What to Do When You Don’t Know the Answer on a Help Desk Call

Imagine this: you’re working the help desk, and somebody calls you. You answer the phone. Craig from the finance department says, “My PDF editor is acting funny. When I add a text block, it keeps chopping off the last word.” Completely out of left field. You have no idea what the problem might be. This is what it feels like when you don’t know the answer on a help desk call—and it’s one of the most stressful parts of entry-level IT.

The help desk is sometimes one of the most despised positions in the tech industry. Why? Every day, you’re faced with new problems. Problems you’ve never heard of before. Problems you have no idea how to fix. This is part of the job description. It’s normal. But it’s also scary. How do you respond when it’s your job to fix things and you have no idea how to fix their problem?

THE MYTH OF NOT KNOWING

In the world of tech, it’s common to interpret “not knowing” as failure. The myth circulates that good techs know everything. Where silence is taken as rude or a failure. Where Googling is off-limits unless you’re a dummy and can’t figure things out yourself. This is part of what makes the help desk so difficult. For more, see Why the Help Desk is So Hard (and Why That's Normal).

Yet, the reality is simple: there will be moments when you won’t know the answer. Lots of them. The world of tech moves too fast for you to know everything. So, the real question isn’t a question of what to do if  you face a situation like this, but rather what to do when you face not knowing the answer.

WHAT NOT TO DO WHEN YOU DON’T KNOW THE ANSWER

What do you do when you don’t know the answer to a help desk call? Revisiting that scenario from the beginning of this post, let’s start with a couple things you shouldn’t do:

1. Pretending You Know the Answer. When that person asks you a question, and you have no clue what the answer is, DON’T make up and answer and pretend you know what you’re talking about. This will backfire. When they test what you say, and your advice doesn’t work (which is extremely likely if you make something up), you’ll look like a fool. When that happens, your credibility immediately plunges. If possible, users will stop coming to you and instead go to any other available techs.
2. Talking in Circles Instead of Solving the Problem. This one can be easy to fall into. Answering in such a way it sounds like you know what you’re talking about but not actually answering their question. Connected closely to this tactic is speaking with enough jargon that the user feels like they don’t know enough to ask another question or know how to continue. This might work once or twice, but at some point, people realize you’re full of it or they’ll just stop coming to you (which could get you fired).

HOW PROS HANDLE CHALLENGING CALLS

So, what should you do instead? The key is to buy yourself some time without sounding like you’re clueless. Here are a couple tips depending on the situation:

1. Buy some time with troubleshooting questions. If at first you have no idea how to solve a problem, it’s a good idea to start asking some clarifying questions. Figure exactly what’s going on. Sometimes, users will describe a problem in a very confusing way when they first call, but after some questioning it becomes clear that the problem is actually much simpler. However, this method also gives you a couple extra minutes to do some research.
2. Confidently state “Let me check.” If you’ve asked the user questions, clarified the problem, and you still have no idea how to fix it, it’s okay to tell the user to give you a couple minutes. Say something that lets them know you’re actively looking for a solution. Make them aware that your silence is not incompetence, but thinking. The key here is to be confident. Imagine how you would feel if something said this to you: “Uh, I’m not really sure how to fix this. Um…” I would think, “This person has no idea what they’re doing.” However, if you confidently tell the user that you’re doing research to find the answer, they’re more likely to give you a few respectful minutes of silence.
3. Research while calming. If a user calls you in a panic, it’s going to require you to do some multitasking. You’re going to have to actively calm the user down while you start researching the problem and find a solution. Is this hard? Absolutely. Is it essential to being effective on the help desk? Most definitely.

Note that every one of these situations requires active and efficient use of Google. In the world of tech, Google is your best friend. Use this tool to your advantage. As soon as you realize you don’t know the answer to something, you should be Googling as fast as you can. If you’re good, you can sometimes find an answer before the user finishes talking. Multitasking on the help desk is critical to your success. Learn to get good at it.

This is what separates help desk newbs from the pros. Senior techs aren’t faster because they know more (although they certainly do). They’re faster because they have the ability to multitask and research new problems while still interacting with the user. They’re faster because they know the help desk process.

The difference between junior and senior help desk techs isn’t knowledge. It’s process.

If freezing when you don’t know the answer is your biggest stressor, the problem isn’t knowledge – it’s structure. I put together a short, free call-handling guide that shows you how to handle any help desk call confidently, even when you don’t know the answer.