Ever get that sinking feeling? That pit-of-the-belly sensation whilst you realize something’s long gone incorrect. Business proprietors realize what I’m speak about. We get it when that client calls to bitch about a process. Or when a provider’s key shipment would not arrive on time.
You’re a commercial enterprise owner. You know this sense. When is it absolutely the worst? When it’s a generation guide trouble. You come to work and your computer display screen isn’t the manner you left it the night time earlier than. When you arrive at your workplace this morning, you’re now not greeted by using the standard computer. Instead, the display screen is frozen at “Windows is taking off.” A replace that mechanically downloaded last night time screwed something up. Your display screen is black. And now so is your mood.
You watch the display screen for a couple of minutes, anticipating something to take place, however you recognize nothing will. Finally, you restart the computer. Twice. Same result. Now you have got that sinking feeling. You see your morning slipping away: This computer isn’t going to start. And neither is your day. Until you get a few assists. You may have to name technical support. But halt your hyperventilation-there may be no want to worry in any respect. As a fellow enterprise proprietor, I’m going that will help you. Because I’ve discovered a way to handle technical support with some guidelines for humans like us.
Rule One: Don’t Get Angry
You can get indignant if you stay in a town where it snows 1/2 the year and your crew starts the season zero-four. You can get angry each time you pay attention that Jennifer Lopez is paid $12 million to be a decision on American Idol. But this time, getting angry might not help absolutely everyone. And it may not help you get your problem resolved any quicker. If you’re jogging your personal commercial enterprise, the closing element you need is for your personnel to see you storming around your workplace, wildly swinging a golfing club over your head like a tomahawk even as you kick over your chair and time and again yell “Why, why, why!” It’s sufficient that your own family’s visible this conduct. You should supply employees the impact that the whole lot is on top of things. That YOU are on top of things. You are a businessman. You are Don Draper. So do what he could do at eight a.M.-have a bourbon and a smoke. Microsoft (MSFT) Windows by no means rattled Don Draper, right? So be calm.
Rule Two: Be Nice to the Technician
Of route, it’s worrying that you need to wait for the keep. And all of us comprehend how traumatic it may be when you have to punch in your “customer ID,” ZIP code, mother’s maiden name, favored holiday spot, and social protection number into the automatic gadget 3 instances, simplest to be asked for that equal facts once more the minute a live man or woman comes on the telephone. It’s not his fault. The technician is simply doing his job. He’s going to be excellent. You need to be best, too. You’re a business proprietor. How might you want it if a few purchasers become being a jerk to one of your employees? You’re now not going to get on his properly aspect by way of being a jerk to him. At first-rate, you’ll earn the right to be put on maintaining 5 greater times than essential or be pressured to sit and wait in silence for many greater mins, thinking what he is clearly doing as he is clicking away on his keyboard.
Rule Three: Be Patient
You recognize from jogging your personal commercial enterprise that now and again the answers cannot be added immediately. Don’t you wish your customers could additionally be a touch greater patient after they call with a hassle? Of path you do. So take a deep breath. Don’t fear about the ones lengthy silences on the line whilst you think you have been disconnected. He’s there. He’s likely just mulling matters over. Or speaking approximately the problem with his colleagues. Whatever. Be affected a person. Answer the questions. Take this time to rearrange your agenda. This hassle will, in the end, get resolved. It’s going to simply take a tough time, that’s all. Don’t even don’t forget grabbing the golfing club once more and knocking that photograph of your spouse and children at Disney (DIS) off your desk.
Rule Four: Cede Control
As a business owner, you are likely a manage freak. Like me, you hate different humans doing things you don’t understand. That’s why you do not work for anyone anymore. But to get your hassle fixed, you are going to want to relinquish that manipulate… As a minimum for a few minutes. When the technician asks to remotely take over your system to do his troubleshooting, just let him. Don’t fear about safety. Try now not to consider something malicious he can be doing. Don’t agonize that he’s going to look the websites you latterly visited. Remember, he would not care approximately all that. He has others on your situation he wishes to assist, too. Let him take over your pc and run all those complex scripts and packages that most effective the technical assist guys know how to run. Don’t ask what he’s doing. In fact, don’t even watch what he is doing. Look over a few office works as a substitute. Try to appearance busy. Walk across the office as in case you’re misplaced on your thoughts, conjuring up a few terrific plans to take your commercial enterprise to new heights. The tech guy will quickly finish.
Haven’t you found out anything over the past 20 years walking your own enterprise? You’re the boss. So act like one! You recognize by now that you will handiest screw matters up by using doing the carrier your self so that you have a person else do it. You realize by way of now that you may lose that purchaser in case you call him and scream about his late bill, so you have someone else do it. And you have to recognize by now that you may by no means be the technical wizard that you once idea you may be when you got your first Windows three.1 computer-so that you need to delegate this, too. The minute you spot something is inaccurate, have any other guy in your office, or your tech guy, cope with the hassle. And as an alternative, choose up the phone and make contact with a client. Check on an order. Walk across the warehouse. Order lunch for the team of workers. Just do something else extra useful. And greater appropriate for the owner of a business enterprise.