Answers and Solutions

If you’ve worked in this field for any amount of time, you’ve come across a situation where a user asks you what I can only call a leading question.

They need help. They tell you what is wrong and they ask you a very specific question that feels like it is related to the issue. However, what they are asking, and more importantly, the answer to what they are asking is not going to solve their problem. But they think it will. Sometimes they are very confident that it will.

But you know that what they are asking won’t help them out. You’ve either heard this exact question before and know it goes nowhere, or you’ve mentally taken the 7 steps after answering that specific question to know it hits a dead end.

So you provide them with the solution… not the answer.

Most of the time, that’s it, you’re set.

Unfortunately, every once in a while, you get an end user that wants to push. They don’t care about your solution. They want an answer. So, you give them the answer and then it doesn’t work, and they end up using the solution you provided.

Maybe they learned a lesson about trusting that you’re the expert, but chances are they leave the situation a little grumpy.

When I get a leading question like this, I find it useful to provide both the answer and the solution.

“To answer your question, here is this info… unfortunately, that may not solve your problem. Why don’t you try this…”

You saved everyone’s time, the user is working again, and you showed them you know what you’re talking about. A win-win-win across the board.