I’ve found that you can cut out a lot of confusion and heart-ache by viewing your user’s screen.
When I’m on call and am assigned to an issue, one of the first things I try to do (after talking to the user) is to connect to their computer. We have a tool we use that let’s us connect to any computer on our network. So the conversation usually goes like this:
ME: [smile] Hello, this is Yousuf from the Health IT department. May I speak with so-and-so?
USER: Yes, this is so-and-so.
ME: I just got this ticket that says you are having a problem with X. Is that still happening?
USER: Yes, it was fine yesterday and now it’s not working correctly.
ME: Okay, let’s see if we can figure this out. Do you mind if I connect to your computer so you can show me what’s wrong?
USER: Of course, please do connect!
ME: Okay, what is your computer name?
USER: It’s blah-blah-blah.
ME: Great, now I’m connected and I can see your screen. Go ahead and show me what’s wrong.
USER: Well, whenever I try to do Y, it is supposed to let me do Z, but it won’t work.
ME: So, you are trying to do Z, but it won’t let you.
USER: Yes.
ME: I think I see what the problem is. Would you try to do A?
USER: Yes, that’s what I needed! It works perfect now! So, I just have to do A and it will work?
ME: Yep.
USER: Excellent! Thank you so much!
ME: [smile] No problem, have a great day!
Lessons:
- Call the user. That lets them know that someone is working on their issue and eases their anxiety/frustration.
- Smile when you talk because they can hear your smile.
- Confirm that the issue still exists (many times they figure it out on their own before you get a chance to call).
- Ask them for permission to connect to their computer. That let’s them feel that they are in control.
- Listen very carefully to whatever they are saying and confirm with them that you understood the issue. That will save you a lot of time/heart-ache because sometimes you can misunderstand the issue.
- Watch what they do carefully. You can take screenshots, if needed, at this point.
This trick has literally saved me HOURS of time. In the past, it would take a long time to understand what the user is saying because they don’t use the same terms as you do. You can then still totally misunderstand the issue and spend hours solving the wrong problem.
So let me know if you have any stories where you either misunderstood your user’s issue or helped a user based on them sharing their screen with you.
I look forward to hearing from you!