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Support that Matters

Picture it, it’s the middle of the workday and you’re on a second cup of coffee. Your computer no longer does what you need it to do. Well, now what? Perhaps you’re lucky and your IT technician is just down the hall. All you need to do is yell for them. Boom, that person can walk over and give you the one-on-one support right there at your desk. It’s a face-to-face conversation and, better yet, you can show them what’s not going right because they’re right there. Information flows between you two and, in no time, you’re back up and running. What if your support is on the other end of a phone line, the other end of an email, or the other end of a support portal? Well now, that takes a little more than yelling to get back up and working.

Your support partners want to help, that’s why they’re in the support and service business. The gap between your desk and their support solution can seem pretty insurmountable. It can be bridged, however, by applying a simple approach procedure to your request for support.

Whether they’re a local HVAC repair place or a big corporation with a call center bigger than some towns, your support partner needs some essential information to get rolling on your request. To speed up the response in acquiring support, keep these ideas in mind:

1

Start with the Goal

Tell us what you’re trying to do. It’s easy to get frustrated and stuck. It’s easy to stay focused on what you can’t do. Take a breath, go wide for us. What is it you were trying to make happen? If we know your objectives, we might have another way for you to reach it.

2

Give Us the Whats

What system are you in? What screen are you on? What did you do? What were you expecting the system to do? What did it do instead? Does it freeze? Are there errors? Does it crash? Can you get screenshots or full wording of any errors? Probably just as important, what is not doing what it should? Which computers or workstations are affected? This is the place for the details, I went here to do this, and I clicked that. Get us to where you are in your process so we’re on the same page with you. Fill us in on what you’ve already tried.

3

We Need a Who

Are you the person with the issue or is someone else going to be the point of contact? How do we reach you? Are there other users we should work with that are affected? Can you only be reached by homing pigeons on Wednesdays or more likely are at one location today and another next week? Give us the details to get a hold of you. Timely response relies on us being able to reach you.

4

Don’t Try to Jump the Line

It’s tempting to put urgent on every email or shout, “I need this NOW,” but it may actually result in less quality service for you. After all, if everything’s an emergency, than nothing is. We want to get your request to the right priority. If your request is time sensitive or largely impacting, let us know by all means. We’re continually attempting to give out other time sensitive help, so place your request in context of how it affects your work, your business, and your coworkers. Give us all the information to prioritize your request correctly, so when your big priority items come in we can give them the focus they deserve.

Basically, support doesn’t change that much from the technician at your desk to the one on the phone. It’s still a conversation, it’s still a flow of information. Get your requests started on the right foot and we’ll be in lockstep with you towards a resolution. ASI and IDS work every day to provide the best possible customer service to all of our partners. Learn more about everything ASI has to offer by visiting our products page or be requesting a demo today.

About Automated Systems, Inc.
Since 1981, Automated Systems, Inc. has been a leader in providing innovative core banking, digital banking, and data processing solutions to community banks nationwide.  An array of integrated applications provide partnered banks with tailored, cost-effective, competitive choices.  ASI delivers industry-leading technology backed by unparalleled in-house conversion, training and support teams; paving the way for progressive, top-notch customer service.  ASI corporate headquarters are located at 1201 Libra Drive, Lincoln, NE 68512, 1.800.279.7312.  For more information about banking solutions from ASI, visit www.asiweb.com.

About Insite Data Services
IDS data application hosting services combines secure and cost-effective core banking applications, enterprise-class servers and storage, and proven virtualization technology.  IDS hosts all of the bank’s servers in secure data centers that use state of the art security systems including identity verification and biometric scanning.  Insite Data Services also offers IDS On-Time, a full-service solution dedicated to back-office bank processing.  These operations experts allow partnered banks to focus on their most important asset, their customers.  For more information visit www.insitedataservices.com.

About The Author

Levi Kalb
Levi Kalb is the Marketing Coordinator at Automated Systems, Inc, a leading provider of core banking software. He is in charge of all the internal and external communications, marketing materials, trade shows, company websites, and social media initiatives.

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