The Secret to Getting Great
Tech Support

My 80-year-old father is trying to learn about e-mail and the World Wide Web. When he has a question or a problem he doesn't call his Internet access provider, he calls me.

Actually, I like it that way because he'd drive a tech support representative crazy. The mistakes he makes are pretty common. Lots of people make these mistakes -- and get frustrated with tech help as a result.

Here are some tips I learned while working in AOL's customer support HQ that can help you achieve satisfaction during your next call for help:

1. Know Your Hardware - You're almost certainly going to be asked to give some details about your computer. Telling the tech rep it's a "light brown Compaq" isn't going to solve your problem. Even saying "it's a Pentium" may not be sufficient. If you don't already know, try to find out the speed rating and brand of your microprocessor (Celeron 300, Pentium II 266, etc.). Also check the amount of random access memory (RAM) in your system. (Windows 95 and 98 work best with 64 MB or more of RAM). You can usually find this info by right-clicking "My Computer" and choosing "Properties." In Windows 98 you can also click "Start" -> "Accessories" -> "System Tools" -> "System Information."

2. Know Your Operating System - Are you running Windows 95? Windows 98? Windows 3.1? If you're using Windows 95 or 98, are you using MS Internet Explorer 4.0 and active desktop? MSIE 4.0 thoroughly integrates itself into Windows and therefore could become an important factor.

3. Know Your Software - Tell the tech rep. the version number of the software that's causing the problem. This is very important because different versions may look similar but actually work very differently "under the hood." For example, from a technical support standpoint, AOL 4.0 for Windows 95 is very different from AOL 4.0 for Windows 3.1, and both versions of AOL 4.0 are radically different from their AOL 3.0 predecessors. Don't pretend to know the version number (I've heard that some people actually make up something to sound knowledgeable.) You can usually find the version number by going to "Help" and then clicking: "About (program name)."

4. Write Down Any Error Messages You See - This is very important. Try to write down exactly what the message says. Include as much detail as possible. My father often calls me to say "it told me there was a problem," but he can't remember what the message said. Without knowing the nature of the error I can only guess at a solution.

5. Has This Happened Before? - Is this a recurring problem? If so, tell the tech rep. how many times it has occurred. If you've called about this problem before, tell the tech what you had done previously to try and resolve the problem.

6. Remember What You Were Doing - If the problem occurred when you clicked a button or icon, make sure you tell that to the tech rep. Be as specific as possible, write it down if necessary. Your program may have a conflict with software that controls how it appears on your computer monitor (i.e. video drivers) or how it uses your printer. Telling the tech rep which button you pushed could help him or her identify the conflict.