Three tips for dealing with callers on the "Socratic Helpdesk" By Pat Vickers

I stumbled upon this article while researching communications.


Socrates died in 399 BC, of Hemlock poisoning. He drank it after being sentenced to death for the crime of corrupting the youth. Times have changed, and today he would be given his own radio show.
Before his trial, Socrates was most well known for asking questions. He questioned everyone on every topic, particularly his students. He was usually surrounded by a horde of young men who sought to learn from him. Whenever they asked him about any subject -- virtue, ethics, even geometry -- he insisted the inquirers already knew the answers and would proceed to ask question after question until they arrived at the truth. Many trainers today find this approach to be a very effective method of teaching. It's much easier for students to remember what they discover than what they are told.
You might be wondering, "What has all of this got to do with a helpdesk?" The truth is most callers to the helpdesk hold all the answers to their questions. They are the ones in front of the computers. They are the eyes ears and even hands of the helpdesk analyst. Any solutions you might offer will come from information you glean from the caller. In fact, when asked the right questions, callers often discover the solutions, seemingly, on their own. So good analysts don’t have the answers so much as they have the questions.
On the Socratic Helpdesk, before any attempt to give an answer is made, the analyst asks questions, even when the answer is obvious. Callers often don’t have the vocabulary to word their questions correctly. "The printer isn’t working." might actually mean "I have no network connectivity." Or "How do I change the default printer?" We’ve all spent a significant amount of time working with a caller only to learn we were trying to solve the wrong problem. Asking questions instead of offering answers will help prevent that.
You might think that being asked a lot of questions, instead of being offered answers would frustrate callers. Since customers are often very frustrated to begin with, a lot of analysts are reluctant to chance making things worse. That is a valid concern, but there are a few guidelines to keep caller frustration low and analyst credibility high.
Here are two tips that might make an analyst’s job much easier. First, start the conversation by acknowledging the issue, and, second, do so before asking for the caller’s name or employee ID. The conversation could go something like this.
Analyst: Helpdesk, this is Pat. How can I help you?
Caller: I can’t print and I really need to get this document out or I’m going to be in big trouble.
Analyst: OK, printer problems, I’m sure we can take care of that. But first, can I get your employee ID so I can prove I worked today?
Caller: PA211112
Analyst: Thanks, now back to printing. What error message are you getting on your computer when you try to print?
Caller: None.
Analyst: Hmmm, do you always use the same printer?
Caller: Usually but yesterday, oh wait, I see what you mean. Yesterday I was in the Atlanta office and added their printer. I think it is my default now. Yep, that’s it. Thanks! I can change the default.
Starting out by repeating the Caller’s statement accomplishes two things. First, it lets the caller know you have heard him or her and are willing to help. Second, it lets you confirm you heard the caller correctly. From there continue to ask questions until you and the caller discover the answer. Usually it’s not this quick but more often than not, those questions lead you and your customer to the solution.
One last tip for the Socratic help desk analyst: Never ask questions that have a yes or no answer. You’ll get the information you need much faster by asking callers questions that require them to think or even try something on their computer and report the results.
Many helpdesk analysts think their callers lie to them, and frequently they do. Callers often feel their problem could be solved much faster, if the analysts were just willing. So customers say whatever they think will move the call along. Therefore "yes" is the answer customers almost always will give, regardless of the truth.
You’ll get the information you need much more quickly by asking callers questions that require them to think or even try something on their computer and report the results.
You may be doing these things already, and just never thought of yourself as Socratic. If so, congratulations. You are most likely very good at your job. If not, give it a try. Socratic Helpdesk analysts aren’t much different than any other analysts. They just know that, on any given call, the answers lie within the caller. Like Socrates, they are wise in that they know--without the caller’s help--they know nothing.