Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. 839 Chapter 24 Customer Support, Communication, and Professionalism the customer’s computer, keep your hands off the keyboard. Customers can hear that you are using the keyboard and may conclude that it does not have to do with his or her problem. Smile while on the phone, Figure 24-9. It might sound foolish, but it works. A person on the other end of the telephone conversation can perceive when a person is happy on the telephone. Th is is interpreted as a feeling that the support person is pleased to hear from the customer and wants to help. Writing Skills Writing is a part of all customer support and technician duties. As a customer sup- port representative, you will either write by hand on repair tickets or enter into a computer the specifi cs about a repair. Content typically consists of a description of the problem and the repair procedure used to fi x it. Often, your writing and docu- mentation of specifi c problems and the method used to fi x the problem will become valuable company information for problems encountered in the future. When creating written communication, always use appropriate grammar and correct spelling. All word-processing packages and software programs that require written responses have spelling- and grammar-checking software. Use this software to your advantage. When writing, use sentences limited to 15 to 20 words. Avoid long, run-on sentences. Always be polite in your correspondence, and never use sarcasm. Sarcasm is always inappropriate because the customer or client may very well misinterpret your intent. Sarcasm is based on familiar personalities, and you are not familiar with all who might read your correspondence. Another function of customer support may involve writing training manuals or a set of procedures for a company. Often, part of a contract of installing com- puter equipment and software involves training the customers on how to use the equipment. Many times, technical support personnel must write training packages to support the customer. You may very well fi nd yourself responsible for part of the written package. You may need to respond to customer and client e-mails. Many help desk support-software packages contain sections to support e-mail directly from within the software package. E-mail correspondence is covered in the next section. ESB Basic/Shutterstock.com Figure 24-9 Smiling while on the telephone can help you convey that you are pleased to hear from the customer and want to help.