I run a small company that supports several small businesses as a help desk. The client calls with a troubleshooting need and we dispatch a technician. Usually the need is based on some part of their computer or network or OS that is not working. It can be anything really.
What I am interested in doing is refining the practices of the field technicians so that we waste less time spinning our wheels trying to fix some problems. Sometimes the tshoot goes easy according to a Microsoft known issue, but other times the solution is elusive and a technician spends several hours (of which he cannot fully invoice) before he finally gives up and says the only solution is to reformat/reinstall. Of course, that takes awhile too.
Is there a book/manual of best practices for determining how to rule out solutions quickly and determine when it is appropriate to reformat instead of continued troubleshooting? Mainly I was hoping for a Microsoft resource that has best practices for troubleshooting.