I remain optimistic… Not even cautiously.\u00a0 “Rod gets it!” still rings true.\u00a0 The SL client has improved in leaps and bounds (At least on ~my~ computer) the servers are behaving with less and less hiccups.\u00a0 We’re seeing fun little advances slide their way into the grid with each update with a continuously firm promise that Mesh will arrive near the end of summer. (^_^)<\/p>\n
That’s pretty good. (^_^)<\/p>\n
Communications are a mixed bag, though.\u00a0 Community managers like Blondin left the lab for more or less unknown reasons.\u00a0 So customer communities have found themselves breaking in new Labbies in order to get their support channels back.\u00a0 Inworld Labbie presence seem to have reduced.\u00a0 Though, any time I have asked for support, things have gone well.\u00a0 My experience with the Labbies tends to be more positive than most anyway. (O.o)<\/p>\n
Now, on to Rodvik.\u00a0 He’s “Out there”.\u00a0 This is a good thing.\u00a0 He’s keeping an eye on Twitter, the forums, and various messaging outlets that the Lab’s customers are using.\u00a0 He has provided direct contact for people with relatively extreme situations if he found they voiced their problems publicly enough.\u00a0 He’s going quite out of his way to provide support beyond the regular channels available in SL. (^_^)<\/p>\n
But, that’s the problem.\u00a0 He’s tugging the line so far, given the volume of incidents popping up.\u00a0 But, the SL grid has a lot of people.\u00a0 Just yesterday he has responded<\/a> to Ina Centaur’s pleas on Twitter.\u00a0 This is good.\u00a0 But, how soon will he have to draw a line?\u00a0 And, where does the line get drawn?\u00a0 It’s wonderful that he’s contributing to providing a positive support experience for the Lab’s customers, but, why should he have to be doing this in the first place?\u00a0 (O.o)<\/p>\n It is quite telling of Linden Lab support channels, though.\u00a0 Given we’ve observed a general history of the lab giving paying customers the shaft over petty billing issues while ‘free’ accounts get a free ride with most whatever they can do.\u00a0 If he were around when Aley had issues with billing over Privateer Space, would it have worked out? (o.O)<\/p>\n Long story short.\u00a0 Rod getting involved in customer support cases is a bad solution for a problem which shouldn’t ever come up.\u00a0 He’s just one person and he has a company to run.\u00a0 While the volume is low, this will be okay.\u00a0 But, what about when he gets ten support claims per day on Twitter?\u00a0 What if people catch on and go to him before addressing customer service in the first place?\u00a0 How long until his inworld profile has to read like Torley’s? (=_=)<\/p>\n At the moment, I can suggest that customer service as a whole receives some attention.\u00a0 Find methods to make it more efficient.\u00a0 Provide support and be informative as soon as a ticket passes triage.\u00a0 Even if it’s simply an update in availability and progress.\u00a0 People like progress bars for long running software functions.\u00a0 They don’t need to provide a percentage or anything of the sort… Just enough evidence that something is actually being done.\u00a0 This way, people lose their doubts.\u00a0 Without doubts, the customer base will be less likely to reach to the top of the ladder to get anything done.\u00a0 (=_=)<\/p>\n I like to see support.\u00a0 But, I fear that Rodvik’s approach may backfire soon.\u00a0 I hope he has already seen this and is making move in the lab to maximize customer interactions come time to provide a solution.\u00a0 Linden Lab support has been a generally laughable subject.\u00a0 It’s fun to have a subject to laugh at.\u00a0 But, it’s preferable to have a support department that doesn’t rely on escalation to higher rungs in the ladder. (>_<)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I remain optimistic… Not even cautiously.\u00a0 “Rod gets it!” still rings true.\u00a0 The SL client has improved in leaps and bounds (At least on ~my~ computer) the servers are behaving with less and less hiccups.\u00a0 We’re seeing fun little advances … Continue reading