Earlier today the brand new support area officially went live!
This was a large undertaking that began last year with the following goals in mind:
- Allow users to search documentation for answers to their questions.
- Allow users to get answers to questions without waiting for contact form responses.
- Reduce the number of duplicate questions.
- Allow users to share sensitive information to support staff without sharing it to the world.
- Create an official one-stop location for future support and documentation.
There are many solutions out there for installing a support forum and getting up and running quickly. Ultimately I opted to follow the tradition of building all systems in house to keep thing light, stable, secure, and maintain full control. This 100% proprietary system is setup to allow for pushing out updates quickly and a range of future upcoming features.
Here are few (version 1) features I think you will like:
- Searches are filtered by plugin so you only get the results you are looking for.
- Every request, as well as response, includes a text-area for entering private information (only shared with the author and support administrators).
- Each request is tracked with a shown status so you know immediately if a request has been resolved.
- Anytime a response is added to your request, a simple email is sent to you with the update.
- Your “My Account” section now includes a list of all requests you have submitted and the status of each.
Luckily I have kept a good record of recent support requests, which allowed me to populate some initial threads from frequently asked questions. I look forward to supporting users through this new process.
Please enjoy this new support area!