Re: DISCUSS: TW and tech support

["Martin, Chuck" <chuckm -at- EVOLVESOFTWARE -dot- COM>]

I understand that Microsoft has developers spend time listening to tech
support calls for their products. I have wanted to do this at companies
I have worked for, but often there is no time within hectic schedules
when working on multiple projects.

If tech support has access to the product's bug tracking database (which
was the case at one company I worked for), they can enter bugs they
receive from tech support calls and get those issues right into the
development cycle. One key to this: make sure your bug tracking database
has categories for documentation, UI, usability, and so on.

--
"You don't look American."
"Everyone looks American, because Americans are from everywhere."

- Doonesbury
Chuck Martin, Technical Writer
Evolve Software                  | Personal
chuckm -at- evolvesoftware -dot- com        | writer -at- grin -dot- net
www.evolvesoftware.com           | www.grin.net/~writer

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Wilcox, John (WWC, Contractor) [SMTP:wilcoxj -at- WDNI -dot- COM]
>
>  ----------
> From: Bergen, Jane
>
> 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?
>  --------------------
>
> If you get no feedback, consider it a blessing -- it probably means
> you're doing a good job on the docs.  At least, that's been my
> experience.  If TS finds a problem with a doc, they copy me on it;
> otherwise, I assume everything's OK.  The trouble I've found is the
> lack
> of *positive* feedback.  It's nice to hear once in a while that
> someone
> actually likes a doc, instead of just being indifferent.
>
>
> Regards,
>
> John Wilcox, Documentation Specialist
> Timberlands Information Services
> Application Delivery Group
> Weyerhaeuser, WWC 2E2
> Tacoma, WA 98477-0001  USA
> 253-924-7972  mailto:wilcoxj -at- wdni -dot- com
> (I don't speak for Weyerhaeuser, and they return the favor.)
>
>
> ~~
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