{"id":75657,"date":"2018-11-29T00:24:28","date_gmt":"2018-11-29T00:24:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/intelligentbee.com\/blog\/?p=75657"},"modified":"2025-03-31T08:14:13","modified_gmt":"2025-03-31T08:14:13","slug":"guide-to-understanding-tech-support-jargon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/intelligentbee.com\/blog\/guide-to-understanding-tech-support-jargon\/","title":{"rendered":"A Simple Guide to Understanding Tech Support Jargon"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019ve attended a meeting before with an <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">outsourced tech support agency<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or with professionals in the industry, then you\u2019ve probably encountered someone blurting out tech terms incomprehensible to others outside the field. During these situations, someone almost always ends up saying, \u201cIn English, please.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-75658\" src=\"https:\/\/intelligentbee.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Guide-to-Understanding-Tech-Support-Jargon-Banner.png\" alt=\"Simple Guide to Understanding Tech Support Jargon-Banner\" width=\"800\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/intelligentbee.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Guide-to-Understanding-Tech-Support-Jargon-Banner.png 800w, https:\/\/intelligentbee.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Guide-to-Understanding-Tech-Support-Jargon-Banner-300x150.png 300w, https:\/\/intelligentbee.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Guide-to-Understanding-Tech-Support-Jargon-Banner-768x384.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This familiar image rings true to customers talking to tech support specialists and support specialists working with anyone outside their department. It\u2019s like a conversation with two people speaking in two different languages. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It can be quite overwhelming for <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/jaxenter.com\/users-not-tech-savvy-think-130255.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">people who aren\u2019t technologically well-versed<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to explain a complicated issue to a specialist. In the same way, it can be difficult for experts to find and offer solutions if that person is unable to communicate the problem clearly. The future success of technical support depends on how well your team is able to overcome these &#8220;language barriers&#8221;.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_68_1 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/intelligentbee.com\/blog\/guide-to-understanding-tech-support-jargon\/#Get_in_the_Know_With_the_Technobabble\" title=\"Get in the Know With the Technobabble\">Get in the Know With the Technobabble<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/intelligentbee.com\/blog\/guide-to-understanding-tech-support-jargon\/#Tips_to_Ensure_Your_Tech_Support_Conversation_Goes_Smoothly\" title=\"Tips to Ensure Your Tech Support Conversation Goes Smoothly\">Tips to Ensure Your Tech Support Conversation Goes Smoothly<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/intelligentbee.com\/blog\/guide-to-understanding-tech-support-jargon\/#TL_DR\" title=\"TL; DR\">TL; DR<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Get_in_the_Know_With_the_Technobabble\"><\/span>Get in the Know With the Technobabble<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To anyone but a tech specialist, jargon and error messages may appear like just a hunk of gibberish. As an IT worker, business owner, or professional in a technical industry, it\u2019s your responsibility to familiarize yourself with these terms in case you encounter them. More importantly, \u201dtalking the talk\u201d will help in keeping a smooth flow of communication between you and your <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">outsourced tech support<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> team, allowing you to build a more productive working relationship with them. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What you need is a glossary of no-fuss, snackable definitions of technical jargon to wrap your head around unfamiliar terms quickly. To help you bridge the language gap, here are 40 tech terms broken down for everyone\u2019s understanding. It\u2019s time to crack the code!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-75659\" src=\"https:\/\/intelligentbee.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Guide-to-Understanding-Tech-Support-Jargon-Infographic.png\" alt=\"Simple Guide to Understanding Tech Support Jargon-Infographic\" width=\"800\" height=\"9059\" srcset=\"https:\/\/intelligentbee.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Guide-to-Understanding-Tech-Support-Jargon-Infographic.png 800w, https:\/\/intelligentbee.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Guide-to-Understanding-Tech-Support-Jargon-Infographic-768x8697.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tips_to_Ensure_Your_Tech_Support_Conversation_Goes_Smoothly\"><\/span><b>Tips to Ensure Your Tech Support Conversation Goes Smoothly<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Communication is a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nfb.org\/images\/nfb\/publications\/vod\/vod217\/vodsum0702.htm\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">give-and-take process<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014working with a tech support specialist is exclusively about that. When you encounter an issue way beyond your knowledge and control, there goes your tech team to the rescue. You have to work together to make the job a little less complicated to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are ways to make your conversation with your outsourced tech support specialist a more pleasant and less painful experience.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<h3><b>Be Prepared Before Making the Call<\/b><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before you ring them up or message them about your concern, make sure that you know what to say. The more prepared you are to explain the details, the less time you\u2019ll have to spend going round and round about the problem. Here are a few things to observe before you pick up the phone:<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Timeline:<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> When did the issue turn up? How long has it been occurring since? <\/span><\/p>\n<p>Troubleshooting:<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Have you tried fixing the problem yourself before? Whether it made the problem worse or held it off for awhile, you need to let your tech staff know if you\u2019ve done anything already.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Error message:<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> For instance, System Error Codes, Browser Error Codes, Blue Screen of Death (BSoD)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If there are no error messages, write down exactly what\u2019s going on (e.g., screen freezes every time you open a specific application). Saying \u201cit just stopped working\u201d won\u2019t help.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Write these down <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">before <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">you call for help. Not only will this help your tech support better understand the issue, but it\u2019ll give then more time and possibly less effort to find a solution.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<h3><b>Explain the Problem Clearly<\/b><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When it\u2019s time to report the problem, you can\u2019t just point to the screen and shrug your shoulders implying you have no idea what happened. You need to give them more than \u201cthe internet doesn\u2019t work.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Vague:<\/b> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe internet stopped working.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Clear:<\/b> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cChrome stopped working, but Firefox works fine.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Explain in full detail what you did before and after the issue arose. Don\u2019t hold back any information. You wouldn\u2019t know which are irrelevant and which aren\u2019t, so telling them as much detail as possible can help speed up the process. <\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<h3><b>Follow the Instructions<\/b><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before you ask \u201care you sure this will work?\u201d Test it out first. Make sure that you follow all the steps. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If your tech support asks you to check something, you need to follow the instructions to the letter. Even if you\u2019ve tested it before and found nothing, do as they say\u2014they know what they\u2019re on to. There\u2019s a reason why they\u2019re walking you through this, so it\u2019s crucial that you follow their lead. If you don\u2019t understand the instruction, don\u2019t be afraid to ask.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\n<h3><b>Repeat the Details<\/b><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One way to prevent miscommunication is by repeating after what they say. For example:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Support specialist:<\/strong> \u201cGo to menu A, look for X then click Y, then select Z.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>You:<\/strong> \u201cOkay, I found menu A, I clicked on X, then I clicked y, and then z.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Doesn\u2019t this sound clearer than \u201cOkay, done\u201d? Repeating what they\u2019re saying as you go through the steps\u2014being more specific\u2014both of you will feel confident that you\u2019ve completed the instruction. This proves that you understood each other.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<h3><b>Ask for a Ticket Number<\/b><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Also called a reference number or incidence number, a ticket number refers to your tech support\u2019s ticket management system which records the problems they receive. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They are required to track the details of your call in the reference number so if another specialist has to take over, he or she can pick up from where you left off. This especially helps if you need to call again.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"TL_DR\"><\/span><b>TL; DR<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Don\u2019t let the language barrier become this huge, thick wall between you and your tech staff. You\u2019ll misinterpret some techy terms, but don\u2019t worry. This just means you have to be more patient and mindful of the gap\u2014and find ways on how you can both meet halfway. Brushing up your knowledge on some technobabble and avoiding costly tech support mistakes is a good start. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Support specialists are always happy to help and solve mysteries. Having an excellent <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">outsourced tech support<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in your team to walk you and your customers through any technology crisis can help you get back to work in no time, keeping your business operations running ever so smoothly.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The tech support world can be difficult to navigate without the right support staff. Find out how the experts at Intelligent Bee can help improve your business today!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019ve attended a meeting before with an outsourced tech support agency or with professionals in the industry, then you\u2019ve [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":75658,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[85],"tags":[1481,1611,1612],"yst_prominent_words":[1600,1610,1609,1608,1607,1606,1605,1604,1603,1602,5,1596,1595,1594,1540,1473,727,714,461,319],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/intelligentbee.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75657"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/intelligentbee.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/intelligentbee.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intelligentbee.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intelligentbee.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=75657"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/intelligentbee.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75657\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":133408,"href":"https:\/\/intelligentbee.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75657\/revisions\/133408"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intelligentbee.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/75658"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/intelligentbee.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=75657"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intelligentbee.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=75657"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intelligentbee.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=75657"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intelligentbee.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=75657"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}