If you’re stumped with a problem or question when using a product, how do you figure it out? Do you read the instruction manual or online help section? Do you contact customer service directly? Do you “crowdsource” or post on a forum like Twitter that is unrelated to the product?
How do you seek help, and why do you take that route? Do you find your answer?
Michael
on 29 Dec 08First I check the help/owner’s manual, searching if possible. Then, I Google the problem. Then, I call the company.
Brian Jones
on 29 Dec 08Google.
qwerty
on 29 Dec 08There is no general answer for me, it really depends on the product that I am using and what I judge to be the most effective way of getting help. This depends on the perceived quality of the available documentation, who I know who also uses the product, whether I am on the mailing list, and so on. I also might look into the source code. Generally it is not a bad idea to take an error message and to search for it on Google.
PS: This sounds like a homework question.
Brandon Konkle
on 29 Dec 08I seldom pick up an instruction manual, and contacting customer service is a last resort. My first instinct is to check online help, and then next I’ll shift to Google to see if others have experienced the issue. Depending on the time sensitivity, I may post on a forum or group that appears active and related to the topic. Only with the failure of those efforts do I turn to customer service.
Anonymous Coward
on 29 Dec 08Google
Nick P.
on 29 Dec 08Sarah,
Just ask your question and we might be able to help you – asking how we solve problems is too round-about of a way. :-)
Tim Jahn
on 29 Dec 08I almost always go online first to search for help. If I can’t find help there, I’ll try friends/Twitter/contacts. If that doesn’t work, I usually try to contact the customer service directly.
Kris
on 29 Dec 08Normally check help manual first, then online resource. If nothing quick there, then I do Google searches until I find what I need. Last resort is contacting directly… so slow and painful.
deime
on 29 Dec 08If I’m paying for the product involved, I read the faq then contact the customer service if I don’t find my answer.
Else, there’s Google… And if I don’t find my answer, I probably get angry and leave…
Randy Hunt
on 29 Dec 08I am an expert Goolger, so whenever I have a question, that’s the first place I turn.
Iolaire McFadden
on 29 Dec 08I search then post on a forum after a Google search. I prefer to ask in public rather than a ticket since it lays a history that others can use.
SH
on 29 Dec 08@nick, Sorry to disappoint, but there’s no gotchya moment here and I don’t have a question for you. I’m genuinely curious about how people solve problems.
Lincoln Rozelle
on 29 Dec 08Google. Or this site: http://tinyurl.com/7a498q
Jim
on 29 Dec 08JFGI.
Joshua Blankenship
on 29 Dec 08First instinct is Google/search (site-specific search/FAQ wins over Google for relevance). Second instinct is crowdsourcing, because generally-speaking, a Twitter post will get 4-5 results within a few minutes. If that fails, I contact the company/developer.
Arnþór Snær
on 29 Dec 08It depends on the product/problem/manufacturer.
If it is a problem I think the manufactures can’t have foreseen I google quickly and then go to company forum and then try to dig around on specialists sites/forums.
If I am trying to do something that I know is not a mainstream case, I don’t try the manufacturer (manual/offical forum), but go straight to google/specialists forums.
If I have a problem/question with my new “expensive hardware toy” I go to the manual. But if it’s the new “expensive software toy” I google.
I try customer service when something breaks, rarely sooner.
For example, before reading this article I was trying to update my DNS settings with a DNS hosting company (remove stuff from the config). Their nameservers were not updating to reflect my changes. I checked out the FAQ briefly and then filed a support ticket.
Hope this helps.
-A
Neil
on 29 Dec 08It depends. If I couldn’t figure out a problem initally, I’ll usually give it another go. If I still can’t figure it out, I should by this time know if it’s something that’s wrong with my understanding or something that’s wrong with the product.
If it’s my own misunderstanding, I’ll first try to ask people I know who either use this product or might know something about it. If there’s no such person/people, I’ll do a search on Google.
If the problem is with the product, it depends on the severity of the problem. If it’s a “configuration” type problem, I’ll search the product site for a FAQ or other self-help info. For more severe issues, I’ll just go straight to a “contact us” page and call.
Douglas Neiner
on 29 Dec 08Use their help section first, then Google.
Rob H
on 29 Dec 08I’ll Google the problem I’m having, if I can’t find the answer in the owners manual. If googling turns up no results, I’ll go to the products support forums. If that doesn’t help, I’ll finally contact the company.
I always try to correct the problem myself before contacting the company. It’s a lot easier this way.
R
John Aughey
on 29 Dec 08I will often start to write up a help request in an e-mail or forum posting and in the process of writing that request the answer will become apparent. When asking for help, you often need to collect enough debugging and other information in the post. The process of forming the question in a way that someone else can understand is usually what is needed to re-form the question in my own head. If not, that send button is right there.
Alejandro Moreno
on 29 Dec 08At work, searching for some JavaScript technique that I’ve forgotten, I just google it. Sometimes I go to famous JS bloggers’ sites and search there.
At home I’m a Linux guy, so I start by looking at the app’s homepage, then google, then specific forum search.
In short, if I think I know where to look, I do that. If that fails, I google it. If that fails, I google it again, but with a relevant site:[URL] keyword :)
Brannon McAllister
on 29 Dec 08I immediately Google the terms that I think will provide some help page or crowd-sourced forum online. “How to fix a …”, “error 23423 toshiba” or whatever…
vinnie
on 29 Dec 08Google’s my first stop and usually my last. After that I get in touch with friends who may know what’s going on with the issue.
Forums/twitter/etc are generally the last place I turn to unless it’s a search result Google gave me.
pwb
on 29 Dec 08Google for the answer or Google for the manual. FixYa is getting better. Yahoo Answers showing up more frequently.
Dylan
on 29 Dec 08I wasn’t sure how to answer this so I googled it.
scott Miller
on 29 Dec 08i always try and call the company. kinda weird these days, but i am always curious about how the company handles people-to-people interactions. also gives me clues about their business model.
sidenote: time and again, best phone support i receive is from Apple.
Mike Riley
on 29 Dec 08It depends on whether this is a product I’m using at work or at home. If I’m using a product for personal reasons, I usually just defer to the company I purchased it from and rely on them to clear up whatever the problem may be. If I’m using some kind of product at work then I usually feel like whatever issues I’m encountering are my fault because I should understand my tools of the trade inside and out, so I google / investigate / problem solve until I really know what I’m doing.
David
on 29 Dec 08This is a question we have thought a lot about as it relates to web based applications. First it really depends on the audience, more technical people are very willing to turn to Google, search FAQs, etc. However if you look at the population as a whole they want an answer right away.
As a result if you offer phone support, people will use it as it is easy. In looking at the problem we are evaluating inline help techniques much more or what I call passive help.
Ste
on 29 Dec 08Always Google. It’s almost unheard of that you don’t find a solution or at least some helpful information within the first page or two of results.
Chuck
on 29 Dec 08My usual routine:
1. Google (Might turn up the online help, might turn up something better)
2. Official docs (Hey, maybe they do have the answer and Google just didn’t prioritize them right)
3. Randomly bang on the problem just so I can be sure I’ve exhausted my options before bothering other people — sometimes an epiphany comes at this point
4. User forums/mailing lists
5. Official technical support (This is usually such a time-waster there’s no way I’d do it first)
Ryan
on 29 Dec 08Generally, I first Google for a solution (if it’s something that makes sense to Google). That usually turns up any forums, blog posts, etc related to my issue.
Then I’ll try customer service. If I don’t find it there, it’s safe to say I’m no longer a customer (or if I have to stick it out, then I’m a frustrated customer with no solution).
Instruction manuals are not really in my list of things to check.
Harvrock
on 29 Dec 08This is generally one of my standard interview questions. It is amazing how many times people answer first, “I ask my boss”. An understandable answer, but (to oversimplify) not someone we’d want on the team.
Google is always my number one, before I cause a context switch on a peer who is busy into something.
Alex Morse
on 29 Dec 08I’ll try to find help in the manual, or built in help if it’s a software app. From there, google. Failing that, I may contact the company depending on the product, but I usually find myself running into the most obscure problem and have to solve it myself.
JoshuaRule
on 29 Dec 08It really depends on the problem.
If it’s pretty technical I am going to google the problem first.
If it seems like something easy and quick I will probably ask a friend.
If it seems just a bit past easy and not so quick I will go to the manual before bugging a friend.
I try to find the path of least resistance.
Jason
on 29 Dec 08Almost always google first. I’ve had more success with google than with any product manual, so keep going back. It points to other sources for me as well.
I don’t have a well-read blog or big twitter network, so can’t really “crowdsource” an answer.
Matt J.
on 29 Dec 08Google
luisgo
on 29 Dec 08To me it depends on a) how critical the service we are talking about is and b) previous experience with the provider.
A) If we are talking about an online service like basecamp, or any other service that I find critical, I am more likely to go straight to contacting the provider directly. That is unless previous experience tells me I should take a different route. If I absolutely must have the answer right away, I will probably look for contact information, dial the number or send the email and, while waiting for a reply jump on google, the provider’s site, etc. I don’t have that many followers on Twitter to make that a top alternative but I will use it b/c it’s quick, simple and cheap.
B) Previous experience is important. If I go to a provider’s FAQs and find answers there, even for simple stuff, I am likely to check that first and then contact or Google. If I go to FAQs or help sections and can’t find something quickly, it is unlikely that I’ll be coming back to it again. I have found I am very unforgiving towards inefficient support systems.
Make support systems friendly, uncluttered, responsive and dynamic. A technical tone can come across as snobby and not very friendly. A cluttered system shows little effort was put into designing something really focused on solving problems. Responsiveness helps solve the problem faster and better a user’s perception of how efficient the provider is at solving problems. Make it dynamic so important of frequent questions rise to the top.
Do NOT use support likes or systems to advertise. Try calling Comcast and notice how they some times use voice ads during what would normally be hold music or when you are transitioning from one step to the next. Even if hold time is necessary, pushing ads makes me feel like you are deliberately wasting my time by delaying the answer I’m calling for.
Joe Mako
on 29 Dec 08If I can not solve the issue on my own, or with a google search, and it is not a bug in the product, I will crowdsource on a forum/community focused on the product (either provided by the company, or built by users).
Jose Espinoza
on 29 Dec 08I google it up if I can’t find the information in the manual.
Time Waster
on 29 Dec 08I spam everywhere I can post (forums, unrelated blog posts, etc.) asking to plz send teh codez so I can fix it. My job is on the line. Extra points for bad grammar, punctuation and spelling. ;-)
Seriously however – Google is the first place to start to see if anyone else is having the issue. If that fails start in the manual looking for clues and use Google (or your favourite web search) to help you dig deeper into clues when the manual isn’t revealing decent information.
Lastly when resolved, post somewhere the solution if only so you can refer back to it when it happens again 8-9 months again down the road (which only happens if you don’t write it down).
Tilney
on 29 Dec 08As a former technical writer, I generally try to RTFM first. (I consider it a shout out to my tech writing peeps.)
If there is no FM to R (or the online help proves useless), Google is my next stop.
Crowdsourcing is my last stop, because I hate to waste people’s time with issues I can resolve on my own (or with the help of Google) by the time my friends have finished typing a solution.
But crowdsourcing is my first stop when I’m looking for trusted opinions about products or solutions I’m considering adopting (e.g., “What’s the best free email list management service out there, where best = most feature-rich with a clean web-based admin GUI?”).
DL
on 29 Dec 08I’m the guy that exhausts every possible avenue and resource before I ask anyone for help. I start with Google, then documentation and/or online help. I’ll try every possible scenario to see if I can figure it out without having to ask for help. I tend to wait longer than I should before asking for help and many times in the course of crafting my question I find the answer I was looking for. In the case of software I try to build a reproducible scenario, this either proves a bug, solves my problem or highlights a misunderstanding on my part.
In the case of something more tangible I’m inclined to see if I can “fix” it myself without support but if all else fails I’ll seek help via email. I hate phone calls but I LOVE the asynchronous nature of email.
Doug S.
on 29 Dec 08First I check the help files, though not very much because they’re rarely ever that helpful.
Next I hit up the regular sites I know that cover the topic, if that’s a no go I head to Google.
If I still can’t find the answer I post on one of a few forums where I know I can find helpful people.
If that doesn’t work I resort to Yahoo! Answers out of desperation.
If still no go, I surrender.
Chuck
on 30 Dec 08Google google google. I specifically look for forums, sites like techsmith or the new one by spolsky (cant think of the name)
Usually forums and those sites have the best answers. Expecially the back and forth that goes with it more than just a simple post.
Some blogs with high participation in the comments are just as good.
Nick P.
on 30 Dec 08@Sarah,
just joking around.
@Chuck stackoverflow.com
Andrew Timberlake
on 30 Dec 08It depends. If I’m working on something that has great documentation, I’ll usually use that first but I find that only really helps if I have a fair understanding of the solution and am just looking for the details.
If the problem is more complex, I’ll use Google to see if someone else has solved it already (which they usually have)
Finally, roll up the sleeves and really get the brain working and then (I’m getting better at this) publish the answer for others to find.
I almost never go to customer service unless something is completely outside of my domain of understanding.
C
on 30 Dec 081. Check the built-in help if possible. This will usually give me the most background on the problem if I find something
2. Google. I often use “site:abcinc.com” to find answers on vendor sites.
3. Twitter
4. Email/call customer service. Calling is usually more painful, so I email if possible unless it’s urgent.
This discussion is closed.