Since we started the forum there has been a rule against requesting support through private means such as email or PM.
All technical support questions are to be posted on the forum. Please do not send a private message or email to a staff member requesting technical help. Keep in mind that despite this rule Adam and I receive many new PM’s each day and that should you be contacting us for any other reason it may take a week or two before we see it.
This may seem tough but the reason for it if understood should result in your agreement, I hope so anyway.
Most support requests come from people too lazy to search an FAQ, forum or user manual and believe they will get a faster solution by asking. To be fair most of us are brought up being told “Those who don’t ask don’t get” and thus we rationalise the first activity should be to ask someone who will know the answer. I know this is true because I am guilty of this myself.
Let’s consider the implications of answering all private support requests:
If we add support tickets to forum topics (as opposed to posts) they hover between 40 and 60 per day 7 days a week. That represents roughly 15,750 minutes per week, or 262½ hours. Support should represent a third of the time we spend in business, the other two being development and sales. So if we take 40 hours as the average working week that means we would need to take on another 3½ people dedicated to support to break even – and those support folk would need to have the same knowledge of the script and business as Adam, Jake an I already have.
The business does not keep still, dropping the price brings an influx of new owners and they are unaware (or care) that previous owners paid more. They see the service those folk got and wonder why they don’t get the same. The answer is simple enough, they can. All they have to do is select the paid support option. They are then on the same level playing field as previous owners, and as their costs match it suits everyone.
Private support helps only one person
The reason private support is not offered free is it only helps one person. Post your request on the forum and anyone else who cares to search for the same problem will find the solution. It’s that simple.
This releases Adam, Jake and I from support that’s already covered and enables you to get the job at hand done faster, and by that I mean make money faster!
Tags: Support
