I’ve gone on and on about technology issues I’ve read in the news or expounding on other opinions. Today I’m going to take a different direction and tell you at least one reason why you should be hiring me to do your on-site computer services.
I’ve spent many years working in tech support for various companies and the one thing that I’ve learned (and it took me a while after many mistakes) is that it’s primarily SUPPORT more than it is TECH. I’d go so far as to say that what I do is more “customer service” than it is “tech support.” Learning this one detail changed my whole perception of what I do and allowed me to more easily satisfy my customers.
The other skill that I have (and it may not be fully apparent from reading my blog) is that I can speak English. Now, this isn’t some jab at foreign-based tech support line that your computer manufacturer may have contracted (although it’s often tempting to do so). It’s the skill that I can translate technology terms and concepts into something you can understand.
If I’m helping you with an issue and I pause for a couple of seconds and stare off into space, I’m not having a seizure. I’m just searching my brain for the right words or analogy to describe the issue at hand. Sometimes I have to do this more than once for an individual concept because my first attempt didn’t convey it very well. I just keep trying until you understand.
I feel that I do a good job reassuring people that they aren’t idiots. For starters, they are telling me this and I let them know that this is just what I’m good at even if they aren’t. Think of me like you would your mechanic. You bring your car to a mechanic because you either don’t know how to fix it or you don’t want to. A good mechanic will be understanding of the problem and explain what’s going on and what it will take to fix it. A good mechanic is not going to treat you like an idiot for not knowing what’s wrong. Cars are complicated machines and if you aren’t a mechanic, how can you be expected to understand the problem?
Besides, chances are you have a skill that I do not and I can appreciate that with wide-eyed amazement. It’s just computers have become “my thing,” and I don’t feel the need to have to know everything about every subject. Like yourself, I’ll hire the skills I don’t have or don’t want to use.