Have you ever been sitting at your desk, gone to use something, and it just would not work? What do you do? You send an email to tech support, of course (unless it is your email that is down). You may think that it is easy to send an email to tech support, and it certainly sounds easy, right? However, many of these emails are too long, dancing around the issue, vague, or confusing.
Describing your technical issues can be more challenging than you think. Providing tech support may also prove a challenge to interpret some of these messages. Here are some tips for writing the perfect emails for tech support to help elevate the stress for all parties.
Take a look at the issue from multiple perspectives
We recommend this from both sides of the spectrum. When sending an email to tech support, look at the issue you are experiencing from multiple perspectives. Once you type out the email, read over it a few times to see how it sounds. Do you come across as angry in the email? When you read it, is it confusing? We know that what you are doing is important, and you may be in a rush to resolve the issue. Use patience and be clear in your email so that you are easy to work with, and the issue may be resolved quickly.
From the tech support side, take a look at the email and read it over a few times to gain a clearer understanding of the issue at hand. Likewise, read over your response a few times before you hit send. Do you come across as condescending, assuming they know nothing? Or do you come across as though you assume that they possess as much industry knowledge as you do and cannot communicate the solution?
Going over what you have typed in your message a few times before you hit send can be extremely beneficial to both sides here. Sending a clear message in a friendly tone helps both parties work smoothly together, quickly coming to and implementing the solution.
Remember to communicate from the side of empathy
This again is beneficial to both parties. We know it is frustrating when something is not working the way it should. It may be preventing you from completing a crucial task for your business. It may also be frustrating deciphering a message and attempting to solve a technical issue for someone who is frustrated, impatient, and angry.
Consider how your communication makes the other party feel. Is your communication helping or hindering the situation? Often while frustrated, we hinder the process, prolonging the solutions that keep us from completing important parts of our business.
When we communicate from a place of empathy, trying to understand where the other is coming from and the frustration they are dealing with, we communicate more effectively. This helps us to quickly resolve the situation and move on to our next task. When you are the one with the issue, follow up by thanking the tech support. When you are on the tech support side and have resolved any issues, follow up to make sure everything is alright.
Grammar and presentation are important
How often have you read something that did not use the proper grammar, making the entire piece of content confusing? When grammar is used incorrectly, the point of the message is typically lost. This makes reaching out to tech support and tech support trying to solve this issue much more difficult.
A nice addition to any communication is adding a personal touch by adding their recipient’s name. Whether you are reaching out to your IT professional or you are an IT professional responding to a customer, this tip improves communication.
Lastly, if you are sending any attachments, be sure to double-check that you have attached the files. How often do you receive an email pointing to an attachment and there are no files attached? It happens. When you are reaching out to your IT professional trying to explain an issue you are encountering, it is helpful to attach an image of this issue (when possible); a picture is worth a thousand words after all.
Or vice versa, you are the IT professional explaining step-by-step actions to take to correct an issue. You have images to go along with your email to help the client visualize the steps needed to solve the issue. Double-check that your files are attached to the email when you send them.
Test the solution before you advise the client of it
This last step is for the individual that is providing the solution. You do not want to provide someone with a solution to their technical issue, only to have them come back because the proposed solution did not work.
Before you hit the send button, try it yourself. Take the steps outlined in your email to ensure that it does solve the issue. There is a fine line between a satisfied customer and an angry one. Testing out the solution will help avoid any pitfalls and ensure a satisfied customer.
How to send the perfect tech support email
In the end, it comes down to communication. We know that it is frustrating when you are facing a technical issue that is hindering your work. Also, when you are the one providing the solution, be sure to not communicate from the point of a know-it-all, providing vague solutions expecting the other person to fill in the blanks.
When you use patience in communicating, you can review the problem from multiple perspectives, you may find the solution on your own or at least be able to describe the issue clearly. When providing the solution, review your email before you hit send to ensure that your message comes across in a friendly tone while providing a clear solution.
