OH and thanks for asking how I am, I’m doing pretty good thanks. Still trying to get my business into the next gear though. I believe I’m still in neutral, so when I can get into 1st it’ll be party time I think!

Thanks
Mark

It’s been a while since i have had any exchange of thoughts with you Mark, so i thought i would just send you a few lines to let you know that i have been following your posts for a few months now, and find the majority of them informative and helpful, and well as amusing.

Keep up the good work, and I hope everything is going well for you.

Lee.

I love support desks, and it really doesn’t cost you a fortune to setup! AskMarkNow.com is powered by TicketDeskPro and it does what it’s meant to do! There are some FREE ones around, and some that cost a lot, but have some more advanced features!

Look at it this way, I’ve replied to every comment made here, and I try to do that most of the time anyway! If someone emails you, posts a comment…anything, I always like to send them a reply. (Most of the time anyway, there are the odd times when I’d rather not!)

Again Dave, thanks for the comment!

Thanks
Mark

Good point there, I also have the same problems and it’s even more frustrating when I get an email from somebody saying I have ignored them, I have spent a lot of time and money implementing support, not just to filter the emails but to ensure people get through to me and vica versa, last week I got an email from a girl asking why I never replied to her last email, I checked and I did reply but obviously the email never got through, so I then sent the same email from 9 separate email accounts on 3 different servers, I still never got through but hey, you can’t say I never tried! At least the support desk always gets through to people!

Dave.

If you aren’t able to get an answer, then what does it say in the product. – That is a question you will probably never know, I say that because the product could be AMAZING but their customer service lacks! (Result; well probably a lost customer!)

@ Dan – Now that was a smart idea mate, and something I’ve kinda done but not actually noticed what I was doing. Let me explain, I’ve contacted a few big people before (Using their helpdesk!) about something but never thought about checking out their response time!

All these comments are really appreciated, and if anyone has something else to add, then please do submit a comment!

Thanks
Mark

I explain that before I invest with them I am testing response times for support. I know some product owners might get a bit ticked off having to reply to this, but I do explain that the lack of support is my #1 pet peeve, and if they want my business I would just like to know what the actual response time is.

Now I don’t do this with $7.00 products…lol but I don’t wish to throw my hard earned bucks away either…..

Point being is: If I cannot get an answer in two to three working days, they don’t get my business.

Is this wrong or am I just a old stick in the mud that an owner would think..”better off without this guy”?

As for support and a time frames, I used to check email every couple of hours. This like you say is a waste of time, as you may get one or too emails. I now check email every 12 – 24 hours around twice per day is enough.

I have submitted a lot of tickets in my time to some of the most respected marketers around the world. I did it to research my own help desk duties and try to find the best happy medium for myself and the sender. 12 – 24 is an excellent response time and I find guys have no issues with this time frame. It also gives the sender the time to figure problems out on their own and get back to you to say they have figured the issue out, which is always a good thing.

@ Peggy – Why wouldn’t I respond to you now?! I’d even prefer something just saying thanks, at least you know everything is sorted or finished!

@ Daniël de Mos – The worst thing when you have a helpdesk, is not responding to any new tickets within something like 24 hours. Now even if you don’t work weekends, as long as you mention that then nobody can complain really.

Support can make or break you business!

@ Dan – (Yeah, it did start wian an A!) Thanks for the comment, it’s really appreciated! I don’t mind receiving emails for support, and by that they have either replied to a broadcast I’ve just sent them or used my support@ email address. I would prefer them to use the helpdesk, but I can always point them in that direction for the next time they wish to contact me.

The part I don’t like is being ignored by people when you send them an email. I mean, I’ve talked to you via email a while back and you never left me puzzled… ‘OH, is Dan actually going to reply?!’

I agree with the fact that if you aren’t receiving any emails then something is usually going on! I check my emails far too many times a day, and 60% of the time I haven’t actually received any new ones. (The time all adds up!)

Once adgain, thanks for all the comments!

Thanks
Mark