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Subject:Re: DISCUSS: TW and tech support From:"Huber, Mike" <mrhuber -at- SOFTWARE -dot- ROCKWELL -dot- COM> Date:Fri, 7 Nov 1997 10:44:45 -0600
Well, when I started writing, the company put us on the phone one or two
days a week. Great for the "user advocate" role, very bad for
productivity.
That changed a few years ago. But I can tell you right now - you aren't
going to get ten questions on every support call. The next call comes in
too soon. The most diligent and cooperative support people, who are
behind you %100, will maybe give you one or two answers every five or
ten calls. The rest will give you none. Not because they don't want to
help, or don't realize that the answers will help you make their job
easier. Phone support is just too demanding a job.
I'm guessing the feedback you are looking for is the "grostacking the
snarfle is giving people a lot of trouble because they don't seem to
realize you have to vortch it first" kind, not the "grostack is spelled
wrong on page 297-b" kind. The second kind is best handled through
whatever bug tracking system your company uses for the rest of the
product. We use "Tracker." It stinks only moderately.
For the first kind, I've found that the informal approach works best.
Take some breaks in the same break room as the tech support people.
Don't even ask any questions. Heck, you don't even have to talk to them
if you don't want to. Just listen to the screams.
Unfortunately, I can't do that anymore, because tech support at my
company is now several hundred miles away. But I do take advantage of
every opportunity to get together with tech support people.
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Bergen, Jane [SMTP:janeb -at- ANSWERSOFT -dot- COM]
>Sent: Friday, November 07, 1997 6:56 AM
>To: TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
>Subject: DISCUSS: TW and tech support
>
>I'd like to know how other software developers (and maybe it's
>applicable to some hardware manufacturers) handle getting user feedback
>received by tech support to funnel through to the tech pubs department.
>Right now I get NO (NONE, NADA, ZIP) feedback. I have no idea if users
>are getting help with the docs (including online help) or if they are
>even using them. I was discussing this "dark hole" with the head of our
>tech support and he told me to come up with a plan.
>
>My first thought is to have tech support simply give me a list
>periodically of the questions that come into their department and the
>resolutions. I would then be able to make sure that my documents and
>online help were addressing the problem areas .... including errors,
>omissions, and clarifications. I want to make this as easy as possible
>on the tech support people to ensure that they'll cooperate with me.
>Giving them a ten-point questionnaire for every tech support call would
>be nice, but unrealistic.
>
>So, how do you do it?
