Microsoft Vista Support Hints
How to Navigate the Frustrating Waters of Microsoft’s Chat Support
It is possible to obtain useful help by using the chat option to solve problems with Microsoft Vista, but some ammunition will make the process slightly more bearable.
The following advice relies on observations from the perspective of someone who has made heavy use of Microsoft’s support options after upgrading to Vista Ultimate.
1. In anticipation of extremely heavy support needs with Vista, the company seems to have hired numerous offshore support technicians. These people may be working on a piecemeal basis, with pay rates based on satisfactory solutions to customers’ problems.
2. As a possibly corollary to #1, even when unsuccessful in helping, the customer sometimes is plagued with numerous follow-up emails and even telephone calls asking for feedback to their managers. Negative feedback has been known to prompt a return call, sometimes requesting an adjustment of an unfavorable evaluation.
3. The support staff are genuinely interested in helping, but hampered by several pre-set conditions, such as English as a second language or the requirement to follow a rote script in gathering information which results in re-asking the same questions multiple times.
4. Even with all the staff, they often seem so overburdened that there is a strong tendency quickly to scan a customer’s question and rely on boilerplate responses preprogrammed into macro keys. Often the response misses the point and leads to additional communication delays.
5. At times, suggestions for fixes create new and potentially more damaging problems.
Coping Mechanisms
1. Be Prepared. Before your initial contact about a problem, set up a spreadsheet with these headings: Date / Time / Method of contact / Problem description / Precedent actions / Technician name / Case ID # / Results. (Precedent actions means what you were doing when the problem occurred including any error messages.) Fill out the first five items before initiating a contact. Complete the rest after the session ends.
2. Be proactive. Create and save to your Desktop a simple Notepad file with the following text on separate lines (do not italicize the words—they are just for illustration here). Open this file before you initiate a chat session and fill in the last information about the specific problem. The reason for each line of text is in parentheses. :
· Yes. (You will be asked, “May I address you as <your first name>”)
· Just fine, thanks. (The tech will ask how you are doing today)
· Go ahead. (The tech will ask if he/she can confirm your email address and telephone number)
· {Your email address and telephone number.}
· List a time to be contacted by telephone—a two hour slot and time zone} (The tech will want to know when you can be called back)
· Yes or No. (You will be asked whether this is the first time you have contacted Microsoft about this problem. If No, then include the Case ID number you got before, otherwise answer Yes.
· Insert the version of Windows Vista you are running. (The tech will want to know this.)
· Yes, it is. (Is the computer with which you are having the problem the one you are on now?)
· List your computer maker and model, RAM, Processor speed, size of hard disk and free space on it. (You will be asked for information on your PC.)
Spell out the problem you are having in as simple terms as possible. (Add this information to the Notepad file before each support contact attempt.)
Copy and paste each line, one at a time, into your side of the chat session and send as soon as the tech asks the question. Obviously, you can just type the short answers without copying from the text file, but for longer answers, it might save a few minutes and also prevent typos.
3. Document the contact. Use the chat option from Microsoft’s support page. This way you have a written record of both ends of the conversation. At the end of the session, copy the transcript and save it in a folder labeled “Microsoft Problems.”
4. Follow up. If you are having problems getting the tech to understand the problem, or he or she seems to be repeating the same ground, break off the session by saying very nicely that you appreciate the help attempt, but you have an emergency telephone call coming in and will have to end the conversation. If you do not do this, despite many customers waiting, the tech will gladly spend hours asking you to try different things. Before ending the chat, ask the support person to email you if they have any suggestions. If you do not get a response shortly, try again with a new technician. If you still are not getting help, ask to have your case escalated.
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The point of all of the above is that first, you will save a bit of time in communication, and second, you will have a record of what help you did or did not get. If you fill in the spreadsheet afterwards by summarizing the results, on the next contact you will be able to copy and paste this information in when you ask your question. You have ninety days no-charge support from the time you first contact support for Vista, so use it!
