Every department at OpenDNS plays a critical role when it comes to delivering our world-class security services. However, there is one department that must wear a few different hats: engineer, researcher, teacher, among others. If you’ve read the title of this post, you’ve probably guessed that I’m talking about Support!
Support is one of the major arteries of any company—OpenDNS is no different. Our amazing support team works around the clock to ensure that our customers are taken care of, no matter what the issue may be.
To get some insight into what makes our support reps tick, I sat down with one of our best Customer Support Representatives, Ashley Williams:
KD: So, why support? It’s not the easiest department to work in.
AW: I enjoy talking to people and fixing things—letting people know they can be at ease with our products and our company in general. When people email us in a panic, we help them understand that it’s not that bad, that we’ll get through this.
Our DNS service is very powerful. It’s a core Internet protocol, and sometimes that can be intimidating to users. Coming in, I had a basic understanding of DNS, and what secure DNS is, but the more you learn about it, the more fascinating it becomes. We want to help people recognize that, and utilize the services we provide to the fullest extent.
Being in support has also allowed me to hone some new skills: I’m definitely more efficient now! But I’ve also learned the best ways to word answers, and how to quickly understand my audience—to ascertain their level of technical skill and give them the appropriate response.
KD: Is there anything you wished more people would ask?
AW: I wish more people would ask about our processes: how we protect them against malware, botnets, and phishing attacks. I also wish people would understand that they need to be cognizant of network security in general: basic password security, keeping your kids out of your network, etc.
KD: Do you have any tips for new users?
AW: Take advantage of the Stats tool! People usually don’t enable this by default, but it’s a great tool for troubleshooting. You can also use it to search domains that need to be blocked/unblocked; it’s a lot of information that people don’t utilize. Even if you’re a beginner, you can (and should) use it to see what’s going on in your network.
KD: What about from a support perspective? What can people do to improve the experience?
AW: The best tip I have for people contacting support is to be as detailed as possible when submitting tickets and to follow support directions very carefully. It’s easy to be frustrated when something isn’t working, but if we say we need a screenshot, we really do need one. The faster we can diagnose the problem, the faster we can fix it for you!
KD: Can you tell me a little more about the Support Team, and how they operate within the company?
AW: We have an amazing team, populated with people from very different backgrounds. We’ve got security professionals, Linux admins, CS majors, etc.—very technical people who know our products inside and out in order to help customers as much as possible. At OpenDNS, we’re committed to helping each customer until their issue is completely resolved; we’ll never abandon you in the middle of fixing a problem.
Another great thing about Support is that we have a very unique position here: we basically have a finger on the pulse of the company, working at the intersection of all other departments. The way our company is set up, we can easily contact someone in Engineering, Ops, Sales, or anywhere else if we need clarification on an issue.
KD: What do you want customers to know about OpenDNS Support?
AW: We care! We really do. From free users, to Mobility customers, to Enterprises, even to people who don’t have accounts with us – we care about you and we want to solve your issue as quickly as possible. We know you’re frustrated, and we want to help you fix it. When you email us, rest assured there is an actual person on the other end of the line reading that email, and I’m doing everything in my power to get you back on track.
