support tickets – Chimpie.com

Hey everybody. It’s time for another Chat with Chimpie entry.

Earlier this month I created a blog entry, Tips on Creating a Great Support Ticket. I received some great feedback and wanted to take the topic one step further.

I recently chatted with Tom Sepper, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Site5 Web Hosting about support tickets.

What are some common mistakes customers make when submitting tickets?

The biggest mistake is not including their domain name! We see countless times that customers forget that vital piece of information. Often times we are able to locate their account based on their email address, but when the email address is on file, we have to request additional information from them which may lead to further delays for a quick resolution.

What are some common requests you receive that customers can do themselves?

The most common requests we receive that customers can do themselves are password changes, adding parked/addon domains, and database imports. All of these can easily be accomplished within the customer’s control panel.

When we see common requests such as these, we in turn add them to our documentation. The feedback we get from these requests allow us to improve our documentation and provide better self-help resources for those customers that enjoy resolving issues on their own. For those customers that don’t enjoy that, we’re here for them!

What information should customers include every time they submit a ticket?

The most important piece of information is obviously their domain name! Beyond the domain name, it is key to provide a thorough explanation of the problem. Included with that explanation should be step-by-step instructions on how we can replicate the problem. Listing out steps will help us be able to resolve any issues in a quicker fashion since we are not having to figure out how to replicate the issue.

Does updating a ticket with additional information still bump it to the bottom of the queue?

No, thankfully! With our helpdesk that we built from the ground-up, we are able to ensure tickets are answered in the correct order and manner that is fair to everyone involved.

What goals does Site5 have to resolve a support ticket?

We’d like to be able to solve all tickets on the first response, but we know that isn’t realistic in every situation. Our goal is to resolve the ticket to the client’s satisfaction as quickly as possible without sacrificing quality.

What is the average time for a support ticket to be first addressed?

As quickly as possible! In all seriousness, as I type this, our average wait time for an actual support staff member’s response is five minutes.

What is the average time for a ticket to be completed?

That’s actually very difficult to answer, and here’s why – Site5 staff members do not close tickets! Why? Because we’re not the ones who dictate when a problem is resolved; the customer determines that. Our helpdesk will notify a customer when their ticket has been awaiting their reply for more than 30 days. If no response is received after that notification, their ticket will be closed due to inactivity.

What are some recommendations you can give to those who submit tickets?

Above all, remember that there’s another person on the other end of your ticket that is there to help. If your ticket contains a complaint, we’re all ears as we value constructive feedback – both positive and negative. Ranting, shouting, etc. is a sure-fire way of invalidating your point real quick — no matter how valid your point really is. Presenting your complaints in a clear, concise, professional, calm, cool, and collected manner will go a long way.

Oh, and be sure to include your domain name! 🙂

Chimpie’s final thoughts

Support tickets are our link to our web hosts. We use them in times of need. When creating a support ticket we can help ourselves and our host by ensuring that we are providing accurate and pertinent information.

I would like to thank Tom for taking the time answer these questions about support tickets. I hope you found the information useful.

If you’re looking for a web host, be sure to check out Site5.com. Be sure to also check them out on Facebook and Twitter.

———-

Are you following Chimpie on Twitter and Facebook?
www.twitter.com/chimpie76
www.facebook.com/chimpie

Tips on creating a great support ticket

When I read forums of different webhosting companies I often read posts from customers who are upset because they haven’t received a solution to their support tickets quick enough. Quite often they blame the support techs or the webhosting company as whole. After diving into the issue I find that most of the time the customer hasn’t provided the correct information up front. Both the customer and the support techs would love to solve the issue during the first interaction. Meaning, customer submits a ticket, tech responds, issue solved. The result: the customer is thrilled and the support tech can move onto the next issue.

So let’s figure out what makes a great support ticket so we can get an issue solved as soon as possible.

When you first submit a ticket, give any pertinent information up front. There are two pieces of information that should be included with every support ticket:

What domain(s) you are having problems with
What server are you using

Giving these two pieces of information up front can allow the tech to start looking in the proper direction. Once you’ve done that it’s now time to start explaining what the issue is.

What are you experiencing?
How you begin to explain your issue can make or break your support ticket. It’s important to give detailed information, but be brief about it. The support tech doesn’t want to read a story. They want to learn what the problem is and what you have tried so they can get to solving it. Use bullet points to describe your issue if possible.

What have you tried?
When describing your issue, let the tech know what variations you’ve tried.

For example: You’re having trouble viewing images on a particular webpage.

What browsers have you tried (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, etc.)?
And what versions? (IE6, IE7, IE8)
What did you experience with each browser?

Is this a new issue?
When describing your issue, let them know if this is something new. This is not to give your issue higher preference, but it will give the tech something to research. Were any mod_security rules recently changed? Did any software recently get upgraded? Did any hardware recently get replaced?

Don’t update your support ticket unless you absolutely have to.
Updating your support ticket actually pushes the ticket to the bottom of the queue. Why? When ticket systems first came out, adding information to your ticket bumped it to the top. Customers quickly caught on and constantly added information just to bump it to the top. This was unfair and system coders reversed this. Now it takes your ticket to the bottom. Why someone hasn’t fixed this where it doesn’t change your position in the queue is beyond me. But it is what it is, so take my advice and don’t add information to your ticket unless a staff member adds something to it first.

Turn-offs
Nothing turns off a reader faster than a ticket full of CAPS, excessive punctuation (??!??!!?), name calling, blaming a company or the techs in general, etc. A good support tech already feels bad that you’re having problems. Don’t make his or her life more difficult by blaming them for things they might not have done personally.

Before you hit submit
Now that you’ve completed writing your support ticket, take a moment and reread what you wrote. Make sure that everything your wrote is correct and that you didn’t leave anything out. Make sure that you’ve used proper spelling, spacing and punctuation. The easier it is to read your ticket, the easier it is to solve it.

Let’s review:

Don’t write a story
No large paragraphs
Use bullet points

Explain what you’re experiencing
What have you tried
Is this a new issue

No screaming
No yelling
No name calling
No cussing

Use proper punctuation
Use proper spacing
Use proper spelling

Submit your ticket
Once you’ve checked and rechecked your support ticket it’s time to send it off. Click submit, send or whatever the system uses and go grab your favorite beverage. Most webhosting companies say they’ll answer your ticket in 24 hours. Most good ones will answer in less than an hour. Don’t start freaking out if you don’t get a response right away. They may be working on other, more major issues. They may be taking more time on yours. Rest assure that they want your server and your sites running as smoothly as you do.

Issue resolved
Once your issue is resolved, don’t hesitate to provide feedback – good or bad. This is how companies and techs improve. If you feel that something could have gone better, let them know. If you were blown away by the quality of service you received, let them know that too.

That does it for this entry. If you enjoyed this article please help me promote my site by clicking on one of the buttons below.

———-

Are you following Chimpie on Twitter and Facebook?
www.twitter.com/chimpie76
www.facebook.com/chimpie