Phone Troubles
A customer says their home phone has no dial tone. What’s the first thing you ask them to check?
What is whether the phone is securely plugged into the wall jack and has power (if cordless)?
A customer says they have no internet. Before checking equipment, what’s a polite, simple question to confirm it’s not a device issue?
What is “Have you tried using a different device to see if the internet is working on that one?”
A customer says their streaming keeps buffering. What’s the first thing you ask them to try?
What is restarting their modem/router?
“What’s my Wi-Fi password?” is one of the most common calls. What’s a basic thing you should ask?
What is checking the label on their router or using the ISP app/portal?
Customer: “Your internet is terrible!” What’s the most likely next thing they’ll say?
What is: “I’m paying for the fastest plan — why is my Netflix still buffering?!”
The customer’s phone has static or noise. What’s one quick step to isolate the problem?
What is testing with a different phone or plugging the phone into a different jack?
A customer’s internet works on one device but not others. What’s a quick next step?
What is asking them to reboot the router?
The customer reports a black screen when opening Netflix. What should you ask them to check first?
What is whether their streaming device or app is up to date?
Customer: “I unplugged everything like you said... now nothing works!” What is your next response?
What is: “Okay, let’s plug some things back in and see if we can bring the 21st century back to your house.”
Customer is yelling about the internet being down. What’s the next sentence you brace for?
What is: “This is the worst service I’ve ever had in my entire life!”
A customer can receive calls but can't make them. What's a possible cause?
What is an issue with outbound call permissions or line settings?
The customer says the internet is slow. Speed test results show low speeds. What should you ask them to do before escalating?
What is disconnect other devices or test with a wired connection?
The customer says their smart TV won’t connect to Wi-Fi, but other devices work fine. What should you ask them to try?
What is rebooting the TV and reconnecting to the Wi-Fi network?
customer calls and says, “My Wi-Fi stopped working after my cat knocked over the router. Is that bad?” What is your response?
What is: “Well, the cat may now be the network admin. Let’s reboot both the router and the feline.”
Customer: “I got a popup asking for my password after clicking an email link. Should I enter it?” What's your response?
What is: “Only if you want hackers to have your Netflix password too.”
The customer reports that none of their phones are working. You've confirmed no outage. What’s a next diagnostic step?
What is testing at the Network Interface Device (NID) to see if the issue is inside or outside the home?
The modem lights show "Power", but not "Fiber". What's the most likely issue?
What is fiber cut, bad modem/ONT or there's an outage?
A customer is streaming over Wi-Fi in a back bedroom and keeps losing connection. What's a likely cause?
What is weak Wi-Fi signal or distance from the router?
Customer: “My internet is slow. I think my neighbor is stealing my Wi-Fi!” What's your response?
What is: “Let’s make sure your Wi-Fi password isn’t ‘password123’ first.”
Customer: “Why can’t I connect to Wi-Fi?” You find out they’re trying to connect to the neighbor’s network called ‘Free Wi-Fi.’ What do you say?
What is: “I hate to break it to you, but ‘Free Wi-Fi’ is probably a trap.”
A cordless phone shows "Line in Use," but no one is on a call. What could be the cause?
What is a phone off the hook, a stuck button, or line short inside the home wiring?
A customer says their internet keeps dropping randomly. You've ruled out device issues. What's a less obvious cause?
What is signal interference, outdated firmware, or a failing modem/router?
A customer reports that 4K streaming buffers constantly, but 1080p content works fine. Speed tests show over 100 Mbps. What could be the issue?
What is a device limitation, outdated HDMI port, or network prioritization not supporting 4K streaming?
Customer: “I unplugged the modem to fix the internet. Now my fridge isn’t working.” What's your response?
What is: “Unless your fridge doubles as a router, we might have bigger problems here.”
Customer: “My device won’t connect. I’m using an Ethernet cable.” You ask, “Is it plugged in?” They reply, “Well, no.” What’s your follow-up?
What is: “Welcome to the ‘plug it in first’ club — membership is free!”