Editing The Most Important Tips to getting a Computer Support Technician
Jump to:
navigation
,
search
What do you do if your pc is past warranty; throw it away? For most, substitution is the simplest way to go, but a few may try to correct it themselves. Normally, the hassle and strain of correcting their computer is too much and they wind up dropping it rather quickly. This is sad because the correct computer technician can repair the PC in a sufficient and affordable way, saving you cash from buying a new computer. A good technician will leave your old pc operating like it is brand new. These days, quality computer repair experts are a dime a dozen. In fact, it would appear that there's a suitable IT expert in just about every family. This might sound foolish but it's very true. Then again, these "pros" often lack the experience, support, and proof of the certified expert. Understanding the right inquiries is a very important part of finding the right [http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/46424443 tech support] . This allows you to split the cream from the crop, insuring that only the best providers work on your computer. <h2>Criteria and Credentials</h2> You'll discover many types of computer certifications out there. Some are relevant to PC repair, and many not so much. Take heed that a lot of them are very vendor specific. For example, Microsoft certifies specialists for all of its products, but outside of the Windows operating system, these certifications are nowhere to be found. Products are also often updated, so these will get swiftly out of date. Oracle has certifications. Many different companies have their own certifications such as Dell, Cisco, IBM, and many more. <h2>Certificates</h2> CompTIA is one famous organization that is one of the limited vendor-neutral certification companies. Then again, other certificates are perfectly legitimate, they are still a company looking to make a profit. This is not to imply that their service isn't important, just that their incentives don’t always align with yours. They rely on member fees to finance this company, so they do have desire to produce new professionals. That isn't to express that a CompTIA certification isn't valid, it's just not the equivalent as a person with a 4 year IT diploma. Though some one with a 4 year degree is many times not running their own company, as lots of these workers are contracted to bigger companies. The conclusion here is that you ought to ask if the individual has a college degree related to PCs. If they reply that they have a certification it's not fundamentally a concern, just one thing to take notice of for further reference. You could still research the certification later. <h2>Skills and Referrals</h2> The next question is how much experience the tech has and how effective are they at what they do? Ask them about their experience repairing computers, how long have they been in the field? Do they have any mention from past customers? If your technician is skilled, they will often have a number of references set aside for these inquires. Do not worry that this query is rude, it is really quite common in this business. A skilled technician will be more than happy to provide these recommendations for you. The biggest thing to take away is how long they've been in the computer repair business. This is valuable info. It's important to check in on any references you were given. Inquire about what repairs were done to their computer, and what kind of computer or software was repaired. It is also relevant to find out how much they charged, to make sure that you will not overpay for a comparable repair. Even a glowing rating from a favorite customer can let slip details that may reveal some shocks about how the person runs their company. All of this information can help you to make a decision. Don't be overcome by this procedure though; you usually only must to do this once. You'll only have to ask these points once, when you first choose the technician. <h2>Technician's Specialization</h2> As I pointed out earlier, Microsoft provides their own collection of certifications. Likewise, Apple offers its own certifications as well, in the form of Apple Certified Technical Coordinator (ACTC) or Apple Certified Support Professional (ACSP). These means the person has fundamental support abilities to help you out with a Mac. In the same way, CompTIA offers a Linux certification, or technicians can get an LPI certification from the Linux Professional Institute. Beyond OS, you'll also find technicians that are just better equipped and more knowledgeable to deal with certain brands of computers, even though they are focused on Windows machines. For example, a professional may have worked with Dell computer systems for such a long time that simply from the description of the computer problem, the person can immediately tell you that the most probable cause is a split capacitor on the motherboard. Various PC manufacturers have quality issues through the years, and technicians with a lot of experience simply learn about those issues from having to correct so many common problems. You just gotta ask if they specialize in particular computer brands. See if they are in cahoots with any certain brands. Just say you're looking for computer support person that you can ordinarily rely on for assistance. <h2>Ask for Costs and Insist on High Cost Limits</h2> Once it has been proven that the tech has right credentials and training, the next step in the negotiations is to discuss price. This is a difficult topic in the PC support field, because in all fairness to technicians, folk really try to take advantage of them. Family members beg for free computer assistance. Many will pay a fee for repair, and then want the technician to work for free for years after. So it is likely to be rude to them by going too low, and it is a waste of everyones time. Nevertheless, there always will be some shadier technicians to take advantage of the tech-illiterate. They may charge an hourly rate, and then blatantly claim that the problem took much longer than it did to solve. Not knowing otherwise, people will overpay. There are services out there that claim a particular hourly range is reasonable. Others in the industry feel that only flat fees are appropriate. Having done plenty computer support jobs in the past, I can tell you this: Any PC problem has symptoms that point at a potential cause whether thats a hard drive, mother board, display, power supply, or whichever. Almost any issue can be triangulated within an hour. Since most providers have a 1 hour minimum charge, plainly ask the PC technician to only spend an hour troubleshooting before reporting back as to whether it'll take more time and money. The hourly rate could be anywhere from $20 to $50 or even $70 in some cases, but a lot relies on location and local need for the services. It pays to request the maximum amount of time devoted on the diagnostics. If they refuse the request, it may be time to find a new tech. <h2>How Data Safety is Treated</h2> Now, backing up important data should be one of the first things any decent technician will do before attempting repairs. This process is a way for the technician to get your computer back to the state it was in when you previously used it. There's no cause to leave your work, or other personal files to chance. The process usually consists of: <ul><li>1. Backing up needed documents, such as financial records or un-replaceable photographs, onto a USB drive or external hard drive.</li> <li>2. The following step is to make a restore point in the operating system. This is a provisional place to retrieve data.</li> <li>3. Backing up Internet history or other important folders than control your day-to-day business</li></ul> So, a great way to decide if the technician is worth anything is to just ask them what their preliminary backup procedure is. If they can't reply, just walk off. <h2> How are the modifications to the system being tracked?</h2> One other thing that separates professionals from newbie's is documentation. The technicians who lack this standard or do not care about the changes that have been made is a major red flag. This may commonly contribute to a repaired pc, but in the process there are a few dozen modifications made throughout the control panel that you are totally unaware of once you get your computer back. It's your computer, and you've set things up in a way that makes sense to you, and works for you; so if a tech chooses to change things around, like increased security settings, enabling or disabling Windows updates or the firewall, you truly need to know. Otherwise you'll start seeing odd activities and you will not know what's going on. So, the question you should ask is simple: how are the changes monitored? Do they provide a full record at the end of the repair that highlights all of the modifications made, hardware mounted or any other modifications to the system? The answer here should be an instant yes, and they may even show you a sample report (or a format) that they've printed for past customers, so that you know what to look forward to at the end. This one concern alone is a defining characteristic of an excellent tech. If they're good at keeping documentation in an organized and detailed manner of what they do, chances are great that they know what they're doing. <h2>Follow-up Support and Assurances</h2> The final issue is important in that you want to know how much confidence the professional has in his or her own work. It is fair to expect that a professional will be available for phone calls, or even follow-up visits, if there are ongoing problems that crop up after the repair. Otherwise, the trouble wasn't really fixed, it was just impermanently patched. So, ask the tech if they warranty repairs for a certain number of days. Ask what sort of follow-up support you can look forward to if the issue comes back inside that time frame, is it ok to call, or do you have to deliver the computer back into the shop again? Is a technician consenting to do in-home service instead? These are questions that need to be asked before any trouble arise, not after. Once you get an adequate answer, ask that all negotiating you mentioned should be put down on paper prior to the start of repairs. Keep in mind that you paid a good amount for your assistance, there is no reason for you to be getting low balled with support after the fact. Ultimately, you need to have guarantees that the repair won't end up being more than it would cost to simply go out and buy a new computer. If you've asked the correct questions, you have a solid rate quote and all agreements and guarantees in writing, you can entrust your computer with the technician without any worries. Your PC will be repaired, the technician will get paid, and you can be safe that if the issue returns after a few days, you won't be left with the same problem but with a lesser wallet. [http://www.contrive-it.net Visit Our website]
|
Editing help
(opens in new window)
Personal tools
Log in / create account
Namespaces
Page
Discussion
Variants
Views
Read
Edit
View history
Actions
Search
Navigation
Main Page
Recent changes
Random page
Help
All articles
Start a new article
Hotrodders forum
Categories
Best articles
Body and exterior
Brakes
Cooling
Electrical
Engine
Fasteners
Frame
Garage and shop
General hotrodding
Identification and decoding
Interior
Rearend
Safety
Steering
Suspension
Tires
Tools
Transmission
Troubleshooting
Wheels
Toolbox
What links here
Related changes
Special pages
Terms of Use
Copyright
Privacy Policy
Your Privacy Choices
Manage Consent