It probably happens to every computer owner at one time or another.
Maybe you’ve just pulled your new Compaq out of its box, plugged it all together and then stared in bewilderment at a blank screen. Or you’ve loaded in a new software package and the entire system has frozen as solid and unresponsive as a block of ice.
As the minutes turn into hours and the problem still can’t be fixed, you embark on the ritual of finding the customer support number and take your chances that somebody at the other end of the phone line will restore your system to life.
The good news is that there’s a lot of help out there in terms of vendor phone support, on-line help and even the relatively newer third-party support companies. The bad news is that it’s not always easy to know where to go, especially if your problem is a complex one.
If you’re able to get on the World Wide Web, most commercial companies maintain sites that provide customers with product information, news, technical support and software upgrades.
In terms of getting the support, the best place to start at a Web site is with the the frequently asked questions (FAQ). As its name suggests, this area contains the answers to the most common queries the company gets. As the number of computer owners grows, it’s in the best interest of the providers to make these Web sites more attractive and useful to consumers.
Mike Dionne, vice president of corporate support for Apple Computer Inc., says that an on-line presence has become more and more important to the company’s support strategy.
“We have about 32,000 pages of technical support in our information library on the Web. And we have a consistently high amount of activity on-line. We average about 10 million hits per month, with about 800,000 software packages downloaded from our support pages.”
In terms of phone support, Apple customers get 90 days of unlimited use of an 800 number. Dionne notes that the company has one of the best hold times–the period a customer has to wait for help–in the industry, an average of five minutes depending on the time of day.
“We take 600,000 calls a month in the U.S.–everything from out-of-box questions to application questions, some of which we answer, some which we hotkey over to the manufacturer,” said Dionne.
But there’s additional sources of help other than the manufacturer. If you’re a member of an on-line service such as Compuserve or America Online, you may be able to get an answer to your question by posting it in a forum.
Kathy Johnson, spokesperson for AOL, says that support forums are growing in popularity as more and more people become comfortable with searching for help on-line.
“We have a computing channel that’s broken out into different areas, such as software, support forums, company connections, etc,” she said. “Much like their Web pages, companies post lists of FAQ, and there is also a message board where questions can be posted.
“When you post a message on the message board, you may be answered either by a person from the company or another AOL member who has already asked the same question and now knows the answer.”
A relatively newer way of finding help is by dialing up a third-party support company. These companies operate in two ways: either through phone support, in which you pay as you go, or through on-line help, in which you post questions on a message board or by e-mail and are charged a flat rate for answer.
One of the advantages of using a third-party strategy is that they’re available any day of the year, day or night. Another advantage is that if your problem is a complex one, involving the interaction of several applications, a third-party company is more likely to be able to help you find a solution. The reason is that most vendor support lines can only solve problems concerning their own product.
One of the oldest support companies around is Computer & Communications Help in New York City. A call for help to the company costs $2.50 per minute, with an average call running about $20.
Gary Henderson, director of technical support, says most of the things that they get presented with are pretty straightforward–the caller’s system is locked up or they’re trying to save a file.
The company maintains 70 gigabytes of storage at its site, containing just about every version of different applications starting from the earliest to the most recent. An extra attraction, says Henderson, is that the company only hires programmers with five years of experience or more and who know at least two computer languages, which means that the level of support is generally high.
The company also maintains a Web site that has hot links to 1,500 computer sites, so you can trave around cyberspace looking for help. Another feature that is currently free but will probably carry a charge sometime next year is what Henderson calls an expert system, which is a program that leads you through a series of diagnostic questions, eventually leading to a solution.
Given the fact that third-party support is not cheap, there are several tips to make searching a little easier:
– The first minute should be free, so if your question is not one that the company can answer, they can tell you that without you being charged.
– Keep track of how long the call lasts and make sure that you don’t get overcharged.
– Be sure that the solution you’re eventually given actually works, and if it doesn’t, call back and complain.
Henderson adds that an intangible factor in having a successful third-party experience is to make sure that you are in the right state-of-mind when you call.
“We very often get people who are pretty wound up, pretty desperate. Basically, they’ve gone berserk, and there’s no helping someone like that because you can’t talk to them. So you have to calm yourself, make sure that you have as much information on hand as possible and really think about how you want to explain the problem before you ever pick up the receiver.”
You can reach Computer & Communications Help at 900-REPAIRS or at http://wwwcomputer-help.com.
