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If you are working remotely with your corporate IT department, chances are you are using company equipment. Here are a few tips to make your technology and IT staff relationship run more smoothly.

Don't add unapproved software
Your computer should come set up with the software you need to perform your job. The IT department has tweaked and tested each piece to make sure that they all work well together. Adding other software to the mix can cause a wide range of problems from merely annoying to a complete failure of the computer. There was a sales representative who installed Doom on his laptop which crashed the corporate application that controlled the sales system. He had a hard time understanding why he had to remove the game. If you need a separate computer for personal applications, get one.

Don't change the settings
The IT department should have optimized the settings for the applications installed and the way the computer will be used. Changing these settings can impair the functionality of the system and make remote troubleshooting difficult. The support staff makes assumptions about the setup of the equipment. Changing the standard setup can make support harder and take longer to get the system functioning properly again.

Write down the settings before you change them
If you do decide to change the settings, write down the original settings first. Better yet, do a complete backup and/or create a restore point. If you have any problems, restore the original settings. When you call the help desk, tell the support team member exactly what you have changed on your system.

Don't turn off the security applications
Running security applications does use system resources. Sometimes this is aggravating when you are running other resource intensive applications. Overcome the temptation to shut down the security applications. Security and backup applications are there for your protecting. Turning off these programs will only lead to trouble.

Call during "day time" hours if you need more than 1st level support
With most corporations having a world-wide presence, the IT department and help desk may be in a different time zone than you are. If you know your problem is complex, contact IT during the senior staff's day. Yes, this may mean that you have to call in the middle of your night. However, if you minimize the number of middle-of-the-night pages you create, you'll get much better support when you do have to wake up support personnel.

Respect the IT department staff
Whenever you contact the IT department, whether you are talking to a junior member of the help desk or the developer who wrote your application, be respectful. Don't yell or use obscenities. Their job is to enable you to perform your job more effectively. They are trying to help you. Treat them as you wish to be treated.

If you follow these tips and build a relationship of mutual respect with the support staff, you should be able to successfully work remotely with your IT department.

Learn more about this author, Lynn Jordan.
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