We thought it would be useful to have a place where we can post our most recent help impacting updates so our helpers are up to date with everything and can give the best timely advice. Please subscribe to this thread to make sure you receive notifications everytime we post any new changes.
Regardless of any changes we make, there are somethings that will always be very important.
WHAT DOES A GREAT POST CONTAIN?
Whether it’s to help out or gain payback getting a Best Answer fulfills any motivation for posting on the Help Board, as posting anything less harms your reputation, rank or payback as a helper. A helpful answer may contain some or all of the element outlines below the breakline, but as a general guide when helping, think of ''CHAIR" as your check list. Hitting each letter mean you can’t go wrong, and it’s as easy as that.
C = clarity
H = helpfulness
A = accuracy
I = informative
R = relevance
If we are to help others in a meaningful way we need to think carefully about the content of the answers we post. For many members Help and Support is the first - and sometimes only - forum they will ever visit on the Community.
First impressions count 🙂
It’s important that not only are we as helpers both helpful and supportive, but also that we present our advice and information in a way that’s clear, accurate and relevant.
HOW TO STRUCTURE A GREAT POST
Punctuation and paragraphs giving a simple explanation of possible solutions to the problem. Ideally, there will be bullet points or steps listed in numerical order to make it easy for the original poster (OP) to follow a method.
A friendly and approachable tone preferably without terms such as ‘m8’ and ‘my friend’ which some members find annoying or offensive.
An individually prepared reply which shows the OP that their question has been read in full, understood, and answered with thought and their problem in mind. Sometimes a pasted reply is appropriate, for example when giving information step by step instructions on a method such as SIM swap, but in general it’s best not to become dependent on generic answers, especially if they include information unrelated to the question.
A few appropriate questions such as, “What phone do you have?” or “Can you see an error message?” are useful because they make the OP feel as though you are communicating with them personally as well as draw out more information to help you and other helpers to solve the problem.
Concise, relevant and easily understood information. If, for instance, a member asks how to turn off voicemail they’re unlikely to want a long, pasted reply advising how much the service costs, the number to dial to access messages, and whether the service comes out of their goodybag minutes. A long, wordy reply can be off-putting and difficult for the OP to sift through to find the information they need.
Problem-solving solutions. A post which provides constructive help and suggestions to save contacting an agent is particularly helpful. There are however occasions when an agent is the only person who can help the member, so it helps to explain why and give the specific agent category rather than the general link
If relevant, links and short-codes to help the OP navigate their way to the solution. For example, where to check for agent messages or local network service updates, how to obtain a new SIM or contact an Educator, check an account balance or top up using a phone.
Additional information that shows the helper has gone the extra mile to help by the OP by researching their problem either on the giffgaff Knowledge Base or by googling.
A blend of empathy with simple, constructive advice is sometimes all that’s needed to get the OP back on their way again.
The second would be the direct links to the agent forms and where responses can be found, these are always more helpful than the general links.
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To keep this thread nice and tidy we are going to lock it but if have any feedback that you’d like to share with us, check out this thread.
