Supporting Acts
With the launch of RapidWeaver, we've changed a few pieces of the jigsaw here at Realmac HQ. One that is of most interest to our users is how we're handling support. Previously, we received all support requests through the HelpDesk and we felt this could use minor tweaks.
We've also significantly improved the documentation for RapidWeaver 4.0 so if you're looking for an in-depth guide to RapidWeaver, be sure to check the Support page to download the new manual in PDF form. You can even pick up a printed edition of the manual (shown below) via Lulu.
As a small independent Mac developer, we can't offer telephone support (and few large software companies still do) - nor do we have a small army of Support Ninjas to reply through our helpdesk around the clock. So what did we look for, when trying to hit support nirvana?
- We needed to enable access to each ticket by any member of the Realmac team: at any time. Previously, we auto-assigned tickets to the Ninja in around 99% of cases. Whilst that worked, the to-and-fro nature of ticket assignment was an overhead compared to the unrestricted access that all of us have to a forum.
- We needed to offer as much visibility - something a walled-garden HelpDesk doesn't offer. As a small company, we need to ensure that we're clearly visible on our support areas when we're helping customers and that's especially important when you consider the next item...
- We needed to offer customers a way to find help in the hours we're not in the office. A knowledge-base is a great resource, however when run in tandem with a forum (as it used to be) the two resources conflict: the aim of any support material is to make it easy to find, or rather: as centralised as possible - and that's the raison d'etre for the new Support page.
So, what does it mean for support now?
In short, we chose to move away from HelpSpot and handle support via a dedicated Technical Support forum. We're still reachable via other means, however the Technical Support forums are the place for all technical support - and they’re closely watched by everyone at Realmac. They sit along side the previous forums which are now the Realmac Community Forums, where the community discusses absolutely everything RapidWeaver-related. If you're not already a member why not register and 'join the family'!
About the Author: Nik is the PR Ninja here at Realmac Software, spending his time telling the world about RapidWeaver.
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