In my experience, gathering information up front can make the difference between quick resolution and spending hours digging through information. Whether that is pulling information from devices or utilizing active listening and asking appropriate questions, gathering the details will help to ensure that you can resolve issues quickly and efficiently.

Oh boy. It's the WAN! It's the calbing! No it's the switch! It's a faulty NIC! It's St Nic! The first level support must gather enough data to narrow it down, even if the first-line tech is used as "smart hands" by more experienced techs. Pulling the whole world into a war-room to identify a faulty flylead is costly.

Leaving a troubleshooting meeting with a prioritises list of deliverables, tasks assigned to specific people and deadlines produce results. Ending a meeting with vague expectations will end with vague outcomes.

During implementation it is not only important to ensure that the changes or troubleshooting correct the issue, it is arguably just as important to ensure you have good communication. By this I mean, communicating to the customer but also documenting the steps that you are taking to ensure that the next person behind you may be able to reach resolution as quickly as possible. Whether that is by documenting the steps taken in your companies ticketing system or by creating an SOP that other technicians can follow is the difference between a good tech and a great one.

Sure, keep an eye on the issue, but looks for unintended consequences of changes. Your helpdesk is crucial here. Share knowledge about what was done, what recurrence looks like and what secondary symptoms look like.

Adjust your initial strategy when new data or evidence suggests the root cause of the network issue is different from the original assumption. If diagnostic tools or key metrics reveal insights that contradict initial theories, it's important to pivot quickly to avoid wasting resources. This is especially true if a consensus isn't reached & conflicting opinions persist. Consider adjusting the strategy when the team hits a deadlock or progress stalls due to differing viewpoints. It can be beneficial to implement small-scale test/pilot alternative solutions based on varying perspectives to determine which approach is most effective. Balancing flexibility with data-driven decisions will help you navigate conflicting opinions efficiently.