In the field of first line support, troubleshooting skills are paramount to efficiency. It’s often frustrating to encounter statements like “I need help with this ticket” or “It’s not working”, which lack specifics about the nature of the issue or any troubleshooting already undertaken. To be effective, first line support should encompass:
- Assessing the Reported Problem: This involves gathering logs, screenshots, and detailed descriptions as necessary.
- Recreating the Problem: Trying to replicate the issue to better understand it.
- Developing Theories: Hypothesising potential causes based on the available information.
- Ruling Out Potential Causes: Eliminating potential issues that do not fit or have been tested.
- Testing What’s Left: Putting hypotheses to the test to find the root cause.
Instilling these analytical and diagnostic approaches can be challenging unless you have a team driven by an insatiable need to find solutions. The most valuable asset a support person can bring is a curious mind – one that is not only focused on fixing problems but also keen to understand why they occurred and what caused them in the first place.
Change my mind…