Modify support email and "Request Closed" page for clarity
Title
Modify support email and "Request Closed" page for clarity
Short, concise description of the idea
Clicking "Yes" on the "Did this answer your question" will close a support request automatically. This is unclear in both the support email and on the actual page of the request.
Full description of the idea
Currently, the response email you get from someone answering your request looks like this:
Below is an answer to your support question regarding "[subject of request]"
(link to your request).
======================================================================
[TEXT OF ANSWER]
Did this answer your question?
YES:
(link that closes your request)
NO:
(link that takes you to your request so you can add more information)
If you are having problems using any of the links in this email, please try copying and pasting the *entire* link into your browser's address bar rather than clicking on it.
==========================================================
Right now, someone clicking "Yes, this answer did answer my previous question, but doesn't resolve the problem", or something in a similar vein, will close the request by accident. To add to confusion, the page on LiveJournal will say "The support request has been closed", implying Support did it.
This is bad in two ways: someone thinking that clicking "yes" will take them to the request instead gets a slam of "This has been closed" in the face; and secondly it sounds as though Support has closed it. It makes the support system sound like it closes requests immediately after answering.
To fix this, I'd like to suggest:
*After the text
"Did this answer your question?
YES:"
to add the phrase "This will close your request. You can reopen it on the page of your request [link to request]."
*On the page you get after closing the request, there should be a link that allows you to reopen, or at least go back to, the request you just closed. It currently loads as just a line of text, with no indication that you can, as the person requesting help, re-open the request and add information as needed. Something like "If you have closed this request in error, you can go back to the request [link] and reopen it" would work.
An ordered list of benefits
- better understanding, from the perspective of someone who gets a support email, of what they're doing
- less misunderstanding: I've seen several cases of people who've submitted a request, closed it inadvertently, and then became angry, thinking Support had done it.
- more communication from troubleshooting steps; sometimes support asks for more information but never gets a reply back, and it's possible they are clicking the wrong link and getting stonewalled because of this
- minimize the number of people who are opening new requests on the same issue. Although it's likely that some people open multiple request on the same subject because they want to make the issue prominent, I would also wager that there are people who don't know they can add more information to their already opened request. This is useful for support also; it saves clutter and consolidates information in one place.
- coding and work. In particular, since the reopening of requests is done via auth codes in the URL, I don't know if it would pose a problem
- more accidentally reopened requests ?