When you are dealing with any kind of technical support relating to what you are seeing or getting online with your device, whether it be a computer, laptop, mobile phone, or tablet, there is an important item to remember:
Specifics matter.
In the case of contacting some sort of web-based service provider, if you are contacting technical support by phone, they will eventually work their way to the specifics they need to troubleshoot. But if you are contacting by email, it is important to include specifics in your email, such as:
- Exact time and date you discovered the issue
- Type of device, and if known, type of browser or software used when discovering the issue
- Any error messages you may have received
- Any weirdness you may have encountered prior to the issue, such as extreme server slowness.
- Specifics about the actual issue.
You’re probably saying, why do I have to document all these things? Well, the better documentation that technical support has, the more capable they are to troubleshoot the issue quickly and effectively. And for most of us, quickly and effectively should be our common goal.
Quality troubleshooting should be everyone’s goal when looking for technical support. And having been on both sides of this issue, it is clear to us that being prepared with as much information as necessary for the troubleshooting will expedite the issue. So be prepared when contacting Tech Support. Document.