how do you prefer support be done?
 

How do you prefer support for software, hosting, designers, etc be performed? Ticket system, emails, or ICQ?

live chat

I think a ticket system is the most efficient. Customers aren't crazy about it because they want "live support" but I would definitely say that in the big picture, tickets are better.

Me personally, very rarely do I want to talk live unless I have a lot of variable questions. If everything is cut and dry... "I need this and this"... tickets are best. It's like the difference between a phone call and a text message. Why bother with the chitchat and waiting when you can send a message and move on to the next thing?

I'm thinking of getting kayako or something to use as a ticket system for my clients. I've been doing this all via ICQ and email and its defiantely far from efficient.

depends on if i just want something done or have a question - but i prefer to always talk to the same person, therefore i dislike tickets cause i never know who will work on it. sometimes with tickets and a support crew behind it you have to explain the same thing over and over again - and i HATE that.

not ticket systems

Email, eventually instant messaging. Dont like ticket systems at all.

Easy solution to that is requesting who you want to speak with. :-)

I know where you are coming from, and I do that all the time. Particularly with hosting. There are certain techs who know what I want and how I do things, I always request them. Works perfect.

Completely agree on all points.
:thumbsup

:2 cents::thumbsup
I completely agree

Live chat/ICQ

Instant Messengers

ticket system or email for support.
email or icq for talking to a rep.

Interesting results here. I actually expected ticket system to lose greatly to ICQ but alot of people seem to like them.

I suppose it's good, they can look over in an archive to read up on something they may have forgotten how to do, easy to manage from my end...definately something ill have to look into.

Anyone know any good software? I'm hearing alot about kayako.

Check out osticket.com. I have used it for quite a while and love it.

I like the ticket system.


:thumbsup

On both the giving and getting end, I like live and then email.

Support 101, offer fucking everything.

There should be no individual way of doing support as people like to communicate different ways.

For some reason people take customer support as the last thing into consideration. These are your customers, they want to contact you because they have legitimate questions.

LIVE/PHONE/EMAIL/IM

there is no other answer. dont have some of these things? you are blowing leads everyday.

Not to mention customers/users will come into support and give you feedback on any bugs they see etc.

eventually you end up with a script because you already know what people will ask over time, then u expand out with multiple reps. Every lead is a possible 100 via word of mouth alone.

It's harder to claim a "technical problem" with a ticket system than it is ICQ ("I never got your messages") or email ("Maybe my spam filter blocked it?").

i just want it to be done period

ticket system or email = often getting jerked around for days, both parties spend an hour emailing back and forth
icq/phone = instant support, issue resolved in 10 mins

Depends on what the issue is... Server down etc. I want live support.. For the majority of things I like a ticket system.

I haven't liked anything I have tested including Kayako. A ticket/live operator combination that organizes all chat logs and ticket history in a way where support reps can quickly see what was said by others so clients are not stuck asking the same questions a dozen times and it will appear to the customer you remember them if you talk about previous conversations in responses. Even if it is just you it will give you a history you can see at a glance so you remember everything. I like a lot about ChatStat as far as live support goes. You can even use ICQ in their system.

You should build one and sell licenses... I think you would sell quite a few of them.

+1 for Live Help / Live Chat.

Tickets for tracking waht can NOT be solved via live chat ( preferably Skype )

you are in adult industry :) for sure

Yeah...I've been looking around and I'm starting to think i'm gonna end up having to make my own. Everything is counter-intuative and has too many useless features to pad out the 'features' list on the sales website which really just complicate the admin area.

I like a system that gives me a reasonable expectation that support is being given impartially and not prioritized based on how whiny a little bitch someone is.

That's why I prefer a ticket system, not because it helps me get support faster, it doesn't. But because it assures me somewhat that while I'm waiting for an answer to a ticket I submitted a week ago there isn't some antsy little fuckhead hammering the support guy with ICQ's for his 5 minutes old problem, and getting all the love while I watch dust collect in my inbox.

Exactly what I have found.

I know you could come up with something good. If the price is reasonable I would buy a license and I am sure many others would here too. You could also get a lot of "mainstream" interest and a lot more potential clients...

Chris has one for his clients that seems to work well if you want to hit him up for more info on it.

Well, yes I am. There are times when, from the perspective of somebody giving support, where email is better because something is indepth and needs to be read, digested and then replied back to with a lot of thought.

However, often people just want an answer and you can do that more quickly live. Also, it is good for those times when somebody needs to be stepped through whatever help you are giving them.

LOL... typical programmer response... Just go with osticket... Many use it and so it's familiar... Your time is better spent on paying tasks.

If you're asking for your business, you always promptly reply to emails and get things done regarding your Mech Bunny tube script so I am happy with email support.

If you're talking overall, I prefer a ticket system with an ICQ# available for urgent matters.

If i do with a prewritten one, it definately won't be osticket. Already tried it and I just didn't like it and didn't feel comfortable and efficient inside there.

Yeah, asking for my own business. Thats pretty much what I do now...when poeple icq me with small questions or issues, handle it there and if its something bigger that I can't deal with right away then i ask them to email me because it's too easy for me to forget icqs. I leave emails marked unread until I can get to them. However, the problem with this is sometimes i accidently click the email, mark it unread and then it gets lost in the pile. Hense, thinking of a ticket system. I always secretly hated them, but from the looks of things people prefer it over email.

I like Kayako a lot. People email in, nicely organized and answer emailed out. Priority levels, departments/sections plus it helps you build a searchable knowledgebase.

Beaing a one man show, you can grow to a certain size, but then single handed operations come to a point where it just needs to be more structured. Especially since you include support in the MB script, I think people would be happy with tickets. And besides, Kayako will take emails, create tickets out of them, you answer in Kayako and the script emails out. So the customer still see "email support".

Try it, you might like it! :)

Tickets. Any sort of volume and IM is just impossible to deal with.