Peer to Peer Magazine

March 2014

The quarterly publication of the International Legal Technology Association

Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/271291

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WWW.ILTANET.ORG 79 THE LESSONS CONTINUE No one is perfect. As much as I've learned through my years on the job, every day brings new learning opportunities and support challenges. I keep my lists of good and bad IT customer service in mind and tweak them as new lessons are learned. After all, my success leads to the firm's success. toward a solution. It is frustrating to other support staff to pick up a call from a customer and hear something like, "Fred was supposed to help me, but I see he's out for two weeks." Apologies will need to be made on behalf of Fred, and troubleshooting will need to start again from scratch. SPEAKING THE SAME LANGUAGE. Don't use "geek speak" or acronyms. Using unfamiliar lingo can give the impression that you are talking down to a customer, or you might confuse them unnecessarily. If a customer is not clear on what you're requesting or explaining, you're not going to get very far in resolving the issue. BEING HONEST. Most people would rather hear you aren't sure of a solution and will find the answer than have you fumble around on their desktop and waste 15 minutes of their time. Remember you're part of a team that has answers. Even if your only teammates are Google's search feature and the ILTA e-groups, it benefits everyone when knowledge is shared. KEEPING YOUR COOL. Think of a duck paddling: calm above the water line, paddling furiously beneath. We all have multiple priorities and deadlines hanging over our heads, but if you are in a support role, don't give people more anxiety. One of your primary duties is to allay their fears. If you do that first, the rest becomes easier for both of you. SHOWING SOMEONE HOW MUCH YOU KNOW. We all have anxiety when we don't know something. Don't make customers hesitant to call you because you make them feel inferior. Instead, give their confidece a boost by letting them know how close they were to figuring it out. Just ask yourself, "When someone interacts with me, do they feel better or worse afterward?" DOING THE WORK. If the same person has called six times in the last month to find out how to print to a different printer, they might not be cut out for the job. Law firms are a demanding work environment, and staff need to be proficient in their duties. Think of the lost productivity when you're still answering that same question two years from now. When it's that extreme, you have a duty to your firm to pass the information along to HR, especially with a new hire. HR can either get the person more training or cut ties. GIVING AWAY THE FARM. In IT, we sometimes have to say no. That's okay. We walk a fine line between our duties to the firm and supporting the people within the firm. If you share a legitimate business reason for why you're saying no, most people will understand. Going back to the dairy farm analogy, even dairy cows have fences to protect them. PASSING THE BUCK. If you take the call, own it. Even if you pass off the call to someone else, follow up to make sure it didn't get dropped down the line. The customer will remember you as the point of first contact and the person who made sure they were taken care of. BEING MISTREATED. Sometimes people will vent their frustrations at you, but there is a line when frustrations become abuse. If someone mistreats you, you need to let them know. Otherwise, they will continue to disrespect you because you haven't let them know it's not appropriate. I've become friends with some of the biggest "bullies" in firms where I've worked because they knew I was happy to help them, but they couldn't run all over me in the process. Stand up for yourself, but also realize sometimes people just get stressed out and misdirect their emotions. A gentle "Did you just need to vent, or is there an issue I can help you with?" works wonders to get someone in a rant back on track. ABOUT YOU. When providing support to others, you need to leave your ego at the door and focus on their needs. Your spouse, psychologist, massage therapist, IT team members or fellow ILTAns can provide the support you need when you have a bad day. When assisting someone, it is sometimes the best moment to teach them how to handle the situation next time. IT Customer Service Is Not. . .

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