Wednesday, January 30, 2013

How I Changed My Attitude Toward Internal Tech Support

In the past, I've been inclined to have an 'it'll be quicker if I do it' attitude when it comes to providing tech support.
An important point to keep in mind if you're going to educate vs. enable is this: It's probably not going to save you time right now. You've got to think long term.
I recently realized that I was training my coworkers to be dependent on me. I decided I'd much rather educate than enable.

My new perspective:
  • I want to be prompt, polite and helpful.
  • I want the person I'm helping to be able to remember what I showed them.
  • In-person sessions can be useful but often forgettable and not everyone has the time.

With those points in mind, I've been putting a few handy apps and practices to good use to help me educate more and enable less.

Continue reading to find out why it doesn't always work, the name of my favorite app and how the magic actually happens.