have versus the reality, to keep customer perspective in balance:

1

Expectation: Technical issue is resolved at first contact.
Reality: Unless it only needs basic troubleshooting, getting your problem fixed at first call is not always the case. Technical support agents will sometimes need to look further into the problem—especially if it is complicated or with multiple issues—and do several troubleshooting processes or escalate it to a higher technical support group before providing the most appropriate resolution.

2

Expectation: Technical support is general and any technical support agent can answer your tech concerns.
Reality: Companies set up their technical department into a multi-tiered technical support. Technical issues are addressed by certain technicians according to the level of complexity. This organizational structure provides a more efficient method of fixing a customer’s technical query. From basic to a more in-depth technical assistance, customers could be assured that their issue will be resolved in specific technical support levels.

3

Expectation: You can only get technical assistance through phone and email.
Reality: More and more people are using their mobile devices for basically anything and everything they need and that includes receiving technical support through social media. Companies are now leveraging the power of social media to reach their customers faster and provide the support that they need. There are also platforms where a technician can offer technical assistance to customer via chat, especially if the customer needs immediate response to their issues and have no patience calling a hotline or waiting for an email reply.

4

Expectation: The technical support guy fixes the problem.
Reality: The technical support group are only there to guide customers because ultimately the one who fixes the issue is you—the customer. The gauge of getting the problem fixed fast is through a customer’s complete cooperation with the technical support agent. Also, most customers think that when they contact the technical support department, their issues will be resolved right away. However, technical support agents also look for the answers as the issue come along—and a technical issue can differ in various ways. So while there is technical support to help resolve your technical concerns, a customer’s willing participation and understanding are very much crucial in fixing the issue.
 

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