Chris K Designs

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It happens to all of us as some point in our lives (well those of us with websites that is) that just as we’re about to advertise our online presence, release a major update, or go to present to your boss the new look of your site, *BAM* your site will not resolve or your awesome scripting does not work correctly.

While I will admit that sometimes the fault does rest on the server that the site is hosted on, there are a few things you should avoid saying (or typing) to your tech support that will save you from looking somewhat ignorant to the world of tech.

“It works on my test server, so it must be your server.”

This can relate to a server you have locally or with another hosting company. While the statement might be true, this shows one thing: You are not aware of how a large scale hosting environment operates. Yes, you may have your own Linux server hosting your development site and database internally that functions properly. You need to be aware that due to security and reliability practices there may be modules and features disabled on a hosting company’s servers that are standard with the standard install of your server’s configuration.

How to approach this situation:
In the event that a script worked locally and not once uploaded, you may want to try a direct approach. Simply ask the support staff if their hosting environment allows for the modules/functions/or requirements that you need. This method will require you to know exactly what you coded and the functions used, which allows support to give you a more direct and clear answer as they now know precisely what to look for.

“Why is my site down? You are costing me business!”

While this may be true, did you check everything on your end? I’m not saying that downtime is never the provider’s fault, but there are numerous times when a product did not get renewed or a designer made a change without the owner of the site knowing. This points towards the owner not treating their web identity like a part of their business but just an ‘extra’.

How to approach this situation:
Start off stating that you are seeing downtime and that you have checked to make sure that your account is up to date. If you have a situation like mine where you have multiple sites in your account, specify which site. I know this seems petty and the support staff can find this information by looking around your account a bit but no matter what industry you are in, you are willing to be more helpful if you know that the other party is giving a little as well.

“I can’t _____. Fix this immediatly!”

As a tech support representative, the person you are speaking with has no doubt that you are having a problem usually. Simply stating that ‘It doesn’t work.’ or ‘I can’t send mail.’ does not help someone who is not looking at your screen. Not only this, but stating that it should be fixed ‘Immediatly’ does not make you appear to be willing to investigate your own errors. Again, not stating that all problems are the users fault, but 9 times out of 10 searching Google or Yahoo! gives an answer on the first result.

How to approach this situation:
Let’s say that you are not sure if the problem is yours the provider’s. In this case, specify what the error is. Tell them what’s happening with exact error messages and codes. Tell them the steps you took to get the error. This will help narrow down the issue, and give you an actual answer instead of a guess. You can also include a screen shot of your error. This just helps the tech support rep know the exact environment you are in.

“I just installed name of  cms/app and it’s not working.”

The internet is full of great content management systems (CMS) and applications that use PHP and ASP.Net, but not all of them work on every server. Some require specific permissions to operating system functions or directories. Some require databases or other dynamic coding languages. The fact is, if you are going to use a CMS, you should know what it requires. You should also know what you currently have for an environment that you want to install on.

How to approach this situation:
Specifically state what your application or CMS requires to function properly. Most of the download sites for software packages contain a list of requirements. Provide the support staff with what you require and they can double check that their services can meet your requirements. Some of the more common hangups you will run into are PHP versions running Windows servers, the trust level of the environment, and custom PHP.ini entries (weather they are supported on the server). You may also want to verify your provider’s policy on supporting 3rd party appliations like a CMS or blog. Most hosting providers will be happy to investigate an error if there is proof it’s the server’s fault. Otherwise, be ready to hear that they cannot support errors that are cuased by a 3rd party application. Don’t be angry about this, you cannot expect a company to provide support for an application that was not coded or released by them.

Final thoughts:
As a final note, if your provider offeres a Knowledge Base, check it before you call/write in. Companies who provide support need to function on a cost base. If they can cut down the number of agents providing support for quick and easily resolved answers, a knowelege base is their best outlet. These resouces usually have the most commonly answered questions written out and with step by step directions. Not only does it save you time, but it saves your company time and money, and your provider time and money which can be used to provide better services.

This may have ended up to sound more like a rant, but it’s really just here to allow people to recognize how to be considerate and polite to people who hear ‘Everything is YOUR fault!’ numerous times a day. In my experiance with technical support, the more polite and patient I am with them, the more helpful they are and usually will be willing to give me advise on how to solve my problems if they know a little bit of extra information.