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I can't get my game to work |
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Dealing with Helpdesks/Technical Support Departments |
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Contact Method Some game publishers have excellent telephone support, some you get an answerphone and huge queues. Some publishers respond to email within 48 hours, some take 4 weeks. There is no best way to contact a publisher's helpdesk, but here are some guidelines: 1. Telephone. Pros: You can get an instant solution. You can ask questions of the operator. They can interrogate you, eliminating any misunderstanding. The operator can talk you through tricky solutions. Cons: You can be stuck in a queue for ages. It is the most expensive method of getting help. The hours are usually only normal business hours, which means it may be difficult to call from in front of your PC. It may take a long time to get all the information from you on your PC specification, driver versions etc. Publishers would prefer it if people didn't 'phone. On average an operator can deal with 5 times as many emails as telephone calls. 2. Email Pros: It takes less time to ask for help. You can send your entire PC's spec as an attachment to your email. You can receive back precise and detailed instructions which you can follow at your leisure. You can email at any time. It costs practically nothing. You can attach screenshots to illustrate your problem. Cons: You can be waiting a long time for a reply, with no way of knowing when it's coming. If the problem
needs to be clarified, you may have to wait for a reply that just asks more questions. Emails do get lost
occasionally. If you are inexperienced you may have trouble following the instructions. 3. Fax If you have access to a fax machine, you surely have access to email. If so use email, you'll get a quicker response. If you don't, you're better off calling, so only use a fax in the complete absence of other alternatives. 4. Letter Forget it. If your problem is not urgent enough to merit calling, emailing or faxing then don't expect the Helpdesk to treat it with any urgency. Recommendations The first recommendation is to ensure that you've gone through all the troubleshooting steps outlined here. It may seem quicker to just pick up the telephone and get an answer, but if you're stuck in a queue for 20 minutes where has that actually got you? I would recommend sending an email first and if you have no response after 48 hours (ignoring weekends) chase it up with a telephone call. If you're using the telephone a) You MUST be in front of your PC with it turned on and in a running state. In 80% of cases the Helpdesk operator will need to find out some information from your PC. He can't do this if it's in another room, switched off or having just crashed. Make his job easier and you'll get your problem solved more quickly. b) The game should be installed, but not running. If the operator wants you to run the game, he'll ask you. c) Have a pen and paper handy. You may be given website URL's or other information that you need to write down. If you disappear for five minutes looking for a pen, you may find yourself cut off when you get back. d) Don't moan about the game to the operator. He's not interested in your opinion. He just wants to solve your problem and get to the next person in the queue. State the game you are having trouble with and what the problem is. Leave out any other information, these are busy people and you'll just be delaying someone else in the queue. If the operator needs more information he'll ask you. Especially avoid meaningless prattle such "I bought this game for my Son's 10th Birthday from HMV in Colchester". All very interesting for you, but completely useless information for the operator. If you're using email If you're emailing you want to make sure that you are at the top of the queue. I know for a fact that emails are answered by many companies at the operator's discretion. If you make it difficult to answer your mail or you annoy the operator, you may go to the bottom of the queue and receive an answer much later than you would otherwise have done. a) Remember to state which game you are having problems with. Obvious you'd think, but you would be surprised how many people forget this. b) Make sure that your return email address is valid. One publisher told me that they get at least 10 emails everyday bounce back due to invalid return addresses. c) Clearly state what the problem is, where it is being experienced and, if there are any error messages, EXACTLY what they are. Don't include screenshots of the error message if it can be clearly written. d) Include a text version of your Dxdiag. This can be produced by clicking on the 'save all information' button. e) State what steps you have taken to try to solve the problem so far. Helpdesk Operators are not mind readers and may offer advice for something you've already tried. f) There are so many things that you shouldn't include, I've produced a separate table. Remember if you annoy or irritate the Operator you may go 'under green' (a phrase used by a publisher I know for those customers who were bumped down to the bottom of the queue). You could argue that being the customer you should receive the same treatment regardless, but remember you're dealing with human beings who deal with constant complaints and problems - who can blame them if they react occasionally.
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