Don't Crap All Over Your Support People
Hello Warriors.
Just wanted to get your take on something.
I handle the support for a handfull of product owners and I just wanted to know from any of you that outsource your support - what do you actually term as 'providing support'?
For example, the way I work is that with every new product my clients release, I ask them for access to it weeks before launch and then start to familiarise myself with the method.
Once the product is released, and the support tickets start coming in, I start building up a database of common questions by answering the ones I can and contacting my client if I need clarification on anything - this works really well for me.
So basically, I regard support as:
doing general admin
giving general IM advice, or whatever the niche may be
specific advice about the product in question
and directing customers towards information in the product and providing clarification on certain points.
Just recently, I have been hearing from other people who work in support that I know, and they have been telling me that their clients have been releasing half finished products or products that are very much lacking in information and the clients have been expecting their support staff to provide the answers.
To my mind this is very wrong as they are expecting the support staff to actually BE the product.
What's everyone elses take on this?
Where does product creation end and support take over?
Just wanted to get your take on something.
I handle the support for a handfull of product owners and I just wanted to know from any of you that outsource your support - what do you actually term as 'providing support'?
For example, the way I work is that with every new product my clients release, I ask them for access to it weeks before launch and then start to familiarise myself with the method.
Once the product is released, and the support tickets start coming in, I start building up a database of common questions by answering the ones I can and contacting my client if I need clarification on anything - this works really well for me.
So basically, I regard support as:
doing general admin
giving general IM advice, or whatever the niche may be
specific advice about the product in question
and directing customers towards information in the product and providing clarification on certain points.
Just recently, I have been hearing from other people who work in support that I know, and they have been telling me that their clients have been releasing half finished products or products that are very much lacking in information and the clients have been expecting their support staff to provide the answers.
To my mind this is very wrong as they are expecting the support staff to actually BE the product.
What's everyone elses take on this?
Where does product creation end and support take over?