Re:Chiming in (Score 1)

I totally agree with you. The way questions are asked can be the difference between an automatic "yes" or "no" from the caller and an actual investigation from his/her side. This works better with noobs of course, since they don't really know what the answer should be, so they have to do some work to provide one.

Q: Is the cable plugged in? A: Yes (of course)
vs
Q: Where is the blue/yellow cable going to/coming from? A: Let's see...
Q: Have you rebooted the computer/modem? A: Yes (or course)
vs
Q: What have you tried in order to resolve the problem before calling? A: Nothing, I just assumed it was a problem with "the system"
Q: Do you see "control panel" on your start menu? A: No
vs
Q: What items do you see in your start menu? A: My Computer, My..., Control Panel, ah, there it is!

Of course you have to adapt the questioning method to the actual caller, just like you have to adapt the way you give instructions:
noob: right/left-click level instructions
some exposure: open/close level instructions (open , type this, ...)
knows the basics: end result level instructions (what is your IP/MAC?, ...)
higher: probably already has all the information you will need at hand