The situation is getting worse every day. People call their computer’s manufacturer to speak with someone about a problem with their computer and instead of finding relief they find rage. The days of calling for tech support from most major computer vendors and getting actual human help are drifting quickly behind us as customers dial into a confusing maze of phone menus that would make Indiana Jones cringe.
The worst fear that a customer can face is that when they finally find that option to speak to an actual person, they get routed half-way around the world to wait on hold! The anger starts to build as you listen to the 18th on-hold recording telling you that you could find all of your support needs on the company’s website – the same site that you either spent 45 minutes searching for a fix for your problem and needed a degree in computer science to understand their proposed solution (if you even found a solution) or couldn’t get to the site because, well , your computer is broken. Finally you hear that plunk as the customer service rep takes your call and a barely audible voice starts asking you for your information. This would be fine and understandable, but after 10 minutes of trying to spell out your name to the person on the line because of a language barrier, you start to realize that this isn’t going to be an easy call. Then comes “the script”.
Most companies will deny the existence of “the script”, but believe me it exists – just try and bypass the script and ask the rep a question that differs from their scripted set of questions that they are required to ask you. They will act like you never asked the question and return back to their script, or they will panic and put you on hold to find another script that pertains to your question. Chances are, that by the time you are through with your call, hours have passed. Sometimes, they actually fix the problem too, but more likely than that it turns out that you have a spyware or virus issue that needs further assistance from a professional (unless they convinced you to completely reinstall your computer operating system and all the software – a task that can take the better part of a day for the average person to complete) or you need to have some hardware replaced. When you figure in the time that you have spent and the costs of an inefficient support system that the computer manufacturer has imposed, you start to wonder how the system got to this point in the first place? The answer is simple and unfortunate. They don’t want you to call.
It is very expensive for a computer manufacturer to provide good technical support. That price increases the price of your computer drastically, and in today’s market of “who can sell the cheapest computer” every cost has been taken into consideration. As long as we demand a fully loaded computer system for only $300, we are going to have to accept the poor support conundrum. What this has done in effect has spurred a rapidly growing industry of small computer support companies that are stepping up to the plate. Sure, you are going to have to pay someone money for your support, but when you really analyze the support situation, it can turn out to be a real benefit to you and the community.
When your car breaks down, unless you are really knowledgeable in mechanics or have a friend or family member that can do it for a free dinner, you end up bringing it to your local mechanic. Most people are happy to drop off their cars to get fixed and get back to driving it ASAP. Can you imagine not having your automobile for days or even weeks ’cause you had to send it back to the manufacturer? The situation is much the same with your computer. The best part is that many support companies will come to you to fix your PC. Imagine if your mechanic did that?
Having a computer person these days is much like having a mechanic, a family practitioner, a lawyer, or an accountant. A local professional that can take the guess-work out of living your life the way you chose is what makes our American system work. Paying a local professional to support your computer puts money right back into your community because they are shopping in your store, eating at your restaurant, using your accounting services, buying a car from you, etc. So the next time you call for tech support from your computer manufacturer and find yourself getting nowhere, try picking up the phone book and finding a local computer tech support company instead. When you call and speak to a knowledgeable human who lives a few minutes away and is happy to help you, the reward is much greater than just getting back into your email program.
Joseph Nienstedt is the owner of Charleston Tech Support, which is a local computer support & service company serving the Charleston area. He can be reached by visiting www.charlestontechsupport.com.
