Two months ago, our agency's server crashed the day before we intended to replace it. Over the next eight weeks, as we restored all our users' settings and profiles, we received a steady stream of service invoices from our technology consultant. Our IT tab prompted us to consider, as most large agencies eventually do, whether it was time to hire a full-time technology guru. An article I recently read indicated that agencies with 20 to 25 employees are most likely to do so, but it's quite a leap even for an agency of that size.

Our agency consists of seven people at two locations. Although we sometimes wish we had a full-time onsite techie, we simply can't justify the expense, so instead, we hire a consultant on an hourly basis. Of course, that approach has several disadvantages. For instance, when we call for support, we don't always get an instant response. Once we reach the consultant, we must schedule a service call and wait for him to arrive. We pay for his travel to and from our site. Once he's here, if he leaves to buy a part, we pay his mileage for that too.

It is not uncommon to encounter more problems after the consultant seems to have fixed the original one, although that doesn't necessarily mean the consultant didn't do a good job. Rather, it's a characteristic of the work environment. We allow staff members to call for onsite assistance whenever technical problems prevent them from working. This policy may occasionally result in unnecessary service calls and related expenses; but since we operate a paperless office, it's important that our technological tools always work properly, so employees can complete their assigned duties.

However, to eliminate unnecessary service calls, save time and control costs, we ask employees to try some simple troubleshooting techniques before calling the technician. For example, if a scanner stops working, we exchange it with another one at a nearby workstation to see if it works there. By doing so, we can often determine if the scanner's hardware is causing the failure and alert the technician, possibly saving him a trip. We typically keep a spare scanner on hand for quick swap-outs. However, as we obtain newer scanner models and drivers, workstations no longer all have the same equipment, so a swap-out is not always a simple alternative. In that case, though, we may solve the problem simply by installing new drivers for the substitute scanner, if it differs from the one being replaced.

We often encounter printing difficulties, especially when remotely connected through terminal service. For example, print services may become disabled, and we may not be able to immediately identify the cause. In that case, we open the printer destination by selecting “Start,” “Settings” and “Printers.” If we see an error message for a queued document, we delete it and resend the print job. If it fails a second time, we restart the workstation. If the problem persists, we reboot the server. This procedure takes the entire office offline for a few minutes, but it frequently solves printer problems–and is faster and less costly than a consultant's visit.

Some programs respond to the print command by sending the document to a “default” printer rather than allowing the user to select one. We have found that print jobs sometimes fail when a PDF printer is selected as the workstation default printer. The simple solution is going to Start-Settings-Printers and right clicking on the name of the desired printer to select as the default printer.

When a problem occurs shortly after the consultant leaves, rebooting the workstation can prove a simple fix. If the consultant logged onto the server with a user ID different from that of the CSR who normally uses the workstation, a new user profile also may be loaded there. Many times the desktop looks like the CSR's, but it is not. Rebooting the PC and signing on with the CSR's user ID will reload the correct profile and fix the glitch.

When a USB device attached to a PC workstation fails, we sometimes can revive it by simply unplugging and reconnecting the device (there is usually a plug at the device end) to re-set the device in a plug-and-play model. That's it. Most USB devices have indicator lights that show they are operational. The PC should “burp” once when you unplug the device cord and again when you re-insert it. If those burps do not occur, trace the wire to the back of the machine and make sure it's connected tightly.

If you use dual monitors and one of the pair stops working, exchange the two serial plugs. Afterward, if the second monitor works alone, the problem lies with the video card rather than the monitor. When you contact your consultant, mention the card (an inexpensive item) so he or she will know to bring one for a quick fix–and a single service call.

Often a workstation “disconnects” from the server and can no longer access the server drives, launch programs or retrieve data stored on the server. Rebooting the workstation likely will re-connect it to the network drives.

If a workstation appears to have died, remove the face plate and press the power button. Sometimes a PC's front cover plate shifts in such a way that the external power button doesn't properly align with button underneath. If you find that's not the case, check the uninterruptible power source (UPS) to see if its rocker switch was bumped to the off position. When a UPS device fails, it typically produces an intermittent beeping, much as it would during a power outage. To determine if the UPS is the problem, plug the computer directly into an electrical outlet.

Our first computer system had a defective master line conditioner. Technicians visited our office 60 work days in a row but failed to discover the problem. Finally, we flew in a technician from over 800 miles away, and he identified it in less than 30 seconds!

The solutions presented here aren't difficult or highly technical. In fact, they're quite simple to implement. Many times an operating failure has a simple cause and an equally simple solution. The more problems you can remedy at the user level, the more comfortable your CSRs will be with the operating environment and the less you will ultimately spend for onsite technical hardware and software support.