702 Messages
Suggestion - Be More Constructive, Please?
I've noticed a trend here for a while now where someone posts a complaint or a suggestion and one or more other customers (not SS) reply with comments that provide no benefit to the OP or the person making the reply.
For example, if someone says, "I need this functionality" they're probably hoping for replies like:
- "Oh, I don't think you can do that but have you considered this workaround?"
- "Here's another post where that question has been answered or might be helpful to you"
- "Can you give us more information so we can try to help you?"
They're almost certainly not looking for replies like:
- "Well, I don't need this functionality"
- "This isn't how I use my system!"
- "Here's an in depth explanation of how I've applied my logic to your problem and have determined I know your needs better than you do"
Can we all (and that includes me) please just try to be better about this stuff? It's already frustrating when something doesn't work as expected. Unhelpful comments like the list above just add to that frustration.
For example, if someone says, "I need this functionality" they're probably hoping for replies like:
- "Oh, I don't think you can do that but have you considered this workaround?"
- "Here's another post where that question has been answered or might be helpful to you"
- "Can you give us more information so we can try to help you?"
They're almost certainly not looking for replies like:
- "Well, I don't need this functionality"
- "This isn't how I use my system!"
- "Here's an in depth explanation of how I've applied my logic to your problem and have determined I know your needs better than you do"
Can we all (and that includes me) please just try to be better about this stuff? It's already frustrating when something doesn't work as expected. Unhelpful comments like the list above just add to that frustration.
captain11
Captain
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6K Messages
3 years ago
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davey_d
Community Admin
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5.6K Messages
3 years ago
Count me in for wanting a friendlier, more helpful forum! Though there is a little bit of value, at least for us, in knowing how common a particular issue or need is.
Part of my mission is to help our community grow, so over time we'll have a variety of responses and many different takeaways for each post.
- Johnny M.
SimpliSafe Home Security
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worthing
702 Messages
3 years ago
I am 100% against ad hominem attacks or mean posts directed at customers or SS staff. That said....
Part of the purpose of this forum is to report problems and issues and some of your responses (and lack of response) are ... frustrating. We understand that as a community manager (I assume that's your role here - if not, please clarify!) you're the messenger and not someone who's working on technical issues, feature sets, etc. and that you don't always get to report good news to us. We hope you understand that 99.9% of the time our complaints and frustration aren't personal. We're just frustrated and you're the person tasked with bearing the brunt of that.
Fair point. I generally take a lack of response to mean, "I'm not having this issue" but that is an assumption.
Please add "the ability to conduct polls" to the list of stuff we want available in forum software. :)
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davey_d
Community Admin
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5.6K Messages
3 years ago
I often err on the side of waiting until I have an actual answer. I'm assuming that hearing "I don't have an answer" or "I'm not able to tell you" over and over again would be even more frustrating. But I focus my effort on making sure that when I can get you an answer, I get it right.
- Johnny M.
SimpliSafe Home Security
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