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(Archived) REQUEST: Post Evernote Support Request Solutions

jbenson2

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jbenson2

jbenson2 2,147

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Evernote Support handles hundreds of questions but unfortunately only the actual submitter sees the official response.

I'd like to see Evernote Support Request share this wealth of information and post solutions here in the appropriate forum topics.

Evernote staff could decide which ones are most useful. Even some of the more exotic questions would be interesting to some.

If the answers are published, it could increase the value of this forum, plus reduce the number of Support Requests.

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heather

heather 604

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We do post the solutions that are not "dangerous" - it's called the Knowledgebase.

There's a significant reason that we don't post the internal KB, because people may find something that they think is their issue and follow those steps, then end up causing irreparable damage to their account.

We've actually seen people who have followed instructions they've found on the internet that didn't apply to them (but were completely valid for someone else), contact us, said they followed them and are now complaining because all their data is now gone, and there's *nothing* we can do to get it back.

So while it may be a fun project, and it may seem like a neat thing to do, we prefer to err on the side of caution and only post externally the things that will not harm the integrity of our user database, and you'll even find notations in the KB where it says "contact Support" if it starts to get into the grey area.

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jbenson2

jbenson2 2,147

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We do post the solutions that are not "dangerous" - it's called the Knowledgebase.

Thanks for the fast response Heather. Frankly, you hit a sore spot with me . I think the Knowledgebase has been growing cobwebs over the past year or so. It's search function is terribly limited. And there no longer is anyone promoting the new Knowledgebase updates. The only changes I see are in the small type at the bottom of a subject with an update date.

There's a significant reason that we don't post the internal KB, because people may find something that they think is their issue and follow those steps, then end up causing irreparable damage to their account.

We've actually seen people who have followed instructions they've found on the internet that didn't apply to them (but were completely valid for someone else), contact us, said they followed them and are now complaining because all their data is now gone, and there's *nothing* we can do to get it back.

That is exactly why I suggested that Evernote staff could decide what to post and not to post.

So while it may be a fun project, and it may seem like a neat thing to do, we prefer to err on the side of caution and only post externally the things that will not harm the integrity of our user database, and you'll even find notations in the KB where it says "contact Support" if it starts to get into the grey area.

If people don't use the Knowledgebase (or can't due to the crippled search feature), in my opinion, you are just spinning your wheels posting information that few will ever see.

But I respect your decision.

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jbenson2

jbenson2 2,147

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Trust me, we've been trying to hire someone to spruce up our documentation area. It's not that easy to find people.

Interested?

http://jobvite.com/m?3NQXlfwF

Very interesting. Before I ran our marketing department, I used to handle documentation for our technical catalog.

Unfortunately the San Francisco lifestyle wouldn't fit for me.

.

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gazumped

gazumped 11,666

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Hmmn - @heather - case in point, I tabled a sharing tip earlier today because I couldn't find, or Google, any definitive information about Evernote sharing. Lots of users post their sharing queries in the Forum, having launched impossibly ambitious attempts to join colleagues or family into a collaboration network that you know is just doomed to crash and burn in short order. Largely because there's no definitive information out there telling them what's really possible and what is not.

I totally respect everything that Evernote is trying to achieve, and has achieved in developing an 'external brain', and I'd be lost without mine: but I completely agree with JB2 that you need to communicate more with your users. It's going to save you money - imagine the reductions in support queries and chat calls if you have a FAQ that works in the real world!

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gazumped

gazumped 11,666

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Hey that's really nice! Three things.. 1) I'm a long-time user and I never saw that before; 2) the searches I did didn't throw it up and 3)

then you can allow recipients to add and edit content in your notebooks

..doesn't quite convey that sharees can only edit existing notes, and can't add tags.

-and I got errors with the link too, but then found I had downloaded a PDF file!

edit: - and both the new links also give me new copies of the same file...

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GrumpyMonkey

GrumpyMonkey 4,319

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Invalid URL.

I agree with Heather about the difficulty involved in publishing support answers. I don't know of anyone who does this (I am talking here about specific instructions that go beyond the kind of general advice about searching, logging in, etc.). Perhaps, if someone could suggest a model for how this would work, then it might be helpful.

Of course, the KB is woefully out of date and wrong in places, but if it were maintained, then it would go a long ways towards answering the need for useful information.

EDIT: Typing on an iPhone, so I am pathetically far behind in the thread now...

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GrumpyMonkey

GrumpyMonkey 4,319

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:D

Now that I am back to banging my fists on the keyboard the conversation has died down. I have been working on a web page collecting together pearls of wisdom from all of you. There isn't much there yet, because the half hour or so that I spent on it exhausted all of my links! If any of you have links to brilliant posts from the forums that you could share with me, I will include them on the page as well.

http://www.princeton...unofficial.html

It's not at the level of a customer support solution, but it's a start!

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JMichaelTX

JMichaelTX 4,117

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I agree with Heather about the difficulty involved in publishing support answers. I don't know of anyone who does this (I am talking here about specific instructions that go beyond the kind of general advice about searching, logging in, etc.). Perhaps, if someone could suggest a model for how this would work, then it might be helpful.

Actually, both Microsoft and Apple have done this for years.

I often find one of their troubleshooting/diagnostic Knowledge Base articles when I Google for a problem I have.

The KB articles provide very detailed steps on how to fix specific problems.

If the steps require changes that could affect your data, then it tells you to backup your data first.

For example, a Microsoft article may suggest Registry changes you can make.

Sometimes, the KB article may suggest a rebuild of the app database, like Outlook 2011 Mac.

If so, then it tells you how to backup the DB first.

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Metrodon

Metrodon 2,184

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The link worked for me and downloaded a PDF - I guess this was the intention.

You have to laugh (or cry) though that Heather responds to a post asking for better information by posting a link that seemingly doesn't work very well......

Personally, I don't think you need an online education expert - you just need someone to spend a little time getting things organised first. It's not a particularly skilled task, it's certainly not an exciting one but it's not a hard one either.

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JMichaelTX

JMichaelTX 4,117

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Personally, I don't think you need an online education expert - you just need someone to spend a little time getting things organised first. It's not a particularly skilled task, it's certainly not an exciting one but it's not a hard one either.

I beg to differ with you sir. :)

I have found that the ability to write clearly, organize information, and make it easy to use and understand is a talent few people have.

It first requires the ability to view the system, problem, etc through another person's eyes, who most likely does not have anywhere near the knowledge of the system that you do.

Sorry to be blunt, but, IMO, the current Evernote documentation is a good example of NOT having a person with the proper talents.

Finally, to be really good, the person has to have a love for creating good documentation. Most people find this boring and tedious.

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gazumped

gazumped 11,666

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Maybe you need to go at this from a different angle - I used to be editor-in-chief of an in-house Wiki* to a tech support centre for an ISP supporting broadband access for retail customers. So: any OS and hardware combination under the sun trying to get internet access through our portal. Likewise any level of internet 'expertise' from "I'm an IT manager" to "there're no lights on". It was a daily struggle to keep up with the new hardware and latest revisions blowing around. When we found a solution for adjusting the settings on (for example) an Acme 3000 router, we'd post the details on the Wiki. When they updated the firmware, we'd add the version differences. When someone found that the Wiki instructions weren't complete, or weren't correct, they'd add more detail. We crowd-sourced the tech reference material internally, and when we spotted areas that were causing lots of calls, could add that fix to our FAQs to ease some pressure. Stuff got fixed more quickly and more permanently, and we could relieve pressure or report problems as necessary. Some levels of support were marked Proceed With Caution - registry fixes and the like - and we wouldn't publish those at all; but by and large it worked pretty well...

* I may have mentioned Wikis once or twice before in the Forums. Sorry.

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jefito

jefito 5,589

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We have a Wiki project going on - that's an entirely different bailiwick.

I assume that you mean that you have a project to put up a Wiki for Evernote underway; hopefully we'll see it sometime soon...

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