Comments for Chris Ilias' Blog http://ilias.ca/blog I still dream of Organon Mon, 14 May 2012 23:08:45 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Comment on Tips on how to deal with disgruntled users by Ian Thomas http://ilias.ca/blog/2012/05/tips-on-how-to-deal-with-disgruntled-users/comment-page-1/#comment-278768 Ian Thomas Mon, 14 May 2012 23:08:45 +0000 http://ilias.ca/blog/?p=566#comment-278768 > If you’re not having the same problem as the user, say so Agreed, but be careful about the packaging of this one so it doesn't come across as if you're disagreeing with the user and telling them the bug they're seeing doesn't exist. Ask for more information to try and identify what the difference is between your setup and theirs. Maybe it only happens on certain websites, platforms or with certain add ons? Screenshots can sometimes help if the user knows how to create one. If I'm trying to help someone on the phone and I can't reproduce their problem I'll ask them to talk me through everything they are doing in excruciating detail so I can do the same thing on my end. You'd be surprised how often one or other person makes an assumption about an intermediate step and for example the problem you're looking at only happens at http://example.com/ and not www.example.com. > If you’re not having the same problem as the user, say so

Agreed, but be careful about the packaging of this one so it doesn’t come across as if you’re disagreeing with the user and telling them the bug they’re seeing doesn’t exist. Ask for more information to try and identify what the difference is between your setup and theirs. Maybe it only happens on certain websites, platforms or with certain add ons? Screenshots can sometimes help if the user knows how to create one.

If I’m trying to help someone on the phone and I can’t reproduce their problem I’ll ask them to talk me through everything they are doing in excruciating detail so I can do the same thing on my end. You’d be surprised how often one or other person makes an assumption about an intermediate step and for example the problem you’re looking at only happens at http://example.com/ and not http://www.example.com.

]]> Comment on Tips on how to deal with disgruntled users by Archaeopteryx http://ilias.ca/blog/2012/05/tips-on-how-to-deal-with-disgruntled-users/comment-page-1/#comment-278763 Archaeopteryx Sat, 12 May 2012 15:02:16 +0000 http://ilias.ca/blog/?p=566#comment-278763 Reply templates are handy as long as they match the question asked. From other support forums I know contributors trying to answer every question with a reply template, giving the nickname 'the forum with the answers for questions I didn't ask' to these. Maybe stressed contributors should get motivated to reduce their commitment, it doesn't help anybody if they get unfriendly and reply unhelpful. (I can't speak about SUMO here because I am only interested in forums where I can manage/read all new threads in selected subforums.) Reply templates are handy as long as they match the question asked. From other support forums I know contributors trying to answer every question with a reply template, giving the nickname ‘the forum with the answers for questions I didn’t ask’ to these.

Maybe stressed contributors should get motivated to reduce their commitment, it doesn’t help anybody if they get unfriendly and reply unhelpful.

(I can’t speak about SUMO here because I am only interested in forums where I can manage/read all new threads in selected subforums.)

]]> Comment on Tips on how to deal with disgruntled users by skierpage http://ilias.ca/blog/2012/05/tips-on-how-to-deal-with-disgruntled-users/comment-page-1/#comment-278762 skierpage Sat, 12 May 2012 01:16:39 +0000 http://ilias.ca/blog/?p=566#comment-278762 Excellent points, I appreciate what you're doing. "Better yet, don’t mention it [whatever the user is doing wrong] at all until after you’ve solved their problem" So so true! Lead with what helps the user, and only then offer suggestions on how they can improve the process next time. "You did this wrong and left that out and ignored the basic whatever, but I'm so talented I'm able to help you anyway" just doesn't work, invert the order. The person with a problem hopes to get kudos for going through the support site or bugbase procedure; the helper feels unappreciated for dealing with n00bs. It's all SPage's law: “*Everyone* feels underappreciated, so lavish appreciation on others even though you won't get anything in return since you too are suffering under SPage's law.” Excellent points, I appreciate what you’re doing.

“Better yet, don’t mention it [whatever the user is doing wrong] at all until after you’ve solved their problem”

So so true! Lead with what helps the user, and only then offer suggestions on how they can improve the process next time. “You did this wrong and left that out and ignored the basic whatever, but I’m so talented I’m able to help you anyway” just doesn’t work, invert the order.

The person with a problem hopes to get kudos for going through the support site or bugbase procedure; the helper feels unappreciated for dealing with n00bs. It’s all SPage’s law:

“*Everyone* feels underappreciated, so lavish appreciation on others even though you won’t get anything in return since you too are suffering under SPage’s law.”

]]> Comment on Tips on how to deal with disgruntled users by James Napolitano http://ilias.ca/blog/2012/05/tips-on-how-to-deal-with-disgruntled-users/comment-page-1/#comment-278761 James Napolitano Fri, 11 May 2012 23:12:55 +0000 http://ilias.ca/blog/?p=566#comment-278761 >One good way to solve that is snippets that provide good detailed explanations, instructions, and links... You can find a list of canned responses to use on the Mozilla wiki. This would be super-useful with bugzilla. There is so much for new bug reporters and triagers to learn, yet the heavy bugzilla users are so sick of getting bug spam and hearing the same complaints over and over again that they don't (or don't have time to) explain things properly to them. New contributers often end up angry, ask "WTH? I thought I was supposed to help out!" and leave. >One good way to solve that is snippets that provide good detailed explanations, instructions, and links… You can find a list of canned responses to use on the Mozilla wiki.

This would be super-useful with bugzilla. There is so much for new bug reporters and triagers to learn, yet the heavy bugzilla users are so sick of getting bug spam and hearing the same complaints over and over again that they don’t (or don’t have time to) explain things properly to them. New contributers often end up angry, ask “WTH? I thought I was supposed to help out!” and leave.

]]> Comment on SeaMonkey Help is back…with screencasts! by mcsmurf http://ilias.ca/blog/2012/03/seamonkey-help-is-back-with-screencasts/comment-page-1/#comment-278757 mcsmurf Tue, 03 Apr 2012 12:23:17 +0000 http://ilias.ca/blog/?p=562#comment-278757 Great! Thanks for your help :-) Great! Thanks for your help :-)

]]> Comment on Firefox 4 Youtube HTML5 by A Look At Firefox 4 Beta’s Features | EssayBoard http://ilias.ca/blog/2011/03/firefox-4-youtube-html5/comment-page-1/#comment-278756 A Look At Firefox 4 Beta’s Features | EssayBoard Thu, 29 Mar 2012 22:39:54 +0000 http://ilias.ca/blog/?p=503#comment-278756 [...] Firefox 4 Youtube HTML5 (ilias.ca) [...] [...] Firefox 4 Youtube HTML5 (ilias.ca) [...]

]]> Comment on How to make Firefox use DuckDuckGo by Utiliser DuckDuckGo avec Firefox « Rorto's Blog http://ilias.ca/blog/2012/03/how-to-make-firefox-use-duckduckgo/comment-page-1/#comment-278753 Utiliser DuckDuckGo avec Firefox « Rorto's Blog Wed, 21 Mar 2012 10:19:52 +0000 http://ilias.ca/blog/?p=557#comment-278753 [...] Utiliser DuckDuckGo avec Firefox [...] [...] Utiliser DuckDuckGo avec Firefox [...]

]]> Comment on Need your help in the support forum by Greg http://ilias.ca/blog/2011/09/need-your-help-in-the-support-forum/comment-page-1/#comment-278752 Greg Mon, 19 Mar 2012 13:39:53 +0000 http://ilias.ca/blog/?p=537#comment-278752 I agree with Michael, most of the unanswered questions are those about bugs, features etc. Questions about more down-the-earth things are answered quite successfully as I can see. Anyway, thank you for starting the discussion and attracting people's attention to this problem, probably that can help. I agree with Michael, most of the unanswered questions are those about bugs, features etc. Questions about more down-the-earth things are answered quite successfully as I can see. Anyway, thank you for starting the discussion and attracting people’s attention to this problem, probably that can help.

]]> Comment on How to make Firefox use DuckDuckGo by Fred R http://ilias.ca/blog/2012/03/how-to-make-firefox-use-duckduckgo/comment-page-1/#comment-278749 Fred R Fri, 16 Mar 2012 17:24:20 +0000 http://ilias.ca/blog/?p=557#comment-278749 parameters ares usefull to change default languages when performing search https://duckduckgo.com/params.html For example results in french: https://duckduckgo.com/?kl=fr-fr&q= agree with https ! fred parameters ares usefull to change default languages when performing search
https://duckduckgo.com/params.html

For example results in french:
https://duckduckgo.com/?kl=fr-fr&q=

agree with https !

fred

]]> Comment on How to make Firefox use DuckDuckGo by Bryant http://ilias.ca/blog/2012/03/how-to-make-firefox-use-duckduckgo/comment-page-1/#comment-278745 Bryant Sat, 10 Mar 2012 21:10:27 +0000 http://ilias.ca/blog/?p=557#comment-278745 I'd recommend using the SSL version of DuckDuckGo if you're actually worried enough about privacy to want to switch from Google, which uses the following URL: https://duckduckgo.com/?q= I’d recommend using the SSL version of DuckDuckGo if you’re actually worried enough about privacy to want to switch from Google, which uses the following URL: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=

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