The quarterly publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/271291
PEER TO PEER: THE QUARTERLY MAGA ZINE OF ILTA 78 TEACHING A MAN TO FISH. When assisting someone, it is sometimes the best moment to teach them how to handle the situation next time. Resist the urge to grab the mouse or keyboard and rush through the call. Walk them through it slowly and let them learn. You'll have a satisfied customer and more time for other work by not fielding future calls from them on the same topic. SETTING EXPECTATIONS. If you're not able to provide a solution immediately, let the customer know when you will be able to do so, or at the very least when they should expect to hear back from you. Let them know when you'll be unavailable to work on their issue and the best way to reach you. Most people are patient as long as they know you're working MILKING THE COWS. Josh, a network admin friend from another firm, once told me he learned how to provide good customer support on his uncle's dairy farm. The cows need to produce milk to sustain the dairy farm as a business, and his job was to take care of everything so the cows could produce the milk. That's not so different from law firms. Our job is to do whatever it takes to keep timekeepers productive — training on how to use the software, providing support when there's an issue and keeping the hardware humming along. CRAWLING UNDER TABLES. My CIO, Kirk Scruggs, sets a very high level of customer service and exemplifies what that means. In line with that, I like to say you're never too high up the ladder to crawl under a table in our IT department. A true customer service attitude means you are never "above" doing whatever it takes to get the matter handled, issue resolved or project completed. "That's not my job" is not an acceptable answer. If it's truly not your job and you can't help, your answer should be that you will find the person who is able to assist. TESTING THE WATERS. Find out the urgency or deadline of a service request as soon as possible. This will let you know how to prioritize and respond effectively to the person's issue or need. If someone needs to get something e-filed in the next 15 minutes, that's information you need to know because you might need to create a solution quickly, rather than wasting precious minutes troubleshooting the issue. Conversely, if a request is not urgent and your plate is already full, you can tackle it later. LESSONS LEARNED Reflections of What IT Customer Service Is. . .And Is Not With a career of providing technology training and support within law firms, I've developed a mantra of what good customer service means to me. I've also experienced the opposite — what good customer service is not. About the Author Michelle Spencer, Senior Trainer of Information Management at Bracewell & Giuliani LLP, does curriculum development and coordinates firmwide training projects from the firm's Austin office. She has worked in various positions for Texas law firms since high school, always ending up helping and training people. For over 15 years, Michelle has provided training and desktop support, and she believes in understanding the demands on her users, understanding the work they do and speaking their language. Contact her at michelle.spencer@bgllp.com. IT Customer Service Is. . .