Customer support
Technical support basics
A simple troubleshooting method: understand the problem, check the easy things, change one thing at a time, and explain it plainly.
5 min read
Understand before you fix
Ask what happened, when it started, what changed, and what they already tried. Three good questions often find the problem faster than jumping to a fix.
Check the easy things first
Power, cables, Wi-Fi, logging out and back in, restarting the device or app. Easy fixes solve a large share of problems, and checking them first saves time for everyone.
Change one thing at a time
Try one step, then check whether the problem is gone. If you change three things at once, you won't know which one worked, and you can't explain it next time.
Explain in plain words
Give short steps the customer can follow while you wait: "Click the gear icon at the top right. Tell me when you see Settings." If you need to escalate, write down what you tried so the next person doesn't start again.
Practise this out loud
Record yourself and get feedback on how clear, fluent and confident you sound. Free in the Academy after your interview.