As a non English speaker with a non English name, I find myself opening quite a long question before I even get a confirmation about the fact that, the person in the other side can even help me in this particular case. All I need is a single interaction before I fire away the main question such as:
Service Provider: Hello, this is Dan speaking, how can I help you?
Me: Hi there, this is Mehrad here. How are you doing Dan?
Service Provider: I am good, yourself?
Me: Good, thank you. I have my internet connection with you guys and the technicians installed the box today, however, I still cannot
get a connection despite the fact that …
Except, I find asking how the provider is, a little bit strange sometimes. Is there a replacement for such an opener without being too obvious and asking questions like
I have a problem with my internet connection. Could you help me on
this matter? (when I am calling an ISP support service which it's
sole job to help me with internet connection problems)
Best Answer
I agree with deadrat that there is neither need nor desire for the pleasantries. The person on the other end most likely has a script that they will follow for this interaction.
It may seem a bit abrupt to begin immediately- what I like to do is to briefly and (I hope) clearly state a couple of generalities about the situation before launching into the full "song and dance".
For example, you might say "Hi there Dan, I've been having some intermittent connectivity issues with your FlashBang 2500+ router". That serves two functions- it allows the person on the other end some idea of where the interaction will be going, and it allows me an initial assessment of how good the communication is likely to be. If the line is bad, there is too much background noise, or the person at the other end has a heavy and unfamiliar accent then it's best to find out early. I may change my vocabulary, speak more slowly and distinctly or perhaps faster and using more slang and jargon, depending on what I hear.
The presumption (not expectation) is that they will be able to help you- no need to go over that. Of course if you have a problem that exceeds the bounds of their script or their abilities you'll eventually have to deal with someone else, but that generally won't happen without going through the process.