2.2.3 Practice Questions Professionalism
You have responded to a call from a customer who is having problems with his computer. After troubleshooting the problem, you discover the switch on the power strip was off. After switching it on, all of the components and their functionality return to normal. Which of the following is the best way to explain what the problem was to the customer?
" I found this power strip switch in the off position. Now that it's on, it looks like everything is working. It appears as though that was the problem. Can you confirm that the problem has been resolved?" Explanation In this case, the following is the best way to explain the problem to the customer: "I found this power strip switch in the off position. Now that it's on, it looks like everything is working. It appears as though that was the problem. Can you confirm that the problem has been resolved?" The response is clear and not judgmental or insulting. In addition, you are asking customer to make sure that the problem no longer existed. You should never insult, judge, or belittle a customer in any way, even if the problem is directly related to their actions.
While on a service call at a customer site, you are discussing the problem with the customer when your cell phone rings. You check the caller ID, and you see that the call is related to parts you ordered for another customer. What is the most professional way to handle the situation?
Ask the customer if they mind if you take the call, and then step into the hallway to briefly talk on the phone. Explanation Because the call is work related, the most professional way to handle the situation is to ask the customer if they mind if you take the call. Most customers will have no problem with this. Letting the phone continue to ring is very distracting. Quickly answering the phone without asking the customer is rarely appropriate, even if it is to say you'll call the person back.
As a PC technician, what are the best actions to take if you are late to an appointment?
Contact the customer and apologize. Give a realistic timeframe for your arrival. Explanation If you are going to be late to an appointment, contact the customer, apologize for the inconvenience, and give a realistic timeframe for your arrival. Use professional and courteous language at all times. Avoid making jokes or commenting on issues unrelated to the purpose of your visit. Explaining why you are late may be courteous, but is typically trivial and not the best action to take. Blaming your tardiness on external factors does not help the situation.
A user asks you to perform a task that you do not know how to do and is not in the scope of your job duties. What is the best way to respond?
Explain to the user that this is not a task you can perform, but you will do your best to contact someone who can perform the task. Explanation The best way to respond is to explain to the user that this is not a task you can perform, but you will do your best to contact someone who can take care of the job and arrange for them to perform the task. You should never try to perform a task that is beyond your ability or job description. You could end up making the problem worse. If there is ever a task that you can't perform, you should not leave it up to the user to find the correct people. This can make a user feel overwhelmed or abandoned.
You work at the IT Help Desk in your company. An employee calls to report a problem with her workstation and a service ticket is assigned to you. You respond to the service ticket immediately and arrive at the employee's workstation within minute; however when you begin speaking to her, you can't understand what she is saying because she is speaking Spanish, and you do not understand Spanish. What should you do?
Find an interpreter. Explanation If you do not understand the language of a customer, then find an interpreter before solving the problem. Refusing to help will most-likely confuse, irritate, or offend the customer. You may be able to solve the problem without talking to the customer, but this action might take longer to discover the problem, and does not reflect professionalism in the workplace. Using hand gestures will most likely not work at all for technical communications.
You are the PC technician for a company.. An employee has gone to a meeting while you fix the computer in her office. She accidentally left a report open next to her computer which states that a friend of yours in accounting will be submitted for review if their poor work performance continues. What should you do?
Ignore the paper and tell no one of its contents. Explanation You should ignore the paper and tell no one of its contents. Complete confidentiality is expected for any sensitive information that may be found in an employee's office. It is never appropriate to share sensitive, work-related information found in an employee's office with anyone in a company.
You are a PC technician for a company. An employee needs to install some software on his computer over his lunch break. When you log on to the computer, you notice the employee's desktop has so many shortcuts and files that you can't even see the desktop background. Which of the following actions should you take?
Install the software and leave the employee's computer exactly how you found it. Explanation The best thing to do in this situation is to leave the computer exactly as it is. Even if you think the desktop is unorganized and cluttered, you need to respect the workspace of others. Do not delete, move, or change the items on the employee's desktop. You should never look at the files on an employee's computer unless it directly pertains to what you been asked to do.
A user called her organization's Help Desk to request help with connecting to a network server. The help desk technician came to her desk to resolve the issue. Once there, the technician used the user's telephone to call his girlfriend. The call lasted the entire time the technician was at the user's desk. Did the technician handle the request correctly?
No, the technician should not have used the user's telephone for a personal call. Explanation No, the technician should not have used the user's telephone for a personal call. Doing so is very unprofessioinal. He should have devoted his attention to the user and her problem while he was at her desk.
A user called the Help Desk because he's having trouble downloading new messages from the company's email server. The Help Desk technician told him to open a command prompt and try to ping the email server. The technician also told him to check his SMTP and POP3 server IP addresses. Did the Help Desk technician handle this request correctly?
No, the technician used jargon that the user probably didn't understand. Explanation By using technical jargon, the technician did not handle the request properly. While words like ping, SMTP, POP3, and IP address are familiar to system administrators and Help Desk technicians, most end users are not familiar with these terms.
You are the PC technician for a company. You received the following email from an employee: My email doesn't work. I keep getting email sent back to me, and I can't find any of my old emails. I don't think that the email program has ever worked well. When you arrive at the user's desk, you ask him to show you how they usually go about their email tasks. You quickly determine that the problem is not with the program, but that the user needs to be trained on how to use the program. You have several important work tasks that need to be completed by the end of the day, and this is not high on your priority list. what is the best way for you to respond?
Set up a time where you can sit down with the employee and show him how to complete common tasks. Explanation You should meet with the employee at a later time and show him how to use the email program. Even though teaching employees how to use their email isn't your biggest priority that doesn't mean that it isn't a high priority to the employee. Bluntly telling an employee that they don't know how to use a program properly is not respectful or helpful. You should not redirect questions to co-workers. If it is a problem that you can address yourself, it is your responsibility to provide assistance. Telling the employee to use the help utility in the email program may not be sufficient in educating them. You can tell them about the help utility for future reference, but do you best to answer any of their questions directly while you're working with them.
As you troubleshoot a problem during a customer appointment, you discover the problem is directly related to the customer's actions. How should you best address the situation?
Tactfully explain the problem without accusing or judging the customer. Explanation If the problem is related to user error or is caused by actions taken by the customer, tactfully explain the problem without accusing or judging the customer. Avoid using jargon, abbreviations, and acronyms. When you do use technical terms, take the time to explain them in simple language. Avoid being judgmental, insulting, or calling the customer names.
An employee demands that she needs more RAM for her computer in order to complete her work tasks, but you know that her department isn't budgeted for new equipment. Your supervisor is the only one that has authority to allocate department funds. How should you respond?
Tell the employee that she isn't currently budgeted for equipment upgrades, but that you will let your supervisor know about the request so it can be properly determined if new RAM can be acquired. Explanation The best response would be to tell the employee that she isn't currently budgeted for equipment upgrades, but that you will let your supervisor know about her request so it can be properly determined if new RAM can be acquired. You should not simply dismiss an employee's request. Perhaps this is not a need that is known to your supervisor and can be remedied. Though purchasing her own RAM is an option. It is the company's responsibility to supply sufficient equipment and supplies for their employees to complete their tasks. You do not have the authority to tell an employee that they will receive new supplies. All requests need to be directed to your supervisor first.
