In this second post in our Help Us Help You series, we would like to provide a refresher on “best practices” for submitting a support ticket to our Solution Engineers. In order to best assist you, we often need to gain a better understanding of the problem encountered.

When reporting issues or requesting assistance, it is ideal to have the following information prepared:

• A list of the specific steps that can be taken to reproduce the problem (or a detailed description of the situation you are trying to resolve).
• Screenshots, where applicable, highlighting any errors received or problems encountered.

A number of tools are available to obtain screenshots. In addition to third party software, your computer should have screen capture functionality available. To capture a full screen in Microsoft Windows, you can simply press the Prt Scn option on your keyboard (press Alt + Prt Scn to just capture the active window). The screen capture will automatically be placed in your clipboard so that it can be pasted (Ctrl-V) into an email or document.

Windows Vista and Windows 7 also include a utility called the “Snipping Tool” that allows you to take screenshots (called snips) of a free-form area, and annotate if desired. The tool can be found by opening the Windows->All Programs->Accessories Option from the Windows Start Menu.

Once the tool is open, you can click and drag to select a portion of the active screen for capture. The captured image will be displayed in the Snipping Tool Window where it can be annotated or simply copied/pasted into an email or document and sent to support@maintenanceconnection.com.

Let’s walk through an example of a customer wanting assistance with a login issue:

• Problem: One of our technicians is getting this message when she tries to log into MC:
  

• But when I look at her member record, she shows as “Approved”:
  

• Please let me know what could be causing this…
  

In the above example, this information would allow the Solutions Engineer to determine that the user record has been locked in the Password Management Tool, and provide instructions for resetting the record:

It should be noted that if you have difficulty capturing screens or just prefer to demonstrate the issue you are encountering, you can always schedule a web conference with a Solutions Engineer.

New Tools Coming from Zendesk

In an effort to enhance your customer service experience, we will soon be piloting a new tool that will allow you to submit tickets directly through Zendesk. This tool will give you access to a Screencast Feature, allowing you to create a quick screen video to demonstrate the problem you are experiencing. In addition, you will have the ability to check the status on your tickets so that you are kept as informed as possible!

As noted in MC User Connect and a previous blog post, Maintenance Connection has implemented a new Ticket Management System to enhance our efficiency and ability to communicate effectively with customers. Zendesk, the chosen new system, includes numerous new automated processes and provides a more consolidated support tool, regardless of the source of the incident (phone, chat or email). Now that Zendesk is up and running, we would like to share some information as to how this change might affect you.

Email Confirmations
The most apparent change for customers will be the email exchange on a support request. When a customer opens a support request (through chat, phone or email), a confirming email will be sent from the MC Solution Center, indicating that a ticket has been opened.  If the request was submitted through email, the message will indicate that we will endeavor to respond within 15 minutes.

When a Solution Engineer responds to an open request, an email from the MC Solution Center will be sent indicating that the request has been updated, providing a solution or requesting additional clarification. In the following example, Adam O’Brien is responding to a request from a customer asking if there is a “way to reorder field columns when you are looking at a report, without having to go back to setup?”

In this example, Adam uses a new tool available within Zendesk to provide a quick video/screencast demonstrating how this can be done in the MC Reporter. Click here to view the video Adam created for this ticket to get a feel for the value of this kind of support tool.

Anytime you require more information or wish to further communicate with the Support Team, you simply reply to the email and type your new information at the top. This will ensure that the email dialog on the issue is consolidated in Zendesk for easy access and reference.

Resolved Issue Confirmation

When an issue is resolved through chat, email, or phone, the MC Solution Center will send out a confirming email indicating that the ticket was resolved. You can reply to the email within seven days to have the issue “re-opened” and ensure the Solution Engineer with whom you worked is made aware that you have a continuing issue.

Better Analytics for MC

This new tool also provides Maintenance Connection with excellent analytics to help us manage the support process and ensure we are serving our customers well. For example, the following chart indicates the resolution time on the previous week’s support incidents:

While this chart shows the percentage of tickets that we were able to resolve in less than two hours:

Next Week…

Stay tuned next week for a blog highlighting how you can best prepare your request to the MC Support Team to ensure the quickest and best resolution!

In this final post in the series on our support services, we will discuss the process in place for customers to offer suggestions for product functionality and features. When you contact a Solutions Engineer with a problem or challenge, we work hard to identify capabilities available within our existing software that will address your needs. While we always endeavor to find an available solution, there are times when the functionality you desire is not included in our current offering. When this occurs, we create a Product Suggestion on your behalf, ensuring that this functionality is considered for a future release.

The suggestions received from customers are reviewed by our Product Development Team on a weekly basis to ensure they are properly evaluated and prioritized. Suggestions received from multiple customers and those that we perceive will provide the greatest benefits are given the highest priority to ensure they are considered for an upcoming release.

As an example, we have received a number of requests to provide functionality that would allow a user to tie a work order to multiple assets. Although this functionality is supported through procedures with the “link to multiple assets” functionality, customers have indicated that they would also like the ability to link to multiple assets dynamically, while in the process of creating or editing the work order. When a suggestion such as this is first received, a new Product Suggestion is created and the appropriate customer is listed. If additional customers offer the same suggestion, they are added to the original Product Suggestion and any additional comments are entered.

A Product Suggestion such as this is considered valuable to a broad segment of our customer base, so it is prioritized highly (“Top Development Priority”) to ensure its consideration for inclusion in the next product release.

Our customers are enthusiastic about making product suggestions, so we have a healthy collection of ideas for consideration with each new version. If you are looking for functionality not currently offered in Maintenance Connection, be sure to contact a Solutions Engineer to ensure your idea is recorded in a Product Suggestion!