Top tips for dealing with technical problems

1 Make many friends

How many times have you been told it is not what you know but who you know? We all hit technical difficulties at some point. Even the most seasoned IT pro does. It is impossible to know everything so it is essential to network and make valuable contacts who you can call on. You could just make friends with one tech guru, but everyone is busy, and you need to think ahead. How many times can you call on someone for favours? Can I offer them something of equal value in return? You should always pay your contacts for any services, even if they do not ask for payment. Let them know you value their time.

2 Investigate the problem

So your having technical issues. Do not just give up immediately and call in back up. Phoning a contact, and just saying “it is broken” is very unhelpful and does not let them assess how much time they will need to dedicate to you. If you let them know exactly what the issue is then they could help you on the spot over the phone, or know to bring spares etc. A quick search online using the error message or describing the nature of your problem can often provide valuable answers. Many experts write excellent solutions and post them free of charge online. Take advantage of this.

3 Invest in support

If you have no one who works in the business who can troubleshoot your IT problems, then it is probably wise to invest in an IT support contract. Almost all business’ are reliant upon IT in this day and age and it can be tragic when systems go down. Whilst IT support contracts may seem pricey, think of the lost revenue and time wasted when your IT systems are not working. Really it is a no brainer. Relying on favours from contacts is not the way to go. When it is a favour you have little control and it is hard to demand urgent service and even harder to ask for compensation when the work done causes further damage. Keep business relationships as formal as possible
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4 Learn from your mistakes

If you do have a technical problem, do not just get it fixed. Make sure you are fully aware of what the problem was, what caused it and how it was fixed. This way next time you will be able to either fix it yourself or know exactly what needs to be done. Providing this information will often lead to a considerably less expensive repair bill. Having a good idea of your support history can help save time and money by enabling you to predict what equipment needs replacing, and what is reliable.

Conclusion 

Ask any IT guy and they will have no end of stories about people forgetting to plug something in, or not turning a machine on. Please do not be another one of these stories and make sure you have at least tried the basics. You want your contacts to value your relationship, and not regret ever meeting you. Be respectful of their time.

Do you have an IT guy or several? Is your relationship more about taking than giving?