Informing the User

The last steps in troubleshooting a problem are to explain to the user what you did and why, and to complete other administrative tasks.

The following are useful tips for informing the user:

• Write and deliver a report to the user. Include the initial problem report, any steps involved in the troubleshooting, any hardware repairs or replacements, and your conclusions.

• Print diagnostic reports (done at the end of the Verify Fix step), and show the reports to the user. If possible, try to deliver "before" and "after" reports.

• Explain any steps the user can take to avoid having problems recur. For example:

  • If the user has shut down the Macintosh incorrectly, explain the hazards of not shutting down properly.
    
    
  • If the user's system was corrupted by disconnecting a hard drive without ejecting, advise the user how to avoid such problems in the future.
    
    
  • If the user has lost data, describe backup techniques and organizational techniques that might be useful in the future.
    
    

The basic idea is to give your users information that improves their computing experience. Taking time to teach users how to avoid future issues adds value and improves their experience.

Problem ScenarioInform User

Informing the user of what you did, why you did it, and how to avoid the issue in the future is just as important as solving the technical source of the problem.

Here's an example. A user says he has forgotten his password for his computer. You boot the computer from the Mac OS X Install DVD and change the password for him.

He's happy to have his computer back, but soon he contacts you again to say that he can't mount any of the servers he used to use. He says that he hasn't had to log in to them in a while and now he's being asked for a keychain password. When he enters his new user password, it's not correct.

Unfortunately, as you know, he has to create a new keychain and reenter all of his passwords. This is another instance in which it is important to consider the human factor. Informing him that he would encounter this problem after you reset the user password would have prevented him from having to contact you again and made his experience less frustrating.