What to do before calling Technical Support Operations

What to do before calling Technical Support Operations

Document number: 69003

It would be a wonderful world if nothing ever went wrong with our computers but that isn't reality. Things will go wrong, and very often at the worst possible time. Knowing of this inevitability there are some things we can do to make the best of a bad day. This document provides suggestions on solving the problem as quickly and efficiently as possible. For New Hire setups, Lotus Notes group modifications and password resets see Eureka! document 70001 — How to create a service ticket in NorthStar

Gather information to help identify the problem.

Try some troubleshooting on your own.

Be prepared with the information Technical Support Operations will need.

Gather information that will help identify the problem.

Screen shot and/or write down any error messages. Knowing the exact error message can make a big difference in identifying the problem and solution. Some messages are very similar. Be prepared to spell out the text carefully to ensure clear communication, especially if you can't get a screen shot. Don't forget to check the title bar of the message, it often identifies the application that generated it.
Describe what you were doing when the problem occurred. Be specific. What were the web site addresses? Did you have a lot of applications open? Were you starting your machine or shutting it down? Have a detailed description of what you were doing and exactly what happened versus what you expected to happen.
Identify when the problem first began. Did you recently install software or have something suspicious happen at a web site?
What is being affected -All applications or just a specific one? If the problem occurs when using your browser, does the same thing happen with all web sites? Only secure web sites? Only pages with scripts?
Determine if the problem is repeatable or if it is intermittent.

A repeatable problem is one that occurs all the time, or always in response to a specific user action. For example, if the computer crashes every time you print a document – that’s a repeatable problem. Document the complete menu paths or steps taken to replicate the problem.
An intermittent problem appears to happen spontaneously or randomly but is usually because a specific circumstance occurs occasionally.
With these problems it is important to try to establish a pattern. Keep a problem log at the computer and try to write down all the circumstances of the crash. It seems like a lot of trouble, but it is less trouble than a rebuild.

Try some troubleshooting on your own.

See what you can do to resolve the problem yourself. Consider the cost. The average cost per call to Technical Support Operations is $30 per call. If you use Eureka! to find the resolution the cost is only $5. And you need the right solution, if you get the wrong solution, the cost can be as high as $250 per call.

Before you call or create your ticket see Eureka! document 39063 — How to improve troubleshooting and problem resolution
Use the self-help Answer Wizard to help you diagnose the problem.
If you think you know the problem you can browse for solutions in the document library by searching the Topic Lists.
If you already know the document number for a solution document you can retrieve that document by number in the TSO document library.
If you think you will recognize the solution try the Keyword search.
For hardware problems try one of the troubleshooters.

Be prepared with the information Technical Support Operations will need .

You will be asked for your Employee ID.
Start with a very concise description of the problem. For example, "I'm getting an error message in Lotus Notes." Then provide the details.
Provide all information necessary to identify the problem
The analyst will usually want to know:

what operating system you are using,
whether you are running a Workstation or Server,
the make and model of your computer, and
your connectivity (not connected to the network, connected by RAS, connected directly in the office, VPN , iPass, etc.).

If you have already tried to resolve the problem yourself, describe what you did, and your results.
Don't withhold information on what applications you recently installed, even if you don't think that is the cause.
Don't let embarrassment prevent you from offering possible causes. If you spilled a drink on the keyboard, say so. The goal is to solve the problem, not to cast blame.

After logging a ticket for support, please be responsive to any requests to test a resolution or to provide additional information. Make sure you provide contact information.
If you have opened a ticket and the situation changes, please update the ticket in Northstar. You may close the ticket yourself whenever you consider the problem resolved.