Your IT Provider Should Talk to You Like a Person

Here's a scenario that happens too often: A business owner calls their IT provider with a question. The response is a flood of acronyms, technical jargon, and explanations that technically answer the question but leave the owner more confused than before.

Then comes the subtle implication that they should have understood. That asking for clarification is somehow an inconvenience.

This is backwards.

Technical Expertise Isn't Enough

Being good at IT isn't just about knowing how systems work. It's about helping other people navigate those systems successfully. That requires communication - real communication, not just information transfer.

If a client doesn't understand your explanation, that's not a failure on their part. It's feedback that your explanation didn't work.

Why Jargon Persists

To be fair, technical jargon exists for a reason. It's precise. It's efficient for conversations between technical people. And honestly, it becomes so habitual that many IT professionals don't even realize they're using it.

But there's also a less charitable explanation: jargon can be a shield. It keeps clients at a distance, discourages questions, and maintains an air of expertise that's harder to question if nobody quite understands what you said.

That's not partnership. That's gatekeeping.

What Good Communication Looks Like

Plain Language First

The first explanation should always be in plain language. Technical terms can come later if the client wants more detail. "Your email isn't syncing because of a settings mismatch" is a starting point. The protocol-level details can follow if they're actually helpful.

Check for Understanding

Not "Does that make sense?" (which puts the burden on the listener), but "Did I explain that clearly?" or "What questions do you have?" The difference is subtle but important.

Welcome Questions

Questions aren't interruptions. They're how people learn. An IT provider who seems annoyed by questions is an IT provider who's going to leave you in the dark about your own systems.

Explain the "Why"

People don't just need to know what to do - they need to understand why. "Click here, then here, then here" creates dependency. "We're doing this because..." creates understanding.

You Deserve to Understand Your Technology

Your business technology isn't magic. It's tools. And you have every right to understand how your tools work, why they're configured the way they are, and what your options are.

A good IT provider should make you feel more capable, not less. After a conversation, you should understand your situation better than you did before - not feel like you need to go Google half the words that were used.

A Simple Test

Think about your last few interactions with your IT support. Did you come away understanding the situation? Or did you come away trusting that they understood it and hoping that was enough?

There's nothing wrong with trusting your IT provider's expertise. But trust built on understanding is stronger than trust built on confusion.

You're not paying for mystery. You're paying for solutions you can actually see and understand.