Actinic Support

[wesleythorne]

hi, i had to call support yesterday late afternoon about a actinic payments problem, i was put through within a minute or two, the lady i spoke to was not to sure about the correct answer to my problem but took my details and I was called back within the hour with a result.

Much better level of service than I had about six months ago when i had a problem.

Keep up the good work!

Maybe support could be tailored to what level of cover you have
example
basic catalog cover = standard response
business cover = faster response better experienced technical staff
developer upwards cover - emergency helicopter support unit

Thanks
Wes

[leehack]

Like our own helicopter heroes series?

[nileshpa]

Wes,

You must have timed it well. My call was at 3:50 pm and in the queue for 25 mins before the line got dropped. Maybe thats why you got to the top of list.
Sorry, just being cynical here.

No Seriously....... I'm very pleased to hear the level of service you got from Actinic yesterday.

Chris - This is exactly the level of service we have been asking from Actinic support. Don't keep paying customers hanging on, take details & phone back with the answers. Then cost of O845 or Geographic numbers don't matter at all.

Nilesh

[leehack]

I think all questions should be asked in the forum and the support number should only be rung if the forum fails to deliver.

[TraceyHand]

I think all questions should be asked in the forum and the support number should only be rung if the forum fails to deliver.

pmsl

*smacks Lee over the head with her pregnant mannequin*

behave you!

[Rich Brady]

I think all questions should be asked in the forum and the support number should only be rung if the forum fails to deliver.

I didn't put him up to that Malcolm... Honest

[Mike Hughes]

I think all questions should be asked in the forum and the support number should only be rung if the forum fails to deliver.

Hmm...Looks around for tools required to hang, draw and quarter someone.

Mike

[Darren B]

I have some serious cutting tools and equipment here Mike

[leehack]

I'm being extremely serious . A financially supported support forum would work infinitely better than a support service via the phone. It's 24 hour, there is no queues, you often get a more experienced answer than you do off fledgling support noobs.

Support services are a nightmare, I used to run one for the RAC, as your people get experienced, they are bored to tears (2 year cycle) and the peanuts you paid them (when they were a monkey) are no longer good enough. Without considerable hikes in wages you haven't got a change of not having a high turnover of staff, even then it's hard. It will be a minor miracle if we are not having the same discussion in 3 years.

When you have a local rate support number and all sorts of plain ridiculous questions can be asked and answered, it will always be flooded and swamped. No matter how good the software gets, it won't affect the IQs of the people calling.

If your database is trashed, then support is the place to be, they are great at that part. If it is normal everyday stuff, then a forum would be best IMO, you simply cannot man a support desk with the staff needed at the price people want to pay - its an economic impossibility.

Support contracts divided into 2 parts would be my recommendation:

1. Software upgrades -£x.xx
2. Paid Forum Support - £x.xx

With actinic bods on the support forum, they can clearly see problems that need to go off to support and those that the forum, aug or kb can service. I have been genuinely horrified to hear what people are actually using support for at times, its ridiculous.

Another option (probably my preferred one actually) is to cut support costs and provide a premium rate support line instead. When people have to pay, they begin to think, not abuse!

What % of calls that go through to support could have been solved by either a forum search, an aug or kb lookup. Judging on forum questions asked, i'd say 60-70%. Charging money is often the only way to sift out the crap unfortunately.

In the past 3 years, i've been in touch with support 3 times i think, each time by email with a trashed database. Each time the service has been fine, but it has been a genuine problem, one which has stumped them on occasions. I would rather get off my backside and try to learn and find out before asking, but not all people are like that and the easy way is just too easy to take at times.

[Mike Hughes]

Thanks Darren, looks like I might need them.

When you have a local rate support number and all sorts of plain ridiculous questions can be asked and answered, it will always be flooded and swamped. No matter how good the software gets, it won't affect the IQs of the people calling.

Hmm. So you'd rather they came on the forum instead? Doesn't sound good to me. These are the same people who will ask a question rather than look for the answer.

Of course if actinic want to have their own support forum, on support.actinic.com say, then that would be fine. Actinic can see what's being asked /answered and anyone else who wanted to help could easily join in.

I doubt if anyone would use it though.

Mike

[leehack]

Hmm. So you'd rather they came on the forum instead? Doesn't sound good to me. These are the same people who will ask a question rather than look for the answer.

A support forum yes, not operating in the way this one does. Imagine you and I opened up a support forum and we charged £25 to join. Anyone could ask anything they wanted and we would either provide a link to the answer or answer them directly. If we couldn't solve it, then we had a vehicle to get it through to support, we are like a sifting out process.

It doesn't matter if they have asked the same question as anyone else, they are paying us to provide support. Also when you control a forum properly and by control i mean the useful content therein, you end up with a more streamlined forum, one where answers can be found easier. None of this search on an error message and be presented with 40 duplicate threads all saying very similar or sometimes exact opposites - that is junk. This forum is closer to being an encyclopaedia than it is a forum, but it is run as a forum.

I applaud the efforts on the KB, but i find it very hard to use, the drop down box is so long its completely unhelpful. Forums are where it is at and that is where any time investment should have been done IMO as i have said all along. This place is a gold mine, problem is there is a hell of a lot of clay on top that you have to dig through to see the gold.

[RuralWeb]

Charging money is often the only way to sift out the crap unfortunately.

I agree - Actinic should double the price for support. It would cut the number of subscribers but they would be able to provide a first class service to those that do pay. Even at twice the price its cheap

[leehack]

To put this into some kind of perspective, in the V8 forum, if you order the threads by most views, the top 4 will present you with:

1. The AUG thread
2. The Showcase thread
3. The Google Analytics thread
4. The V8 Problem Solvers thread

These 4 threads alone account for 58,000 views on this forum, just 4 threads that is (that's incredible in my eyes and has shocked me a little). If that doesn't illustrate how people like things and how they wish to use them, then I do not know what does. These are all central one-point reference threads.

[Darren B]

I agree - Actinic should double the price for support. It would cut the number of subscribers but they would be able to provide a first class service to those that do pay. Even at twice the price its cheap

This be true, or as mentioned a level of service depending on how much you pay.

Lets be honest you developers really should get a better level of service as you are the customers contact and indirectly you are selling the product for Actinic.

I would have a lower level of service as i don't require the support as much. I only really have it for the upgrades.

But i cant see much changing though

[wesleythorne]

how about support being charged at a price depending on you last six months or 12 months usage.

Standard support at initial sign up charged at whatever

When it comes to renewal, if you haven't used it at all or only one or two questions then a substantial discount.

Those who ring in every week with little questions would be charged a higher rate depending on use.

wes