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Have you ever called in for tech support only to hear a long *sigh* and feel like you’re ‘bugging’ the support tech when in all actuality they are there to help YOU?

Well, lets think about this for a moment…

How many times a day do you think they get a phone call about something simple that could probably be figured out by doing rudimentary field tests or simply opening the user guide to see how the function is supposed to work?

Next time (and thereafter) before you pick up the phone, try to help yourself first. A lot of times you’ll figure it out before you’d even reach a support tech anyway. We all know the hold queue’s are usually a long wait!

Here are some tips:

• Try to isolate the issue and gather as many details as possible, i.e. does the issue only happen in a certain scenario and not others? (incoming calls, internal, external, talk-path one way or both, etc.)
  Has there been any recent changes that might have caused the problem? Can you revert the changes and test?
  Is there another way around the problem, i.e. instead of having a trunk/DID on a no-answer timer to voice mail, maybe point it to a virtual that is forwarded on a no-answer to voice mail, you’ll have much more control in the long run because you can play with the timing and it won’t effect all trunks. Also you can use the virtual to put the call into a specific box in the voice mail system.
  Have you checked the internet? Why not google it, check forum postings, or even the manufacturers support website to see if there are any reports of the issue or better yet, a fix?
  Do you know your software/hardware revisions, card versions, etc? Tech support will know you are thorough if you have that information ready when they ask you.
  Finally, if and when you do make the call, have your manuals on hand. This will let the tech support person know you have already tried to figure it out on your own and he/she will feel more obliged to help you.

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