"Online Tech Support-Your Safety "Net"- February 1996 Edition
Contact: Mike DiFrisco, Creative
Services Director, Financial Independence Network Limited
310 Second St., Boscobel WI 53805 Tel:(608)375-3100 e-mail:DebtFree01@aol.com
A few weeks ago, a very technically
savvy friend of mine had a hassle with a major software
company. He needed a minor upgrade to his $600 image
processing software, but on calling tech support, he was
told that the serial number he gave was registered to
someone 1,500 miles away. After numerous phone calls,
faxes, and a certified letter, he resolved the problem
and got his upgrade. I own the same package. I went home, got a hold of the companies support area on America Online, and downloaded the same upgrade. It took me less than ten minutes! You no longer have to wait for routine updates and questions-you can get them online. This also benefits the folks with urgent problems who really need to talk to a qualified technician.
First stop-your support documentation
I just purchased FileMaker Pro 3, a relational
database program from Claris. Along with their support
numbers, Claris provided me with a list of their online
forums. On Compuserve, "Go Claris" will get you
to their forum. On America Online and EWorld, the keyword
"Claris" will get you there. Claris even offers
its own Bulletin Board Service (408-987-7421.) I visited
the Claris center on AOL and found one area strictly
devoted to routine order taking and sales information.
Here I could register my software, download upgrades, and
order trade ups. An entire area was devoted to FileMaker
Pro support. User Bulletin boards have a distinct
advantage over conventional support-you get many others
to reflect on your problem, and sometimes experiences
users can come up with solutions even the tech support
folks aren't aware of (and the good ones will admit it.)
If your question is very basic, the "FAQ", or
frequently asked questions board, this is the first place
to go for help. The FAQ has become a staple of not only
tech support boards, but all special interest areas. It
keeps the boards from getting cluttered with the same
basic questions. If you feel that many have asked your
question, check the FAQ first.
Of course the software library is the heart and sole of
the support area. It's a one stop shopping center for
"incremental upgrades", "demos", and
"user templates". Incremental upgrades are
software revisions designed to fix "bugs" that
invariably creep up in a program. "Demos" are
working versions of programs designed to give you a feel
for their interface. You won't get something for nothing;
they'll have a feature that keeps you from using them
commercially (for instance, the FileMaker Pro demo I
downloaded would only take 25 records and would print a
"watermark", or banner across each page. )
"User Templates" are terrific utilities or
applications created by other users. For instance, I
intend to use FileMaker for church record keeping, and I
found a template designed for church administration. Many
of these are "shareware", or software obtained
on the honor system. If you use it, be sure to pay for
it!
Still looking for more cyber resources? Your next stop is
the software vendor's web site, if they have one. Many
can be accessed directly from the online service's
support center. To find them, simply type your product
name into an internet "search engine" (such as
Yahoo or Web Crawler) and you'll turn up vendor and
"third party" sights. It's easy to tell the
good sights from the also rans. As you make links via
your web search, you'll find the same links being
referred to on different pages. These are the sights you
want to visit. One caveat: if you plan to download files
on the net, you'll need a faster modem than you do with
an online service. Anything less than 14.400 bps is
painfully slow; 28,800 is better (I have a 19,200 modem
and still don't think it's fast enough.)
Time is money. It's an old cliche, but it's also a truth
that noone understands like the small businessperson. You
don't have time to wait for routine service. Conversely,
the person with a serious technical problem doesn't have
time to wait either. Online help saves everyone time, and
makes everyone more productive. Start taking advantage of
it today.