Oracle Blog

Technical support is a joint effort between the customer and the staff member to diagnose and fix a problem. It can't be adversarial. Both parties want the same outcome – to fix the issue, so the blame game is pointless. The problem is that the fix is rarely obvious. When a customer calls up and says "my Internet is not working" there is no button we can push to fix it instantly. We have to diagnose it step by step and try to work out where it's broken. Just to give a few examples, the issue could be:

• A problem with the application that you are using (eg. the web browser)
• A virus or other problem on your computer
• A fault with the computer itself
• The cables connecting to the modem or the wireless device used to tune into the wireless network
• The actual WiFi network (which can be affected by interference from other devices)
• Other devices connected to telephone sockets in another room (security alarm, Foxtel, unfiltered phones)
• A configuration problem on the modem/router
• A hardware fault with the modem/router
• The cables from the modem/router to the phone connection
• The internal wiring in the house
• Any part of the copper line from the house to the exchange (which can be affected by weather or many other things)
• Simply trying to push the link beyond its capabilities (which can change over time)
• Our equipment at the exchange
• Configuration issues with authentication or similar
• The links from the exchange back to the city
• Lots of potential issues inside the network
• The links to the rest of the world
• A problem with the site that the customer is trying to connect to

That's not even a complete list! So you and the CSR need to go through and try to rule out each issue. It can be particularly hard when the issue might be intermittent or caused by two or more issues coinciding, or caused by an external factor like weather or interference.

If your Internet has stopped working it's often easy to start by thinking "but I haven't changed anything", so the steps you're being asked to go through may seem pointless. But the CSR really does need to go through and test as many pieces of the puzzle as possible to try and build a picture of what might be causing the problem. For instance, our staff members might ask you to move your computer next to the modem and connect with an Ethernet cable. Now you're thinking "that's a waste of time" because you don't want the computer there at all! But doing this can allow us to rule out any issues with your wireless network or WiFi configuration.

If there is a particularly niggling issue it can mean many hours of work by both the customer and our CSR to find the answer. It can also mean going back and trying earlier tests again as later issues are ruled out or corrected. For example, if other issues have been ruled out staff may conclude the modem is faulty and suggest a replacement.

On rare occasions the issue won't be found and the connection will continue to be dodgy due to factors that may evade diagnosis no matter how much time and stress is invested by you and our staff. There may need to be a point where both parties say "you know what, I reckon we've done all we can here". At that point, we need to be mature enough to accept that the connection is not perfect but it's usable. Or even just shake hands and go our separate ways. If we have tried all the usual tests, send out line technicians, replaced and still been unable to get a reliable connection, then a penalty free separation should be offered.