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Troubleshooting is a skill where a Customer Service or Sales Rep actively listens, comprehends the problem that the customer poses and then via series of question and answer sequences can quickly get to a resolution for the presented problem. Ability to do this well directly effects Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) and First Issue Resolution (FCR) metrics.
Most of such interactions happen when customer either calls or chats or emails the agents or customer service reps (CSRs)—Help Desks, Billing Desks, Scheduling services, Reservation desks, Claims-processing centers, Techsupport and Customer-Care organizations for various industries. This skill is needed for all industry verticals including those where customers have purchased your products or services, or are citizens for government or constituents for not-for-profit services or are patients and families for in patient-care envionments. This is also a basic skill for CSRs working at repair shops, in brick-mortar retail shops and in hospitality industry or those who provide services to private homes.
Troubleshooting occurs in four steps.
1. Understand the problem: First, the employee must actively listen to the customer and follow-up by validating that they correctly heard the customer and seek verification.
2. Diagnostics: Second, the employee must ask open-ended questions to understand the decision-tree (fully documented or not) or path they take. Sometimes, they have to calibrate their understanding with customer's expectations.
3. Communicate the possible causes for the problems: Third, confidently identify and assure the customer that they are communicating the right reasons.
4. Find a solution and communicate the solution prior to implementation: The employee simulataneously must know how to navigate any knowledge management or decision-tree provided to them. Lastly, the employee must identify the solution that best fits the problem. In case of ambiguity with multiple solutions, they must be able to resolve the ambiguity by doing additional diagnostics and rule-outs. Also steps 2 to 4 can be in a trial-and-error type of sequences i.e., they will need to do it few times to identify the reasons for the symptoms or issues that the customer is experiencing.
Sales reps need to troubleshoot well especially when they are working in consultative selling environment. Those sales rep who do this well are more likely to build the rapport and become a trusted advisor even if they cannot close the sale in the very first opportunity. The same skill when applied to sales reps, the skill is translated as "solutioning skill".
There is a truism that "Customer is always right". What your customer is experiencing and communicates—they are always right about the symptoms and experience and expectations. They are coming to you, because they have not been able to solve the issue on their own and see you as an expert. The manner in which the employee behaves as that expert is what drives CSAT scores. If the solution meets customer's expectations, the "troubleshooting" behaviors drive the FCR metrics. CSAT and FCR are correlated. Trouble-shooting skills are among the few drivers that are common to both of these outcome metrics.
According to Gartner Research, a 1% increase in first-call resolution (FCR) represents a 0.64% increase in customer satisfaction. A customer is more than satisfied if their issues are resolved remotely at the first instance. A CSR might have to troubleshoot a problem through call, chat, email or face-to-face discussion. ICMI reports “12% of customers leave if it takes 2 or more calls to resolve their issue."
Meanwhile, the time it takes to resolve is always in conflict to customer expectations. Across geographic, cultural and demographic borders, a quick and good resolution is the most common expectation of your customer. Being excellent at all the above 4 steps allows the employee to manage the customer interaction successfully.
Most of our games at PAKRA® teach learners to practice the ways to correctly troubleshoot with a customer.
PAKRA® Games simulate your work processes and provide a practice environment where your employees acquire critical-thinking and decision-making skills—before they engage with prospects and customers. We measure various metrics for every action and click that a learner makes in our Games. All our games provide a real simulation of the operational situation. Our Games can teach you and your CSRs a real learning experience in how to Troubleshoot. We score Troubleshooting in all our cross-selling customer service, tech support, help desk, customer-care, banks and insurance services, techsupport, billing desks, patient-care, sales, customer interaction and leadership games.
Instructions for the game-player or learner emphasizing Troubleshooting skills. Here are samples of instructions for some of our games:
"As you play the game, actively listen and solve the issues with your products and services such that it is an appropriate solution to the customer. The product must work at the end."
"Understanding customer’s needs and suggesting best solutions is the way to get highest scores in the game."
“Providing the customer with the correct solution to a specific issue that your customer has.”
The following is an example you can use when you coach your CSR.
Stephanie Gooley story
All of a sudden, her laptop is excruciatingly slow. Really! Not Good. She has to meet deadlines. She has places to go. She has things to do. She has no time for virus attacks.
What should she do? Who to call? She calls 1800CalmNow Tech Services.
Can she meet her deadline?
A. Troubleshooting
Bad Practice
Stephanie: Yes! Hi! I have a Windows Lenovo laptop. Everything’s spinning. Given I am in the spin business – it’s ironic. However, you have to help me. I have a deadline. I work for the Senator. I have things to do. I have places to go.
Yes! I did get a virus video link via Facebook this morning. I immediately shut everything down without clicking the video link. After I turned my computer on two hours or so later, MS Word keeps spinning and Firefox connections gives me 404 pages, which cannot be true.
And Yes! I have antivirus software but only for Windows and I have not updated it for 6 months, because it was slowing things down. Now! What else do you need to know? Can you help me?
leBron: Can I call you Stephanie, Ms. Gooley.
If I understand correctly you have a Lenovo laptop with Windows 7 operating system.
I completely empathize with you Stephanie. This can be very frustrating. Can I have your permission to put you on hold for moment – that way I can research the problem? Actually I am not sure what the problem is.
Stephanie: You got all that information correct.
I can hold. Why not! Read Sarcasm. I have eternity to wait. I am not going anywhere. I am just a sage, meditating under a banyan tree. Read Metaphor. What did you think I would say, when you ask me to be put on hold? Hurry. 1 minute max.
Good Practice
Stephanie: Yes! Hi! I have a Windows Lenovo laptop. Everything’s spinning. Given I am in the spin business – it’s ironic. However, you have to help me. I have a deadline. I work for the Senator. I have things to do. I have places to go.
Yes! I did get a virus video link via Facebook this morning. I immediately shut everything down without clicking the video link. After I turned my computer on two hours or so later, MS Word keeps spinning and Firefox connections gives me 404 pages, which cannot be true.
And Yes! I have antivirus software but only for Windows and I have not updated it for 6 months, because it was slowing things down. Now! What else do you need to know? Can you help me?
leBron: Can I call you Stephanie, Ms. Gooley.
If I understand correctly you have a Lenovo laptop with Windows 7 operating system.
You were on Facebook and you got some video link that most likely had a virus. You did not click it. Turned it off. Then when you started your computer later, everything is slow. Also you use Firefox as your browser. Do I have all the information you just shared?
Stephanie: Yeah! You got all that information correct. I can hold.
leBron: Thank you. It should not take long.
leBron searches resources and FAQs and finds appropriate questions.
leBron: Thank you for holding.
You mentioned earlier that you have an antivirus that you have not updated that.
Can you tell me which version it is?
And the Call Continues...
leBron: Thank you.
Do you currently have Internet connection on the laptop? If you do, it will be faster, as I can troubleshoot once you let me have remote access.
By doing that, we can look at the problems that you’re having, together.
I can help you find and install antivirus updates that you need, and I can help diagnose and repair any conflicts or compatibility issues, make sure that your software is up to date, and optimize your PC speed.
Do I have your permission to access your laptop?
Stephanie: Oh! Access my computer to troubleshoot?
Go ahead. Yes! I do have an Internet connection. It is SLOOOW.
Tell me what I have to do to get you access.
References
1. Next-Generation Customer Service the New Strategic Differentiator, Booz & Company
2. Resolution Time (TTR for Time-to-Resolution), Impact Learning Systems
3. Customer Support, Logmeinrescue-enterprise.com
5. Optimizing Shutdowns Turnarounds and Outages, Kevin Duffy, Kepner-Tregoe Inc. Sep 30, 2010
6. Smart Troubleshooting and Issue Capture, Michael Roberts, Big Sky Blog, June 28, 2013
7. The best ways to improve FCR, CallcenterHelper.com, February 6, 2013
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