Sometime in your life you’ll most likely run into a technical issue which will require the use of your product’s warranty. You just get to the point where you’ve tried everything you can do and the only thing left to do is give it to “the experts”. To deal with this problem, you’ll most likely have to go through a support hotline. Support hotlines are painful as it is, but they always seems like they’re worse when it comes to warranty-related solutions. You’re left feeling that you never really got what you wanted. That’s because a support hotline’s goal is to find a solution as quick as possible, and not find the solution which may be the best. Luckily, there are some easy ways to flip the odds in your favor.

Preparation

Before you even consider contacting support, know exactly what you want. Make a list of things that you absolutely need accomplished to reach your goal. Then make a list of the things you’re willing to compromise on. If you don’t take these things into consideration, you are going to fall a victim to the support system. If you just contact support asking them what they can do for you, they’re going to do the bare minimum. You need to know what you want, so you can tell them what they can do for you, not the other way around.

Next, support lines are going to want to know why you need the product repaired. They won’t do it unless you give them a logical reason. So, once again, before you even contact support, make a list of the reasons why you’re calling them. Think of as many reasons as possible; these are going to be used later.

Finally, before you dial that number, write everything down you’ll need to know. If you think you’ll forget it, write it down. Having a written list will make you feel more confident, and will insure that you don’t miss something.

Making the Call

Now that you have everything prepared for the support call, take a deep breath and dial the number. Listen to the audio menus carefully and make sure you find the department which can aid you the best. Starting with the wrong place can easily discourage you, and put you off to a bad start. Now that you have the right department, play their game. Give them the information they want, and do it nicely.

Before they let you get to the meat of your problem, make sure you get the person’s name. This will be useful for future calls, or even if you get transfered during this call. Once you have their name, you’re ready to start playing your game.

The Call

Now it’s your time to shine. The support person has given you the spotlight. Tell them as clearly as possible what the problem is. Feel free to beef if up. For example, if your computer is making a humming noise, tell them it’s so annoying you can’t hear yourself think. Just doing something as simple as that makes the problem seem worse than it is, and will increase your chances of success.

After you’re confident that the support person clearly understands your problem, immediately offer solutions that they can provide. Tell them straight out what you want. If you want a replacement, tell them that. If you want someone to come and look at the issue, let them know. Don’t falter to compromises yet. Give them the best solution for you first. If they can’t provide that, then start dipping into the list of compromises. Like I said before, support will do the bare minimum unless you let them know what you want.

If support does exactly what you wanted, congrats, you’re a pro. If they don’t, it’s time to step it up a notch. Break out the list of reasons why you need this done. Tell them everything until you’re out of reasons. Make sure you make your reasons as convincing as possible, and make every reason sound like it is a major inconvenience to you unless they do something about it. If you still don’t get what you want, we’re going to raise the bar once more.

Elevate the Call

If you don’t have luck with the person you’re currently talking to, ask to speak to their manager. Often the current support aid can’t do something you want, and a manager is the only person who could sign off on such an action. I’ve learned this first hand from working as a cashier. I’ll often get customers who forgot to hand in coupons, etc., and they’ll want something done about it. Well, I can’t do anything about it. They need to speak to a customer service representative. It’s not that I don’t want to help them; it’s just I don’t have the power to do so. So, by elevating your call, you start to speak to people who have the ability to bend the rules more.

Another great reason to talk to a manager is managers are more concerned about customers’ happiness. Their job is to make sure every customer is happy, unlike the support assistant whose job was to follow a set of procedures. A manager is going to want to see the situation end happily or they might be losing out on a potential future customer.

Be Persistent

If the previous steps didn’t work, it’s time to try again. This time you’ll have a higher chance of success. You’ll most likely have a ticket in the support system, signaling to the support aid that this is a problem of concern. You’ll also hopefully be dealing with a new person; one that may be in a better mood then your previous support aid, or just more willing to bend the rules. Regardless, your chances are higher the second time. Just follow the same steps as before.

If the second time didn’t do it, look for possible flaws in your technique. For example, try to identify when you reached the point of no return, where the support aid has stopped working with you and just wants you off the phone. Correct any potential problems with your method and give the whole thing another shot. By the third time, you should have gotten what you wanted. If not, reevaluate your demands and possibly add more to the list of compromises. Now let some time pass and give it yet another shot. Eventually the support aids will be sick of hearing from you, and will just want you to stop calling them. That’s when you got them.

Conclusion

As you can see, calling support is no easy task. However, by being prepared you can greatly increase your chances of success. Just stick to your plans, and don’t let the support people mess them up. If that doesn’t work, try again. Persistence is the key to success. Eventually you’ll find the right combination of things, and your plans will fall into place. The important thing is to not get discouraged with the process. You’re the one who’s right and support is wrong. Eventually support will see your side and you’ll be on your way to a fully working product.