More Help sticky threads revamp
on: 08/10/2018 | 11:14
Heya folks,
After the successful revamp of one of the Help and Support sticky threads, I thought it was about time we had a look at the other two threads that reside on the Help and Support board to see if they fulfill their purpose.
Having looked through the threads, it seems that the info on the 'how to get help' thread is pretty outdated and the 'please award a best answer thread' has had about 700 views since the beginning of the year. Also considering we will have Your recent questions at the top of the board, having three stickied threads there too may get a little confusing for a newbie.
Ideally we would want the Helpers Update thread to not be shown to new members as it might confuse them but until I get to finish my investigation into the possibility of doing that, I thought that it would still be worth merging other two threads and create a shiny new one. What do you folks think?
I will have a go at drafting something that I will share here, but if you have any ideas of what would be useful to have in a thread that speaks about How to get help, do share. I was also thinking of posting from the general 'giffgaff_team' because on the one side it gives a bit more reassurance to see us here alongside our helpers and also it would be future proof it as there will not be a possibility of that account becoming a former giff-staffer account . 
Would love to hear your thoughts!
Roxy
on: 08/10/2018 | 11:41 - edited: 08/10/2018 | 11:46
Yes I agree that the fewer stickied threads the better so I'm for merging those two threads.
Topics should include:
- searching the KB and then the forum first to see if the problem has a solution
- how to ask for help by giving as much detail about the problem as possible
- how to subscribe to a thread so that the OP gets notified of replies and responds accordingly
- how to use @mentions and the notification system
- how, and when, to set a Best Answer
- how to give kudos for helpful responses
on: 08/10/2018 | 13:43
If the post is yours you can edit even after it has been locked. I wanted to get your opinion before editing anything and see what we think it is better to do.
I agree with that list @endorphin. It makes sense to have that flow in there. We just need to find a quick and easy way of explaining that. Maybe a video of one of us actually doing it and recording that might work?
on: 08/10/2018 | 22:09 - edited: 08/10/2018 | 22:12
Hi Roxy,
There's no hiding place from your spotlight trained on Help and Support
I also agree, three stickied threads is a bit much for new members to take in. From the very first time someone searches or posts for help we need to keep things as simple and straightforward as possible. Keeping simplicity as the mantra, I would endorse the list endorphin has suggested, although to his second bullet point (how to ask for help by giving as much detail about the problem as possible) I would suggest adding something along the lines of "including any problem-solving already tried". All too often members asking for help give information about what is wrong but not what is working correctly. Knowing what someone has already tried would enable helpers to give a targeted reply more quickly and perhaps also deter helpers who paste long screeds with irrelevant information.
The new community platform might be a good time for giffgaff to think about dropping quietly the 90-second guarantee response time, because that isn't often met during the night, and even during the day I have seen threads languish for some time before getting any views, let alone replies. We need to encourage helpers to respond as quickly as possible but not in a way which discourages good help.
Edit: The video idea is a good one.
on: 10/10/2018 | 09:28
I hope I will have a bit of time today to get started on a draft. I'll also reach out to @brulaw just to make sure he has seen this and he is ok with it.
on: 10/10/2018 | 11:28
Hi Roxy , I'm happy to go along with whatever has the best chance of making things easier and clearer ..... if the thread ( Please award a " best answer " ) needs to be updated / changed , I think the thread still gets quite a lot of views and does what it was ( is ) intended to do , I have thought about doing a new graphic ( more in keeping with the more recent theme of the forums ) but have not been able to as the thread is locked ( even to me ) , if there's anything I can do to help I'd be pleased to do whatever I can .
