[Discuss] Support Request Template Generator

[Marshalrusty]

The Support Team is currently testing an automated generator for the Support Request Template. This tool will make providing the Support Team with basic setup information even easier.

Please use this topic to discuss possible alteration/additions to the generator for clarity and user friendliness. iWisdom is leading the SRT generator project, so please direct any questions at him.

As I'm sure that this will be suggested, we currently do not wish to make the tool submit a topic directly to the Support Forum.



Please use the Support Forum for support requests; do not post them in this topic.

[Dog Cow]

Some suggestions:

- Perhaps making the [?] tips as smaller text beneath the legend, rather than having the user click them (which some users may not know about).

- "How did you install your board?" Maybe this could be changed to "Who installed your board?" I did / Someone else did

- Formally, 'Install' is a verb, not a noun. If formal English is preferred, then perhaps it would be prudent to correct the instances where it is being used incorrectly to 'Installation' instead.

- I don't know if these are any use, but maybe two additional fields could be added for "What do you think the problem is?" and "Have you attempted to fix the problem yourself? If so, what did you do?"

[narqelion]

Step in the right direction...but

As I'm sure that this will be suggested, we currently do not wish to make the tool submit a topic directly to the Support Forum.

If you don't make it mandatory it really won't be any more useful than the current SRT. Just speaking from my own personal experience as IB support staff I think it should be the default New Topic template for support forum posts. Not only does it reduce the # of questions that have to be asked over and over it forces the poster to think about what they are asking and if they are even asking in the correct forum. We used a similar tool in an old pre-commercial/Invision support site and it worked very well. Good step forward though.

[ToonArmy]

[...] I think it should be the default New Topic template for support forum posts.

phpBB doesn't have topic templates I think the plan is to require the generated SRT's after we have any problems ironed out.

[narqelion]

phpBB doesn't have topic templates

But it could with just a few tiny little changes...

I think the plan is to require the generated SRT's after we have any problems ironed out.

What does "require" mean? Asking the poster to fill it out the same way they are directed to the current SRT?

[iWisdom]

phpBB doesn't have topic templates

But it could with just a few tiny little changes...

We try to run phpbb.com with as little modification as possible.

I think the plan is to require the generated SRT's after we have any problems ironed out.

What does "require" mean? Asking the poster to fill it out the same way they are directed to the current SRT?

It means that we will not address support issues which do not utilize the template.

[some blind fool]

may i suggest adding questions about if the board was recently updated, and if so, what the old version of the board was, and which update package was used?

[Lumpy Burgertushie]

I fully understand about wanting to keep phpbb.com as clean and vanilla as possible.
However, the point is to provide support in the most efficient way possible.
I like the idea of this generator, but I think it should be mandatory and post directly to the support forum.
You can put one in the styles forum as well.

I had the MOD for phpbb2 that does this on one of my old boards and it worked very well.


robertr

[onehundredandtwo]

The generator isn't really a part of phpBB anyway, it's just on phpBB.com. Notice that the actual generator is in the /support directory and not /community, so it isn't really a MOD anyway.

[iWisdom]

It's written on top of phpBB, as is the rest of the site.

[RMcGirr83]

Clicking on the little ? thingy, the popup box does not disappear after mouseout so then can't read the rest of the questions without refreshing.

[narqelion]

Yes, you have to click on the ? a second time to close the pop up text.

[RMcGirr83]

IMHO, should be a mouseover mouseout.

[narqelion]

agree.

[Mudjosh]

This has to be the dumbest thing ever. I'm sorry. Not all issues require all this information..

The issue I have has been happening since I opened the forum half a year ago with a phpbb 3.0.2 I have since upgraded and added mods to it. So hardly any of the material could be used for it is hard to answer accurately.

Why do I need to fill this out before I receive any support? This should be optional for better service. Support should be personalized. Different issues require different questions and should be handled differently.

That is my 2 cents. Doubt it counts for much on this forum though.