What Does A Great Post contain ?

[#1]

                                                      WHAT DOES A GREAT POST CONTAIN ?

Whether it's to help out or gain payback getting a Best Answer fulfils 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. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                             ______________________________________________________________________________________   

                                                 So what do the best posts contain ?

       Here are some examples :-

•  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 https://giffgaff.com/support/ask 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.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

I have been asked by hazel22 to post this thread on the Help section. Thanks to Hazel for helping me tweak it.

[#2]

Great post @essie112mm and very well presented.

You have covered one point that niggles me but another one is a member using "text" language,if you like,rather than taking the time to post the whole word.There may be members who aren't familiar with "text" language.

[#3]

still should be put on top tips

[#4]

well presented mate

[#5]

@bigdaveuk 

There is a disclaimer at the bottom of the post explaining that hazel22 asked me to post the thread in Help and not anywhere else because it's going to be stickied on Help.

[#6]

Nice post an true to the point as well but we all no its been said millions of times but not all use it

[#7]

You could add to this if you don't know, don't guess & don't reply.

[#8]

Excellent guide @essie112mm very well done

[#9]

I liked that... Very useful indeed

[#10]

Great post, well written and contains good information. It's been very helpful.
Thank you. +1