Five Simple Tech Support Secrets To Quickly Resolve IT Issues
Help! It’s never a great moment when your IT system’s not working. It can throw you off completely or at least distract you from the task at hand. Human instinct is to ask or call for help, don’t worry, the friendly team at Think is here to support you 24/7. Before reaching for the phone, try these quick and simple steps. Even if they don’t do the trick immediately, you’ll be set up for a call with us and you can be back in business faster.
1. Shut Down & Wait - Then Plug Back In
Shut your computer down properly and turn it off at the wall. If the issue is specific to a printer or other device connected to your PC, once the computer is off, do the same for that device.
Now, plug the device back into a different port, if possible, as this will rule out a buggy port. If there is only one port the device can connect to, try waiting until your computer has fully reloaded before plugging the device back in.
Remember to keep track of where you were plugged in before the issue occurred and where you plugged in after.
Important: Never shut down or reboot a server if there might be other users or devices connected to it!
2. Chat It Out
Once you have followed these steps, try performing your task again. If you get the same result and are connected to a team, ask someone to chat it through with you. Sometimes simply talking about the steps you took to get to your error will reveal the fix - or your colleague may have experienced the same issue in the past.
3. Has Anything Changed Or Updated
It’s important to note whether you have just installed any new programs or run any recent updates; if your PC has slowed down or it keeps crashing and restarting, it may be that your changes have not been carried out correctly.
Make a note of how your PC usually runs, and cast your mind back - has the power been cut off recently? If your computer was shut off abruptly, this may also be causing the issue.
4. Keep Calm and Communicate
Keep calm! Technical glitches happen, and it’s going to be okay.
If you are a business customer with a Facebook presence, pop a message on your wall to let people know you are experiencing an outage, and if email comms are still online, shoot out a bulk email to give people a heads up.
5. Make Brief Notes
Grab a pen, or open a spreadsheet or document and, if you can, note down the steps you recall that got you to where you are now. Include a timeline and the names of anyone involved; write down what components are not responding correctly, who is being affected and, if you understand it, why you are having the problem. Bullet points are totally fine, but the more details you can provide, the better.
A smart move is to have a Troubleshooting document in place for times like this - if you don’t have one, your notes today might form the basis for getting one in place.
Still No Joy? It’s Time To Contact Us
Grab your notes and get in touch with the Think Concepts team. You are now coming in fully organised and with a clear idea of what doesn’t work, and you can prove it. This will save you valuable time and allow us to get you back up and running much quicker.