How can we improve the support process?

[Joshua Dickerson]

symon: the reason there are so many unanswered posts is because there are so many of them to answer.

[fgoc]

Well, often these questions are needed to find out what you are trying to do and what the errors/problems are.
And possible give you a better solution that won't cause any errors.

How can I get my problems solved faster?
How do I ask support questions the smart way?

Suggestion:When people post a question, please can people try and answer the question they ask before asking them why they are doing what they are doing, or giving them another way of doing things? Every time I post for support (after extensive searching first) I get asked multiple questions before anyone offers an asnwer to the clear and simple question I have asked.

I couldn't actually find the situation you described for yourself in your posts, but maybe I missed it. Assuming this is so, are you asking how to do something specific, or how to solve a problem? Our support people generally like to make sure you use the best solution for a problem. Often they will try and pull out the problem so they can help determine the best solution.

Now, a car/computer analogy. Sure, if you ask, someone can tell you how to add oil to your car, but that may not get it running. You might need to do something else. Without knowing the source issue though, it would be impossible to determine. Finding out the root problem and determining the best solution for it is an easy way to make sure that things are truly repaired.

As a reply to both of you, my last question is a typical example. I asked a specific, simple question, to which I just got more questions, suggestions unrelated to my question, and still no answer.

I have found this to be the case throughout the support forums on not just my questions, but lots of others also.

Obviously if someone posts for support with an error message and nothing more then you need further questions to determine possible solutions, but when a specific question is asked, a specific, correct answer to the question is all that is needed.

I am by no means an expert user of SMF forum software, but I am an experienced web designer and know my way around php and sql. When I ask a question, just an answer would be nice

[Dannii]

Welcome to the internet?

[a2h]

my guess is due to lack of just being able to PM a support Spec for the support, i mean think about....someone needs support its usually because something has gotten thier boards fudged up....

so they see the mod creator online or the support spec, and PM then real quick, and simply get told....post it on the board, someone will answer it there. when support is needed, its needed then....not when someone decides to answer the board post......think about it.

[a2h]

example to what i am saying.......today I PM'd someone about noonish. I got this reply:

Re: mod question...
« Sent to: a2h on: Today at 12:46:55 PM » Quote Reply Remove   

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
hello,


If you could post this on the mod thread, I'll look into it and post a fix for ya.

-snork13


now look at this this thread, still unanswered (12 hrs after PM'n, 6 hours after posting it on board:
http://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?topic=68444.100

Online support is just that ONLINE support, no need for support specs, if ya got docs, or we have to search and trust someone other than an SMF associated support tech...think about it*

[Dannii]

SMF only offers online support to charter members. To everyone else we offer community support. You should expect to wait a day, if you're lucky you'll get an answer before then. Remember that everyone lives in different time zones.

[Joshua Dickerson]

a2h: you are one in a thousands of people that need support. If we answered everything via one-to-one communication, nobody else would benefit from that knowledge. Think about this - your priorities are probably not nearly as important as the priorities of those giving you support or the priorities of the community as a whole. Be grateful that someone even gives you the offer to answer your support via the forums.

To all those whom this may concern: please don't use this topic to whine/******/complain about support not being fast enough. We do our best. I created this topic to get IDEAS about how we can make support less redundant, not to hear people complain about now having personalized support. IMO, I think support should be less personalized. More docs, less spoon-feeding.

[Joshua Dickerson]

I think the team has gathered the information that we need. We will now make strives to make improvements with that information.

Thank you to all that have contributed.