Your IT support guys… Yes, they can sometimes look a bit weird, sometimes they have weird hobbies that leak into work time, sometimes they even smell a bit weird. They will, however, save your work, your company and sometimes (it seems) your life, when everything goes pear-shaped or you’re hacked or attacked. You need, then, to keep them on your side. They’ll come to your rescue however badly you treat them, but this is no reason to take them for granted. Ever.
Here are seven ways to make your IT guys happy (short of having a Warcraft Wednesday built into the company dresscode).
Have all the right info to hand
When you call up your remote IT support in Birmingham, you need to have two vital pieces of information to hand – your workstation number and/or the number of the printer that’s giving you grief. It’s such a waste of time when you have to scrabble around asking colleagues for these details.
Don’t ever be rude
They understand how frustrating and worrying it is when you have a deadline, or you think you may have just lost six months’ work. It’s OK if you sound tearful, or scared, but don’t be rude or take it out on your IT guys – they are already dealing with other stressed people and it won’t speed anything up.
Answer the seemingly irrelevant questions
You’ll usually be asked some questions that don’t seem immediately related to your problem and while it might feel like a waste of time, it’s not. Your IT support is trying to diagnose a problem and chances are he or she knows a lot more about it than you do! Just answer as best you can and don’t ask why they need to know.
Don’t collar them in the corridor
If you see an IT bod ambling down a corridor, staring into space, it doesn’t mean they’re killing time. They’re probably on their way to fix another problem and if you suddenly leap out at them, asking how to move your icons around, that could derail their mental problem-solving train.
Be honest
You spilled coffee on your keyboard. Everyone does it. It’s easy to spot and they’d rather you just asked for a replacement. Don’t drag someone through the 20 questions dance when you can be sorted in five minutes.
Don’t ask what every error code means
Not everyone has a photographic memory. Your IT guy will be able to look up each code. Do have the error code to hand though – it’s there to help with diagnosis; “It’s gone blue and I’m scared…” doesn’t help.
Take time to read emails from IT support
These emails usually explain how to use a new installation or a new system, or how to deal with a minor bug. After a few weeks, if you call asking how to fix the bug, it’s annoying.
Oh, and having a ready supply of biscuits will go a long way, too…
