Writing Tips for Tech Support Email?

As someone who has received support emails in the past, I always appreciated not having to track down the answers to questions such as:

What, if any, error messages did the user receive?
What programs did the user have open when the problem occurred?
What operating system is the user running?
What was the user doing right before the problem occurred?
Has this error/problem happened before?

Getting this kind of information up front saves time and allows support personnel to handle the problem quicker. There are a few more basic information items that escape me at the moment. When I think of them, I will add them to my list.

I hope this helps. Good luck and welcome to the forum.

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ETA: I just reread your post. I am not sure if the information you are writing is for the end-user or the support personnel. The above may not be as useful in a guide to the support team as it would be to an end-user.

I thought of something else. One of the hardest things any tech has to deal with it putting the information in terms the end-user can use without talking down to them. Oh, I had the thought, and then it went away. This is what you would cover with the portion on good tech writing, but I had a different thought and it is gone. Multi-tasking is not always a good thing.

Ok, let me try this: A few simple rules as a tech that were solidified when I read the link you provided. (And in the bad email section too. Some of those weren't bad calls/emails, just bad techs.)

1) Respect your client.
2) Never assume your client has a working knowledge of the product, but never talk down to them.
3) Your emails should always carry a friendly, helpful tone. (So many sound like the computer writes them. People want that personal touch without being too personal.)
4) Offer your client encouragement when you can. It makes them feel less klutzy around the product and insures that future dealings will go smoother.
5) Never lie to a client.
6) Never treat your client as if they are a complete idiot, even when they are.
7) Clarify. If you don't understand what the client is asking, try rephrasing their question to help clarify what they need.
8) Don't take anything personal. People get upset. They sometimes need to vent their frustrations. Tech support ends up getting the brunt of this sometimes. A good tech can take this and work it to their advantage.
9) Be professional in all dealings.
10) Oh yeah, respect the client. (It bears repeating.)

You probably already have most, if not all, of these working through the module. I was hoping it would help jolt what it was I was thinking of out of my head, but no such luck. That thought will probably bless me with an appearance at 2:00 am, when I am sound asleep.

Constance Sorrow said:

Thanks, dahmnait! It's for the support team, but it wouldn't hurt to tell them they need to ask for that information.

Click to expand...

I am glad it helped. Quick thought, most companies have a set of standard questions their tech support asks, even if the questions aren't set out on paper. It might be helpful to find out if this company has anything you can add to the module.

Hopefully, I'm not too late. I can add a couple:

Has this function ever worked?
Have there been any changes to the network/workstation recently?
Is anyone around you having the same problem?
Is the problem consistent or intermittent?
Is the problem happening with only one application or many?


I also like to coach help desk or support teams to get the IP address and gateway of the workstation if possible, as well as the IP addresses or hostnames of any applications or servers they are trying to reach.

Also ... ask the tech support staff what the top 10 questions are. Then make sure those subjects are covered extremely well in the manuals, help filesand the web site.

I did it for my first technical manual, and the volume of tech support calls dropped significantly.

They can have "boilerplate" for common solutions, but need to pay attention to the question to make sure they don't tell someone to do something they have already tried.

I just want to echo what dahmnait has said. So few tech support people actually have any customer service skills or training.

Encourage them to see the situation from the customer's perspective, but also remind them to balance the customer's needs with the needs of the business. After all, their employer won't be too keen if they rack up massive courier bills or start agreeing with the customer (or end-user) when the irate person starts badmouthing the company...