What should you do when you don't know how to solve a technical issue? (2024)

Key takeaways from this article

• Embrace transparency:

  When stumped by a technical issue, honesty is your ally. Inform the customer you're seeking the answer and escalate the matter to a more knowledgeable teammate. This builds trust and shows commitment to resolution.

• Collaborate for growth:

  Sharing knowledge gaps with colleagues can lead to collective improvement. Openly discussing problems with your team fosters a collaborative environment that enhances everyone's problem-solving skills.

This summary is powered by AI and these experts

• Itamario Oliveira Técnico Pleno na WestRock Brasil |…
• Amy York Information Technology Help Desk…

• Itamario Oliveira Técnico Pleno na WestRock Brasil | Assistência Técnica | Embaixador WestRock | Bacharel em Direito | Supervisor de Fraturamento Hidráulico Petróleo

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  Reconhecer a nossa falta de informação para determinadas atividades é fundamental para evoluirmos como técnicos, pois através da ajuda junto aos colegas de trabalho e fabricantes é que o crescimento surge. Está aberto a entender como o outro pensa pode ajudar no dia a dia da assistência técnica quando se trata de resolução de problemas

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• Amy York Information Technology Help Desk Manager @ New Hanover County Schools | IT Service Desk, Leadership

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  I've heard other Tech Support Specialists say to "never tell the customer you don't know the answer". I disagree with that completely. If I don't know the answer, and I have used my resources (our shared team notebook, our knowledge base, google or chat gpt, etc) then I will let them know I don't know the answer, but I will find someone who does. I then help them put in their ticket and escalate the issue to someone who will be better able to help them. I believe people feel better knowing you are going to do what it takes to find the answer for them, even if that answer comes from a different person.

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  I actually disagree with this statement: while it's important to escalate to asking for help, as a seasoned support team manager and trainer, the first step I always advise is to TEST IT yourself! Not only will this give important context to you, it may lead to necessary follow-up questions for clarity for the person you are supporting. Or, it can enable you to research the correct items in any resources available to you. The second step should be to research the issue and see if there are places your issue has been answered in trusted forums or help articles (that is what they are for, after all). A [last] resort should be imposing on someone else's time (which also will take more of your own time), and then I'd start with a support chat.

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• Olayemi Adewale Olukoya (MNSE, MIAENG) Cybersecurity Enthusiast | Broadcast Engineer | Audio-Visual Engineer | Technical Support Engineer

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  As an IT SUPPORT PROFESSIONAL, I have countless times sort for help from friends whom I'm sure that they are well vast, whenever I encounter an issue that seems difficult to solve. This has helped me several times in resolving issues in a timely manner.

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• Dave Larsen Senior Field Service Technician at Panasonic

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  The goal of troubleshooting is not finding the issue or fault. The goal of troubleshooting is eliminating everything that isn’t causing the fault and whatever left however improbable is the cause.

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• Sumit Kumar Associate Director- Product at DXC Technology

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  If you are working on a software engineering related technical problem - you may start from a program and dive into a function and then reach a line of code before you locate an offending command - breaking it down - means you understand not only where its gone wrong but also ensuring knowing what pieces are working correctly -so you can either offer a fix or a re-write.

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• Ghassan Obeidat Chief Technical Officer at Royal Jordanian | Leading Technical Operations

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  Dissect the problem, if you break the issue into smaller pieces you can identify where the problem is and in many cases solve the problem. Also bring in fresh eyes and ask for feedback has always been of a great advantage to me personally. Different perspectives can identify the issue and eliminate any biases one might have.

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• Christian Mackie mackiec.ca - Lead, Solutions Architect - Shopify

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  Start from the bottom and work your way up. "What's the simplest way this could break?" has saved me and the teams I've been on countless hours of frustration. Sometimes what looks complex on the surface is caused by a missing comma or a misplaced bracket in the source code. Cover the simple things first, double check that it's not something silly, then expend your deep solving energy afterwards.

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• Daniel Targett Implementation Consultant II at FIS

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  See Also

  Differentiating Adaptive Challenges from Technical Challenges in LeadershipTechnical Problem Definition | Law Insider
  1) Google it2) Ask someone who probably does know and then pretend you knew all along.3) Try some stuff that makes sense4) Try some stuff that doesn't make sense (you never know...)5) Make sure you kept a record of what you tried in steps 3+46) Leave it a bit in case it solves itself.7) Prepare a statement about what the solution was for when someone asks you what you did after step 6 worked.

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• Pablo Cincunegui Genba Kaizen - Consultoría y Capacitación

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  Desglosar los problemas es una técnica sumamente poderosa. La técnica más habitual es la de los "5 por qué": se parte desde la situación visible y se comienza a indagar por qué ocurrió. Es sumamente importante chequear que los pasos se van dando de manera firme en la búsqueda de causas más profundas. Para ello, es necesario ejecutar el ciclo a la inversa, preguntando "por lo tanto". Si la respuesta nos hace sentido, indica que vamos en la dirección correcta. Un dato a tener en cuenta es que la respuesta a los por qué no puede iniciar con la palabra Falta, o No tiene. Esto nos indica que en lugar de buscar la causa, estamos pensando en que el problema ocurre porque No tiene la solución que se nos está ocurriendo a nosotros en este momento.

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• Eng.Anold Mambali (PEng) Licensed Electronics and Communication Engineer | Specializing in Microwave, Fiber Optics, and Railway Communication Systems | Proven Track Record of Delivering Innovative Solutions

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  Communication is the key know what the problem . Define the problem seek views from subject matter expert . Communicate with team member on whether they have encountered such scenario. Alsp remember yo

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• Christian Mackie mackiec.ca - Lead, Solutions Architect - Shopify

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  Know your audience. Communicating 'clearly' means different things depending on the level of understanding for the person you're talking to. If you're describing a technical issue to a customer - keep it simple and clear with relatable language. They don't need to know (nor do you need to teach them) about the technical specifics of the problem or impress them with fancy terms. If you're talking to your team who should be equal to your understanding of the problem, that's the time to over-index on details so they have everything they need to help.

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• Wagner A. Gomes Gerente de Suporte Técnico ERP

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  É muito importante para você sempre praticar suas atividades com muita transparência de tal forma que todos ao seu redor possa olhar e entender em que momento está, seja sincero indiferente de qualquer cenário pois desta forma você irá transmitir confiança no outro e estes estariam disposto a te ajudar sem medir esforços.

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• Emmanuel Asiedu IT Analyst/ Engineer

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  I've found that clear communication is a key element in resolving problems that may seem technical. Very often users may say one thing and mean another. It's our job to guide them through the problem and extract the relevant information.That way we are able to accurately investigate the issue, and if necessary escalate with detailed notes for timely assistance. Clear communication saves everyone's time and efforts.

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• Ricardo Ruiz Juarez Site Support | PMO | IT PMO | ITSM | Associate Manager

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  Even if you don't fully understand the issue, you have to learn on how to communicate your questions properly, at technical support level people receive most of the time vague messages like "system issues" that creates a huge delay in getting a solution for the user but if instead of using a simple frase we add more context, even if it's basic it will help a lot like "my computer freeze when opening a lot of tabs", maybe you're not an expert on using a computer but you gave a good picture of what may happen; and this applies to any field in IT."It's not about what you ask but how you ask for it"

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• Mark A. Tech Support Expert / QA/QC

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  If it isn't written, it never happened. Your documentation can save you and your team in many cases. Find existing documentations as reference, and link it.

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• Balu R. Global ITG Service Desk Team Lead at FTI Consulting

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  There are two parts to this.Firstly making sure you understand the issue and documenting it correctly. If you don’t know what you are trying to resolve then how can you resolve it. Once you fully understand the reported issue and have clearly documented it in the ticket, email, chat, wherever it may be then you can work to resolve it.Secondly is correctly documenting all the steps you took to resolve it, including the steps that did not work. This ensures anyone else reading it/reviewing it later on can find it useful. If it’s not documented in the ticket then it didn’t happen! A well structured and documented ticket should be able to be read and understood from start to finish by anyone without there being any further questions.

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• Hudson Saldanha Estudante do curso Defesa Cibernetica (Faculdade Estácio)

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  Quando você enfrenta um problema técnico, documentar suas descobertas é essencial. 1- Anote os detalhes do problema e descreva o contexto.2- Liste as tentativas de solução e os resultados obtidos.3- Registre as fontes consultadas.4- Inclua capturas de tela e logs.5- Organize cronologicamente.6- Compartilhe com a equipe.7- Revise e atualize regularmente.8- Use ferramentas de documentação.Documentar suas descobertas ajuda a resolver o problema atual e serve como referência para problemas futuros.

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• José López Help Desk Support Analyst at LogicalisUS

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  Keep daily production logs & limit them to what U did, not how you felt while doing it. Never use words like "nervous" or "first time". Do a great job & try to convey that U are in control of situations at all times; even when U encounter 1st time issues. We resolve these by staying calm, analyzing the problem, understanding & responding w/solid troubleshooting & decision making based on those results.

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• Óscar Vladimir Amaya Fuentes Encargado de Informática

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  En mi trabajo actual me sucedió algo de lo que he aprendido, y es que no tenían documentación o manuales para realizar los diferentes trabajos que requiere cada proceso de cada sistema, y aquí se programa con un lenguaje que es poco conocido (Magic), considero que siempre es bueno tener un manual no solo para uno sino que también para los demás y para usar a futuro ya que eso da una buena imagen como profesional.

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• Emmanuel Asiedu IT Analyst/ Engineer

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  Self-review is an important aspect of improvement.Sometimes looking back at an incident you resolved, or listening to an audio recording of a call you handled can highlight areas for growth you would not have noticed otherwise.Approach each challenge as a learning opportunity, and you'll find that even when faced with the most technical of issues, you can confidently and efficiently navigate it to resolution.

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• Maritess Quimno - Amazon Specialist Helping drive Amazon Sellers' success by managing their stores, unlocking profit potential, so they can focus on revenue growth.

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  Escalate or seek feedback if you already exhausted all resources that you have access to. Better do this as well if you are not sure if what you will be sending to the customer is accurate or not (especially for Tech Support who assists IT professionals or Business companies). You may save yourself and your team from any executive escalation that you might get from the wrong information that you have shared with the customer.

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• Junior ,. Desktop Engineer Third Level | GenAI | Citrix | MS 365 | LGPD | Cloud e On-Premise |🐧Linux | Windows | UNIX | MacOS | ITOM/ITAM | ITSM | Observability | Monitoring | Vulnerability

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  O feedback é uma ferramenta valiosa quando você está lidando com um problema técnico. Aqui estão mais algumas diretrizes sobre como buscar e usar o feedback de forma eficaz:1. Seja proativo: Não espere que o feedback venha até você. Inicie a conversa, peça opiniões e esteja aberto a críticas construtivas. Mostre interesse em melhorar e aprender com os outros.2. Seja específico: Quando solicitar feedback, seja claro sobre a área em que você deseja receber orientação.Lembre-se de que o feedback é uma ferramenta valiosa para o crescimento pessoal e profissional. Ao buscar feedback regularmente, você pode aprimorar suas habilidades técnicas e se tornar um especialista mais eficiente.

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• MARIO NINO PANUNZIO Help Desk Engineer en Ricoh España

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  Las métricas de satisfacción del cliente y el tiempo de resolución sirven muchísimo para medir resultados y progreso, utilizando los comentarios para establecer objetivos, planificar acciones y realizar un seguimiento de su mejora.

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• jonathan baez IT support technician III at UKG

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  This, after your findings are properly documented is a massively impactful and critical step, by simply talking to somebody and speaking through the steps already taken as well as interactions had, prompts identified and even the way that you documented and approached the problem can make others give you hints (sometimes inconciously) or you, yourself can come up with something you might have skipped or a new idea that could definitely lead to a resolution.

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  Embrace the notion that there's always more to learn. Each day brings new lessons and opportunities to discover smarter ways of working and tackling challenges. Every obstacle has a lesson to impart. A mantra I share with my colleagues is to disseminate knowledge. Whenever I come across a technique or insight that could enhance our efficiency, I make it a point to share it with everyone who might benefit. By pooling our collective knowledge, we learn and grow together.Moreover, strive to acquire new skills, even in areas seemingly unrelated to your current work. Expanding your skillset is synonymous with broadening your perspective and enriching your mind.

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• Christian Mackie mackiec.ca - Lead, Solutions Architect - Shopify

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  The old adage 'if at first you don't succeed, try again' isn't helpful. If the first thing you try doesn't work, find out why. If the second thing you do also doesn't work, find out why. By the third time, you'll not only be working with what you already knew about the problem, but also two new things you learned since you started. Tell your team what you learned, so that when they see something similar in the future, they'll be able to save the time you spent in learning what doesn't work.

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• Ronnie Long Technical Supervisor

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  Every day is a school day and be open and ready to take on the advice and guidance that experienced people can offer because that’s how we learn

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• Gabe Bustos IT Pro empowering users through technology | Microsoft 365 | Phishing Training | Anti-Virus Admin | Customer Satisfaction | Onboarding | WFH | Microsoft Teams | Office Suite | MFA | Active Directory | Cybersecurity

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  Whenever I don’t know how to solve a problem immediately, I start to research. I read about how other people have solved a similar problem and see if it can apply to my situation. I will also read any documentation I can find for the software or hardware that is affected. Checking the ticket history can also be useful. Maybe a team member has solved this problem before and documented it.

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• Nikita S. electrical engineer

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  Continuous learning is crucial in IT services and technical support. Keeping up with new technologies and trends through online courses, books, and certifications enhances skills and career prospects. By staying updated, professionals can boost confidence and add value to their roles.

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  Occam's Razor, named after philosopher William of Ockham, posits that among competing hypotheses, the one with the fewest assumptions tends to be more accurate. In other words, when faced with multiple explanations for a phenomenon, favor the one that requires the least speculation or complexity. This principle aims to promote simplicity and parsimony in problem-solving and scientific reasoning.

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  Stay calm and manage stress and you will figure it out for sureIn moments of uncertainty and technical challenges, it's crucial to stay calm and manage stress effectively. Feeling overwhelmed or stressed can hinder your problem-solving abilities. Take breaks when needed, practice mindfulness techniques, and maintain a positive mindset. Seeking support from colleagues or mentors can also contribute to a healthier work environment.

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• Mohamed Fawzy Waly Head of BIM Department. BIM implementation expert. Autodesk Gold certified instructor. Member of the Egyptian BIM Code Committee. Professional certified from Autodesk.

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  Being a technical support you have to keep in your mind that No one knows everything. And it is very normal to face sometimes a new problems that you did not pass through earlier. But what makes you different than the normal user that you have the experience in analysing the problem and (for example BIM specialist who is expert in Revit) you know how the programme thinks & processes. So just keep calm & think what may be the reason of the problem that happened and try to fix it.

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• Ram Joseph Paralejas Actively Looking for a COOP position relating to my program IT Operations.

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  In case of encountering a problem you can't answer. Breathe. Source our whatever you can. Try to solve it by identifying the root cause. Apply Trial and Error. Never stop trying. If all else fails raise it higher level support :D

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• Franco Senia Senior Technical Support Engineer at Microsoft

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  If a customer is overwhelming you, pass the case to your colleague, and continue in the background. A different approach may solve communication issues and make customer happy.

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