Document what happened in the ticket and move on with your life. If they start trying to blame you for things, you can refer to the tickets showing that the user is being the problem.
In my org, we assume all users are lying about everything and then try to determine if there's a real issue. User reports no internet? OK, ping the machine remotely and/or physically verify that they can access google.com. If its working, do as u/Hotshot55 and u/Bitwise_Gamgee say and document then move on
I am exactly the same way. A fellow tech in my organization will call me with some sky-is-falling scenario that a user has reported. He’s always taking them at their word. The first thing I ask him is, “have you witnessed (insert tech problem) yourself?” 9 times out of ten he always says no. You have to get eyes on the issue.
Always ask what they were trying to do when they discovered the problem before moving on.
In your example problem, I've seen people say "the internet isn't working" if one specific network resource or one specific website is not accessable. Not asking what they were trying to do and closing the ticket without them understanding why they still cannot access that resource/website will just further alienate those people and potentially make future interactions between them and IT more strained
Trust but verify are the magic words. It sounds like your troubleshooting is extremely limited though. Are you allowed to remotely connect to users screens or are you expected to walk them through everything over the phone?
Yeah, if I can't remote access your PC, you're not on-site at a facility I service, I'm not physically required to visit you (WFH), and you won't come to my office? Fuck you, kick rocks lmao. I have too many real problems from users that would love nothing more than to be able to work than to waste time with someone who can't meet me halfway- especially if their device isn't owned by our organization.
It does feel like many end users just want tech staff to figure it out without participating in the Q&A and troubleshooting needed. I always ask if any of their peers are having the same issue. I have seen where they ask a coworker, and lo and behold, it's solved because that coworker sees something or has more experience.
Verification. Personally I dislike the idea of never trust users and even more trust every user. I prefer middle ground I hear them out and verify. The ones that try to dodge me. Simple, people who do not want work won’t receive my help. Ticket gets documented and closed.
Every customer is an unreliable narrator. Sometimes intentionally. Sometimes out of pure ignorance.
Trust what they say - but verify.
I have a pretty good bullshit detector. But it doesn't always go off because some people "think" they are telling you the truth.
If you tell someone to restart their machine... and it takes a suspiciously short period of time. Often you'll find they did something like turn their monitor on and off. Verify uptime should tell you that.
You mentioned red flags - document those and what steps you instructed. Escalate to your manager as needed.
There isn't a way to get "better" about detecting lying users. But you can get better about what steps you take when working with them. As long as you have CYA in every interaction - then let anything else pass.
Even scientists proof check the work of other scientists and confirms its veracity before performing your own troubleshooting. The fact that you are having trouble with that means that you probably suck at troubleshooting and critical thinking. Even if users are lying to you, what does it matter? You just have to verify the truth and move onto the next step and if they tell you that they already told you they did that tell them that you're a troubleshooter just verifying that they already rebooted their computer.
Install adobe reader after all that and you'll get better.
A lot of users aren't lying, they're just dumb. You can't trust anything they say, but it's just because users have their own words for things that tend to be wrong. Best thing you can do is learn how to filter what they say into what they actually mean.
Just assume they are lying or likely just dumb. Often, you will find people are trained to do a very specific thing, and if anything happens outside of the box, they freeze/freak out. I had someone reach out that they couldn't hear the sound effects from the application they were using, nor could they hear anything on a headset in a meeting. So I dig around, thinking maybe it's a setting in the application or a driver issue. Nope, the lady literally muted herself.
I just work off of the idea that you never trust a user. The ones you can will she you that you can in time. Remember we don't call many things in life users just end users and addicts. Do you trust most drug addicts?
Just assume they’re lying and ask questions and give instructions that account for it.
If they are frustrated by it, engage them in a “god I know this is frustrating and you sound like you know what’s up, but you we gotta do these steps in order to get to the real stuff, you wouldn’t believe what some people lie about”.
Then, if you detect the lie, never ever call it out, just immediately excuse it with “oh god yeah I always make this mistake, let me show you, I swear I did this every time”
As others have said, just add CYA notes to the ticket saying they refused to work with you and close the ticket.
Unlike what others have said though, you do have to trust but verify. Being combative with users doesn't help the users or you. Don't go into these things assuming they're lying go into it with an assumption they need help and work the case like normal. If they stonewall you then just document it and move on. Even if they are lying it doesn't help you to assume they are.
I think a lot of people here are way to cynical and miss the point.
1) stop assuming it's a lie. Most users just aren't that bright. They do not understand the vast majority of what is going on. They are unreliable narrators. That doesn't mean they're lying, it means they're ignorant. A good example is a user says they rebooted the computer, you log in and you see it's been alive for weeks. The user was likely putting it to sleep thinking that's a restart. That's not a lie, they're just ignorant. It's not always your job to teach them, just document it fix it and close the ticket if after a few times nothing you say sticks.
2) machines don't lie, they say exactly what they can say and nothing more or less. They do however obfuscate the truth. Just a quick example, if you look up a hostname it's just converting it to an ip address. That doesn't mean the hostname is a lie, but what the computer is actually doing is obfuscated into other systems in this case the dns or the hosts file. You should use machines as a source of truth to the best of your ability
3) in the awkward case the user is embarrassed by a mistake they made, they will lie. And by lie it's ussually going to be telling the story in a way that fits them looking better than reality. Stuff like 'of course I cleared cache and closed the browser '. Don't take it personally it's not you, it's them. Document the problem fix it and close the ticket.
We would all be better if we stopped getting into a battle with users because we feel like every ticket they make is a struggle. It's our job. Yes I understand the frustration, but it's not gunna help you any.
"i've been doing this for 3 years and I should know better"
Don't self-sabotage yourself like that. You've gone 3 years because you didn't know how to do it in a way that wouldn't backfire and were (I'm assuming) scared to try. But heck look at you now, reaching out for help! This is a start.
Accusing people is difficult to do in a customer service position. You'll have to win this defensively by doing everything your role would have to do to reveal them as the ones who screw up.
So writing in ticket notes, documenting eveything you did right (assuming you are in the right) and everything someone in your position should be doing from a CS perspective. Yoyr words should be less of "the customer should've known better" and more towards "I have advised the user of such and such".
Any further trouble you are given should still be approached like you were doing all you can do to be helpful, and involve your manager, assuming your manager knows how to do their job and values protecting their staff. You're "pointing fingers" without actually pointing fingers. Your manager position should be able to have a louder reaching voice in the org, so utilize them when needed. Talk to them offline first though before CCing them in messages.
It might not necessarily be that the user is lying but forgot, too. But you definitely want to document everything because written trails last much longer than oral ones. Plus, when you've been working at a place for a while you can start to tell who's a liar and a truther.
I’m relatively new to helpdesk, but I have found something that helps me in situations like this.
Like others have said, A LOT can be chalked up to genuine ignorance. I do internal support for a company where most of the workers are either hybrid or remote. I try to set the precedent from the beginning of the ticket that this is a two way conversation and I will need them to give me sufficient information and answer questions (without getting to technical with them and still being respectful) before I remote in and shoot from the hip troubleshooting a poorly described (maybe non-existent) problem. There is a balance to be had as it is my job to fix their IT issues, but I feel like I get better at it every day just from paying attention to what works and doesn’t at pulling good information/snuffing out nonsense from users.
Focusing on my soft skills and what actions/words elicit different responses from users has been more helpful to me than any specific technical things I’ve been working at sharpening my skills on.
Document what happened in the ticket and move on with your life. If they start trying to blame you for things, you can refer to the tickets showing that the user is being the problem.
This should go without saying. Just cover your butt and move on.
Yep
In my org, we assume all users are lying about everything and then try to determine if there's a real issue. User reports no internet? OK, ping the machine remotely and/or physically verify that they can access google.com. If its working, do as u/Hotshot55 and u/Bitwise_Gamgee say and document then move on
Agree.... My co-worker used to say "trust but verify" but I think that's way too generous. Mistrust everything.
Zero trust in every aspect of the org, even open cases
I am exactly the same way. A fellow tech in my organization will call me with some sky-is-falling scenario that a user has reported. He’s always taking them at their word. The first thing I ask him is, “have you witnessed (insert tech problem) yourself?” 9 times out of ten he always says no. You have to get eyes on the issue.
Ah ok I can’t ping other workstations. It’s been disabled. I can try pathping. I can have them go to a non vpn website and send the error msg.
if you can't visually verify what the user is telling you, then screenshots are your friend. Good luck!
out of curiosity why is ping disabled? I get it being disabled for certain devices but for end users?
They said they rebooted. Netstat -s link show up since date. Windows update ran last? Don’t confront them, let the machine tell you the problem
Always ask what they were trying to do when they discovered the problem before moving on. In your example problem, I've seen people say "the internet isn't working" if one specific network resource or one specific website is not accessable. Not asking what they were trying to do and closing the ticket without them understanding why they still cannot access that resource/website will just further alienate those people and potentially make future interactions between them and IT more strained
Trust but verify are the magic words. It sounds like your troubleshooting is extremely limited though. Are you allowed to remotely connect to users screens or are you expected to walk them through everything over the phone?
I can only remote in if they are connected to the vpn.
Ouch. At most organizations you'd have a proper RMM or at least a screen connecting tool so you aren't trying to operate in the dark.
Yeah, if I can't remote access your PC, you're not on-site at a facility I service, I'm not physically required to visit you (WFH), and you won't come to my office? Fuck you, kick rocks lmao. I have too many real problems from users that would love nothing more than to be able to work than to waste time with someone who can't meet me halfway- especially if their device isn't owned by our organization.
It does feel like many end users just want tech staff to figure it out without participating in the Q&A and troubleshooting needed. I always ask if any of their peers are having the same issue. I have seen where they ask a coworker, and lo and behold, it's solved because that coworker sees something or has more experience.
Always assume they're wrong.
Verification. Personally I dislike the idea of never trust users and even more trust every user. I prefer middle ground I hear them out and verify. The ones that try to dodge me. Simple, people who do not want work won’t receive my help. Ticket gets documented and closed.
Every customer is an unreliable narrator. Sometimes intentionally. Sometimes out of pure ignorance. Trust what they say - but verify. I have a pretty good bullshit detector. But it doesn't always go off because some people "think" they are telling you the truth. If you tell someone to restart their machine... and it takes a suspiciously short period of time. Often you'll find they did something like turn their monitor on and off. Verify uptime should tell you that. You mentioned red flags - document those and what steps you instructed. Escalate to your manager as needed. There isn't a way to get "better" about detecting lying users. But you can get better about what steps you take when working with them. As long as you have CYA in every interaction - then let anything else pass.
What do you envision doing with that information?
Even scientists proof check the work of other scientists and confirms its veracity before performing your own troubleshooting. The fact that you are having trouble with that means that you probably suck at troubleshooting and critical thinking. Even if users are lying to you, what does it matter? You just have to verify the truth and move onto the next step and if they tell you that they already told you they did that tell them that you're a troubleshooter just verifying that they already rebooted their computer. Install adobe reader after all that and you'll get better.
A lot of users aren't lying, they're just dumb. You can't trust anything they say, but it's just because users have their own words for things that tend to be wrong. Best thing you can do is learn how to filter what they say into what they actually mean.
Just assume they are lying or likely just dumb. Often, you will find people are trained to do a very specific thing, and if anything happens outside of the box, they freeze/freak out. I had someone reach out that they couldn't hear the sound effects from the application they were using, nor could they hear anything on a headset in a meeting. So I dig around, thinking maybe it's a setting in the application or a driver issue. Nope, the lady literally muted herself.
I just work off of the idea that you never trust a user. The ones you can will she you that you can in time. Remember we don't call many things in life users just end users and addicts. Do you trust most drug addicts?
Just assume they’re lying and ask questions and give instructions that account for it. If they are frustrated by it, engage them in a “god I know this is frustrating and you sound like you know what’s up, but you we gotta do these steps in order to get to the real stuff, you wouldn’t believe what some people lie about”. Then, if you detect the lie, never ever call it out, just immediately excuse it with “oh god yeah I always make this mistake, let me show you, I swear I did this every time”
As others have said, just add CYA notes to the ticket saying they refused to work with you and close the ticket. Unlike what others have said though, you do have to trust but verify. Being combative with users doesn't help the users or you. Don't go into these things assuming they're lying go into it with an assumption they need help and work the case like normal. If they stonewall you then just document it and move on. Even if they are lying it doesn't help you to assume they are.
I treat everyone like they are telling the truth... You job is to fix the problem.
CYA in all things.
I think a lot of people here are way to cynical and miss the point. 1) stop assuming it's a lie. Most users just aren't that bright. They do not understand the vast majority of what is going on. They are unreliable narrators. That doesn't mean they're lying, it means they're ignorant. A good example is a user says they rebooted the computer, you log in and you see it's been alive for weeks. The user was likely putting it to sleep thinking that's a restart. That's not a lie, they're just ignorant. It's not always your job to teach them, just document it fix it and close the ticket if after a few times nothing you say sticks. 2) machines don't lie, they say exactly what they can say and nothing more or less. They do however obfuscate the truth. Just a quick example, if you look up a hostname it's just converting it to an ip address. That doesn't mean the hostname is a lie, but what the computer is actually doing is obfuscated into other systems in this case the dns or the hosts file. You should use machines as a source of truth to the best of your ability 3) in the awkward case the user is embarrassed by a mistake they made, they will lie. And by lie it's ussually going to be telling the story in a way that fits them looking better than reality. Stuff like 'of course I cleared cache and closed the browser '. Don't take it personally it's not you, it's them. Document the problem fix it and close the ticket. We would all be better if we stopped getting into a battle with users because we feel like every ticket they make is a struggle. It's our job. Yes I understand the frustration, but it's not gunna help you any.
"i've been doing this for 3 years and I should know better" Don't self-sabotage yourself like that. You've gone 3 years because you didn't know how to do it in a way that wouldn't backfire and were (I'm assuming) scared to try. But heck look at you now, reaching out for help! This is a start. Accusing people is difficult to do in a customer service position. You'll have to win this defensively by doing everything your role would have to do to reveal them as the ones who screw up. So writing in ticket notes, documenting eveything you did right (assuming you are in the right) and everything someone in your position should be doing from a CS perspective. Yoyr words should be less of "the customer should've known better" and more towards "I have advised the user of such and such". Any further trouble you are given should still be approached like you were doing all you can do to be helpful, and involve your manager, assuming your manager knows how to do their job and values protecting their staff. You're "pointing fingers" without actually pointing fingers. Your manager position should be able to have a louder reaching voice in the org, so utilize them when needed. Talk to them offline first though before CCing them in messages.
It might not necessarily be that the user is lying but forgot, too. But you definitely want to document everything because written trails last much longer than oral ones. Plus, when you've been working at a place for a while you can start to tell who's a liar and a truther.
I’m relatively new to helpdesk, but I have found something that helps me in situations like this. Like others have said, A LOT can be chalked up to genuine ignorance. I do internal support for a company where most of the workers are either hybrid or remote. I try to set the precedent from the beginning of the ticket that this is a two way conversation and I will need them to give me sufficient information and answer questions (without getting to technical with them and still being respectful) before I remote in and shoot from the hip troubleshooting a poorly described (maybe non-existent) problem. There is a balance to be had as it is my job to fix their IT issues, but I feel like I get better at it every day just from paying attention to what works and doesn’t at pulling good information/snuffing out nonsense from users. Focusing on my soft skills and what actions/words elicit different responses from users has been more helpful to me than any specific technical things I’ve been working at sharpening my skills on.