Support is essential to everything we do here; this company is unthinkable without it. Our job is to make sure Populi’s working for your school. If something’s getting in the way of that, that’s where you come in: you get to describe the problem to us so we know what to fix. Accordingly, here are some pointers on how to write support requests that help us help you swiftly and knowledgeably.
Details, Details
Give us as many specific details about the problem as you can. For example, if you tell us that “The course button isn’t working,” we’ll need to pepper you with questions. “Which button?” “Which course?” “What were you trying to do?” But if you write in with, “I tried clicking the Add Course button on Academic Term > Courses, but I got a red error message saying that this isn’t permitted. I clicked this button yesterday with no trouble.” Using that information, we could quickly pinpoint the error; your detailed message told us right where the problem is—and how to fix it.
We know not every issue is as cut-and-dried as this example, but you get the idea: the right details from you help us take action quickly.
(Details we never need: Social Security Numbers and passwords! Never include those in your request, whether in the message, an attached file, or a screenshot. They definitely won't help us solve your issue, but sending them could expose them to eyeballs with no right to view them!)
Include URLs
What's a URL? It's a web page's address. If you’re having trouble on a particular page, including a URL helps us zoom in on the issue more accurately. If you tell us that you’re “having trouble with student charges”, we’ll have to ask for examples. But write in with “This student was overcharged, and for the wrong fees, to boot,” we have a specific instance of your problem to dig into.
Pictures Tell a Thousand Words
Lots of times, we can’t see exactly what you can. Screenshots can provide us with important details about your issue. Depending on your device, you should have the ability to take screenshots and attach them to your support requests. Look up the instructions for taking screenshots on Windows or Mac, memorize them, or make a cheat sheet. To that end, this website may come in handy.
AI Barfs out a Thousand Words
Please don't use AI to compose support requests. We need to know what you have observed, not what a robot thinks might have happened. AI routinely invents details and presents hallucinations as conclusions. A good 95% of the information in an AI-generated request is worthless. You're not a robot, and neither are any of us—so don't waste your time using them to generate support requests!
Don’t Agonize
All that said, don’t worry about getting it perfect. “Perfect is the enemy of the good enough,” goes another proverb—if it’s a choice between letting us know about your issue or holding off until you have everything nailed down, we’ll take the first each and every time! Just send in the request and the ball will start rolling. If we need more from you, we’ll ask.
This is our Pleasure
Whatever the condition or completeness of your request, we’re in the problem-solving business and we want to help you solve yours. That’s our demeanor towards all your requests, so approach us in that confidence that we really are happy to hear from you.
0 Comments