How can we improve the support process?

[Sarge]

Ah yes. There's a missing ) (closing bracket) in the if statement in the posted code:

Code Select Expand


if (!empty($_REQUEST['search'])


should be:

Code Select Expand


if (!empty($_REQUEST['search']))


[jumpenjuhosaphat]

First off, I think that the support here could be used as a business model.  I've never experienced the amount of support that I get here, you might think you guys were charging for this support...

I think that laziness is the biggest factor, and I don't think that there is anything that you could do short of charging for advice that would change that.  Sometime I'll do a search for something, and the results won't be what I'm looking for.  It can be difficult to form your needs into a simple search sometimes.  One thing that might help is if there were a selectable option after the search is performed that asks if the search was useful, and also asks for comments.  That way you might learn a better way to organize the site that will help direct people to the answers they are looking for.  I also like the idea of a FAQ.  But the problem that I have with most FAQ's is that they are typically poorly organized and completely uncategorized.  If you could take the most commonly found troubles and categorize them, then place the questions and answers into those categories, that might help too.  That's just my $.02

Thanks for all of the times that you've helped me out, I really appreciate it.

[Joshua Dickerson]

Ah yes. There's a missing ) (closing bracket) in the if statement in the posted code:

Code Select Expand


if (!empty($_REQUEST['search'])


should be:

Code Select Expand


if (!empty($_REQUEST['search']))


Fixed it. Feel free to make it a mod if someone wants.

[destalk]

Ah yes. There's a missing ) (closing bracket) in the if statement in the posted code:

Code Select Expand


if (!empty($_REQUEST['search'])


should be:

Code Select Expand


if (!empty($_REQUEST['search']))


Fixed it. Feel free to make it a mod if someone wants.

Thanks. However, I don't get the error anymore, but I haven't noticed any change in my search URLs either.

[Joshua Dickerson]

Sorry, that only makes it possible to do shorter search urls like www.destalk.com/?search=foobar or www.destalk.com/index.php?search=foobar instead of www.destalk.com/index.php?action=search;search=foobar

It is just removing the ?action=search; part of the url.

[destalk]

Ah sorry, I misunderstood. 

I thought it was a way to get the search results URL to display the search keywords so that these could be used in posts to point users in the right direction. Of course only the simplemachines.org search works this way.

http://www.example.com/forum/index.php?action=search2;search=web+forums

SMF 1.1.2 that the 'rest of us' use, only returns this kind of URL. 

http://www.example.com/forum/index.php?action=search2

[Joshua Dickerson]

That is just a custom search box. You can do the same on your site. Just look at the HTML for that search box.

[destalk]

Is it really that simple. OK, that's a challenge for me over the weekend.

[Joshua Dickerson]

I don't want to give you the full answer because it seems like you are interested in learning something. So, hint - it is in the action of the form

[destalk]

Oh trust me, I'll take the full answer any day.

The only thing I can see is a reference to a search.php file.

[pulkit]

Reply to original question : I guess the biggest problem is that there is just too much information here and the search system can be made more effective, only that won't help too much. Everyone uses different words/phrases to describe the same issue !!

Also, for a lot of people using custom themes and portals, standard SMF support just doesn't cut it. Sometimes I don't know whom to ask for help ...

Also, there are many people here who can help if it's a matter of changing option (like putting a checkmark here or there in the admin panel) but less of those who will actually take their time to go through PHP files for individuals to discover and fix the source of the error. I know that this particular thing might never be possible due to the time and effort it requires.

Just my 2 cents.

[destalk]

The thing is that this is a forum, not a helpdesk logging system.

Some helpdesk systmes have a feature wherebye when a user starts typing a question, they are offered some links to standard a knowledgbase based on their keywords. The Kayako system uses this.

http://www.kayako.com/supportsuite.php

But I still think that having the related links option as a standard feature would reduce the number of duplicate questions.

[Joshua Dickerson]

destalk: I think a forum is better than a helpdesk for support because it allows more people to answer and ask questions. Instead of a limited pool of people that are allowed to answer a question.

[metallica48423]

i would tend to agree with groundup.

I think that a tagging system and the ability to search by tag would be extremely helpful.  But that also creates overhead in managing the tags and moderating them and weeding out the inaccurate ones.

Still working on my FAQ thing, or a version of it

[destalk]

destalk: I think a forum is better than a helpdesk for support because it allows more people to answer and ask questions. Instead of a limited pool of people that are allowed to answer a question.

I agree. That was what I was trying to say in response to some previous posts. This is indeed a forum, not a helpdesk tool and I agree, that it's best left that way. But perhaps some of the tools of the helpdesk system could be integrated in some way, to take away pressure from SMF staff and support members and to prevent duplicate posts?

Some form of automated "related topics" might be one method of acieving this. I referred to the Kayako system simply as one example. One of my web hosts uses it and it is very smooth. For example, if someone is starting a topic on whether it is possible to change the name of the index.php file to something else, the user will get offered a series of links to already exisiting threads/or support documents on the subject.

Just a suggestion.

[Krysia]

I might be one of the few, but before I post a new thread, I actually not only attempt to search for a similar topic, I even wade through ALL of the 400+/- topics that come up as a result. I've found lately that the most accurate pre-asked question will be quite old with no answer; I'll use it to add my question, and get a warning like, "This thread is over 300 days old, are you sure you want to reply" or something like that. I'll click yes anyway, because I don't want to duplicate a thread... and then wait... and wait...

A perfect example is right here: http://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?topic=125561.0

The topic was originally posted by a member in 11/2006. The last support response was 12/2006. (It didn't solve the problem.) I found it via Search and added my concern 1/19/2007. First response to me was on 1/30/07. I replied, and then it wasn't picked up again until 5/1/2007 (thank you, BlackMage!). And is currently in in-progress status once again... but not solved as yet.

The point to my mentioning this, is that the time frame of the lack of response had me sorely tempted to post a new thread or something to get help. (I didn't.)



Another problem could be the fact that when given a response, sometimes Support (bless their hearts) don't realize that when they give their suggestions, they might as well be speaking a foreign language due to the skill (or lack thereof) of the person asking for help. There's been several times over the years when I've asked for help ---and I'm actually rather internet-savvy, though it'd be hard to prove that here! LOL... --- and receive responses that have me going HUH? DUH? And they have to be repeated 3 times using very small words and speaking slowly for me to finally get it (or not).

Oft times, I've had to literally use images to try to get my point across, and ask Do you mean this (image A)? Or this (image B)? because the lingo used is not familiar to me. While I'm pretty familiar with SMF itself (after all this time) and some PHP, when it comes to its backend stuff, like the MySQL database stuff, I'm back to DUUUH, with drool coming out of my chin and blood out my ears from straining my brain to understand and comply. Sometimes I think it'd be best if it was simply assumed that all of us never got past the 3rd grade, and go back to "Me Tarzan, you Jane" dialogue, or use pictures. "Do this (image A)." I mean, it works for us in the healthcare system...



I've also found that the search itself must have lost something in the translation, because it finds results that are completely irrelevant and not what I was looking for. Or it'll come up with so many results that your eyes simply cross because it brought up each and every post ever posted with the expression "XYZ" in it. So you try to be more specific, and then that's when it gets difficult to know what to search for, or how.



As to your questions, I think definitely:
Do we need to add better descriptions to the boards?

That would be fabulous. Because sometimes when trying to narrow down choices by choosing certain boards, one's not certain as to which boards to check.

And I have checked out the manual, and I have no complaints with it, probably because my questions usually are beyond the basic setup and maintain stuff or whatever.

Allow you to see the search terms in the url
I don't see how that would help anything. You know the terms when you put them in, no?

Support staff waits to answer duplicate support requests.
Is there a way to merge those threads?

Teach people to mark their topic as solved/unsolved
That'd be a good idea, but wouldn't that mean limited moderator power or something? Or how about something that I always try to do when my question's been solved and have the people say, "Thank you, that did the trick!" (or whatever)?

Remove posts that don't answer the question.
I do like that option, especially in old threads. Or more to the point, don't help answer the question. Not the "I'm having the same problem!" posts, because in their way, they help because obviously if more than one person is having the problem, it broadens the spectrum of the possible cause. Actually, come to think on it... Rather than remove the post, perhaps a "strike-through" of the text in the post, because what's offered within might actually work for someone else searching for an answer to the same or similar problem. That way, someone skimming the thread to get to a solution quickly has the option of zipping over those posts if they see the "strike-though". (Or something.)

Allow a user to ask a full question like "I deleted myself from my forum. HELP!"
Now IMO, this isn't necessarily Support's problem. As an Admin, I've found that many people simply NEVER post a "smart" topic header for their post. And I'm starting to think that it's a physical impossibility for some of them. I know I try to be as detailed in my subject header as possible, because of searches as well as because of how frustrating it is to see 20 topics all shrieking "HELP! I EFFED UP" with no further message than that. If my question is too long for the subject line, I try to abbreviate it, and then repeat it first thing within the message before going into my detailed, long-winded explanation as to the nature of the problem (or whatever).

Have something at the top of support pages or when posting on a support board that says to not give away your information to just anyone.
Geez, are you kidding me? This day and age, and that is still considered possibly necessary? RME... IMO, that's freaking common sense... Yeesh...

Enable the karma system so that posts from better support people are looked at first (not sure how this is helping the support process)
Hm. I don't see how this would be helpful. First of all, I always look to see if there's the "SUPPORT" graphic under the user name of whomever's replied. If not that, then one of the "CUSTOMIZE" or one of the other "Staff" graphics. Then to see if it says "Charter Member". If there's not one of those graphics, then it's time for Common Sense to come into play: Utilize the following advice at your own risk and ALWAYS backup your Database prior...

Create a volunteer membergroup for support.
I thought there already were volunteers? Such as the Support people, Charter Member people, Customize et al people?

Create a FAQ board where the support team can move solved topics to.
That's brilliant.
And then have the first topic of said board be a stickied, alphabetical index listing with the topics linked to the proper threads.

That's all I've got for now.

[Sarge]

...or use pictures. "Do this (image A)."

That's what I often do, even just to save a long, elaborate and perhaps confusing explanation. Not only do I include screenshots, I usually also circle the ADMIN button, for example, the Features and Options link, the Layout and Options tab and finally the "Limit number of displayed page links" option and then connect all of them with arrows that point from one link to the next logical one.

To make it short and sweet, here's a screenshot:



Isn't it clear and assuring? A picture speaks a thousand words.

Oh, and I make the screenshots clickable and hotlinked.

[Sarge]

Reply to original question : I guess the biggest problem is that there is just too much information here and the search system can be made more effective, only that won't help too much. Everyone uses different words/phrases to describe the same issue !!

Searching with the error message usually yields very relevant results.

[KGIII]

To answer some of Krysia's points from my perspective:

(Not that they are bad, just that we'd need to find a way to accomplish it.)

Merging a bunch of threads can take a lot of man-hours. Maybe do-able slowly as time allows. Tracking them is one of the hardest parts.

Topic solving is already do-able in certain sections BUT with the current theme is not an option and won't be until that has been added. Editing the original post to use the green checkmark icon is about the only way that it can be done until the mod is re-installed on this theme.

Removing unhelpful replies might be a good option but, again, man-hours are limited.

The additional membergroup would be one that people could elect to join on their own. The official groups (besides the charter) are all done via invitation. This would be one that a non-team member could join and would ideally serve two purposes. One it would let those know, who looked, that the poster thought that they were skilled with SMF and (with Karma enabled) would let people know what others thought of them. Two it would also provide a place for us, those on the team, to look for new candidates for the SMF team.

Hmm...

Accomplishing those things becomes the next logical step and some of them look to be quite problematic to figure out.

[SidRoberts]

How about a tagging feature so posters can be more specific about what the problem is?

Also, it might be good for when the poster replys to their post to have a a checkbox with a FIXED tag. So it saves them from editting it themselves.