Handbook

# Guidelines

Awesome product attracts new customers, awesome support keeps them.

  • We try to read the answers of the support team and make sure that users receive the most relevant response to their requests.
  • Pay attention to dialogues that have been held by the same operator for a long time, offer help.
  • Encourage @cs-team to ask questions in the #customer-success channel.
  • Raise the discussion of the issues that were solved incorrectly and talk about all the possible solutions to the question.

# How to process dialogues

  1. Identify the customer.
  • Check if the customer has a license. Check the notes on the right, your teammates may have already left their comments, start with them.
  1. Rate the complexity.
  • Simple. Answer right away if the question is simple.
  • Complex. Such questions take time to figure them out. We do not block on them, answer the customer that we have received the request, and we will get back as soon as we have any information or results.
  • Critical (Blocking). The customer has serious problems with the tracker. We remove the block, answer the customer that we have received the request and try to resolve it as quickly as possible. Write to questions according to request topic, create a task in ClickUp, invite teammates.
  • Proposals. Add a tag to the dialog, i.e. proposal-domains-ssl-recheck.

  1. Put the tag to the dialogue. Above the operator's chat window in a dialogue there's a field for adding tags. Begin typing the name of the tag, and then select the existing tag from the list clicking on it.

  2. Do not block yourself.

  • Reply to the client immediately. Take them off the wait. Answer the customer that we have received the request, and we will get back as soon as we have any results.
  • Delay the issues solving from Friday to Monday, if possible. Save the energy for the weekend to respond to critical messages.
  • Search Slack or knowledge database before asking colleagues for help.
  • If the problem is of a technical nature, request access to the tracker and server. You will save time for yourself and your teammate who will help you.
  • If the solution to the problem can be postponed, put a bug or issue to the Bugs Inbox section of correspond project in ClickUP. Try to describe the problem in the task according to bug report rules and attach all access and keys. First check all the accesses yourself.
  • Refuse to correspond through your personal messenger. You will have difficulty transferring the dialogue to teammates.
  • If a customer asks for your public SSH key, ask the user to create a new key pair and use our public key (can be found in pinned messages in customer-success in the slack). Otherwise, you run the risk of blocking the solution on yourself, because none of the colleagues can log into the server.
  • If the weekend is coming, warn the customer that we will have ablility to start solving a task or update information about the status of his task in the beginning of the next week.
  • If there are a lot of dialogues, ask for help in a #workspace channel writing @here нужна помощь в дашли.
  • Remember Remote by Default value in our company. Everyone is ready to help, just keep in mind that the response will not be instant.
  1. Dig deeper into the matter.
  • If you don’t understand the customer's problem, then your colleagues probably won’t. Ask the customer for details and a description of what they want to do.
  • If you received a reply in other spaces from a colleague, but do not understand the meaning, feel free to ask for a more detailed answer. Don't worry, we have an agreement that we write briefly and, if necessary, in detail.
  1. Exceed expectations.
  • Write the customer the estimate for solving the issue 3 times longer than you think is necessary. Exceed the customer's expectations by solving the problem faster than he expected.
  • If the problem can be fixed without distracting the client, don't distract him. Ask for access and solve the issue yourself.

# Issues discussion and #customer-success channel

During the communication with the customers, everyone may have situations when they need help with the answer. In this case, begin with the #customer-success channel. Asks any questions you need help with, exchange knowledge, and help others.

Search Slack for possible answers.

If the solution can't be found in #customer-success, start a thread in questions, which corresponding to the question topic.

# Other channels

Describe the issue and what caused it, attach the task created in ClickUp. Add as many details as possible and share the accesses.

Recommendations for messages format in the channels:

  1. Use quotes, a > character or a block with ``` characters in the beginning and the end of the quote.

  2. Start a thread under your message adding to the thread:

  • ClickUp task URL if there's any.
  • the link to the Dashly dialogue, accesses, keys.
  • if the user has sent any new details, add them to the thread. Don't forget to use quotes.

  1. If the reply given by any of the teammates is not clear, ask for details to get more information and explanation.

  2. If you've been mentioned make it clear that you've seen the message and will reply later.

  3. If you've added the screenshot with the error, duplicate the error with the plain text, this will help to find the info or solution for this error in the future.

  4. One thread is for a single issue, even if we are solving the issues for the same user.

  5. When on duty - create the threads only for blocking issues.

# Bug report processing

When receiving bug reports from clients, ask them to give direct steps to you may see the specified issue (the actual result of tracker behavior):

  1. Step 1. Step 2. Step 3.

  2. Current result (how it is after reproducing these steps)

  3. Result which the client awaiting to see (how it must be)

  4. Admin access to his tracker and, if needed, to the server

Then we create a thread in #customer-success channel with this info and call a QA-engineer.

He reproduced the issue and give feedback to the team in the thread:

  1. Issue was reproduced by the client's steps at the latest tracker version. Creating bug-task at Clickup. Report accepted

  2. Issue wasn't reproduced in the tracker's latest version. Report declined.

Then QA-engineer answer to the client:

  1. If accepted - we pass this information to developers. Will provide feedback as soon as possible

  2. If declined - QA-engineer specifying decision for the client: you should change steps to achieve needed result, or the result is inappropriate according to the current tracker logic, or the client should update the tracker to the latest version, etc.

# How we work with proposals

Publish in a quote what customer request from us in #customer-feedback channel. Add a tag proposal-....

# Tags in Dashly

We strive to mark more than 70% of dialogues with tags according to guidelines (opens new window)

Next, we choose one of the frequently used tags and begin working with it. We investigate the issues connected with the tag, research possible solutions and implement them.

The next step, we compare the tags use before the solution implementation, and after, and see if we can change anything else.

# Resolving conflicts

  1. If you feel the situation is escalating, and you can't cope with it transit the dialogue to Grigoriy, Denis or Artur.

  2. Follow CARP method:

  • Control the situation.
  • Acknowledge the dilemma.
  • Refocus the conversation.
  • Problem-solve so the customer leaves happy.
  1. We do not offer any compensation or discounts, or additional license days.

# FAQ

In the upper right corner of the dialogue, there's a button with the paper clip icon, you can click it and copy the link to the dialogue.

# Should we explain how product works internally?

No. We need freedom to change everything in our product code. If customer builds some sulution based on internal information, we can brake their code with the next update.

# How to work with tags in Dashly

  • We put tags to every dialogue. Begin typing the name of the tag and select the necessary one from the drop-down menu.
  • If there's a new dialogue with the tag which can be used again in this dialogue, delete the previous tag and add it again to that new dialogue.
  • The list of tags and the percentage of dialogues with the tags can be checked in the Reports > Dialogue analytics menu on the left. We strive for 70% and more dialogues to be marked with tags.

# When to create a task in ClickUp

  • If the issue can't be solved on the go during the conversation with the customer or during the "diagnostic stage" when we check the customer's accesses and try to reproduce the issue.
  • If the assignee differs from the reporter.
  • If this is a task for the future. This way, we won't forget about it or lose it.

We describe all other tasks and issues in the #work-done channel at the end of the day.

# How to work with git

  • Add a public ssh key to your Git profile and save your private key locally.
  • Clone the needed repository with ssh. git clone path
  • Set gitlab configuration, for Git to give you access to editing. git config user.email yourmail@example.com.
  • Open the master branch git checkout master and synchronize your local repository with the server git pull.
  • Create a task in ClickUp.
  • Create a new branch in Git with same name as the title of your task. git checkout -path name
  • Open and edit the needed page locally.
  • Add your changes to Git git add --all.
  • Commit your branch to merge git commit -m 'comment: task_name, what_is_done' Example: git commit -m ‘CS-1491 new tr-source added’.
  • Push it git push origin branch_name.
  • Create a merge request in Git. Check the boxes: Delete source branch when merge request is accepted. Squash commits when merge request is accepted.
  • Done.

Alternatively, you can use Fork (opens new window) to work with git more intuitively:

  • Add a public ssh key to your Git profile and save your private key locally.
  • Clone the repository you need with the command git clone path, where path is the link from the git repository's Clone button.
  • Download Fork from here: https://git-fork.com/
  • Install and open it, then click on File → Open Repository and choose the directory you just cloned.
  • Synchronize your local repository with the Pull button.
  • Click New branch and name it after the ClickUp task you're completing.
  • Go to the repository on your computer and make all necessary changes, then Save File.
  • Go back to Fork, there will be new Changes in the left menu. Double click this word, review changes made and if approved, click Stage.
  • Enter commit subject and commit description, then click Commit.
  • Click the Push button at the top of the screen, confirm.
  • Go to the Apliteni Git main page, there will be an option to request a merge in the top part of the screen.

# What influences us

Books:

  1. "Customers for Life. How to Turn That One-Time Buyer Into a Lifetime Customer." by Carl Sewell and Paul B. Brown.
  2. "Behind every great product is a great support team" by Intercom (ebook (opens new window)).
  3. "Delivering Happiness" by Tony Hsieh.

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