Most software vendors offer technical help over the telephone. Trellix Corp., which makes software for publishing Web content, however, does it over the Web.
Every day, Trellix staffers monitor a chat room on the company Web site - responding in real time to queries from users.
The Association for Support Professionals (ASP), a national organization dedicated to the advancement of the software support profession, recently honored Trellix and nine other vendors for outstanding online support efforts. Trellix won for Best Small Company Support Site.
"One of the things we've improved upon is our product chat interface," said Paul Simpson, Co-Webmaster at Trellix. "We want to make it into a training/auditorium type of setting whereby a user can log in and get some training on a particular product or hear our CEO address some user issue, all in real time. We want to create a community where users can interact with each other and with us."
"Right now we essentially have two sites that are interconnected; the marketing side and the support side," added Ian Gilbert, also Co-Webmaster. "We felt that good support for the product was absolutely critical. After a customer learns all they can about the product, they need to be able to see the newest content on the marketing side. Right now we only have one product, but we're slowly making the conversion to a multi-product, multi-version site."
Great Plains Software Inc., a maker of financial management solutions for Microsoft BackOffice, earned itself a tie with Intel Corporation for the Best Overall Support Site from ASP.
Great Plains created a database of information about its Dynamics software line, then organized it online in a treelike structure, similar to the one in Windows Explorer. The idea was to make finding information as easy as possible, said said Fred Hudson, one of two Webmasters at Great Plains. "This is one of the things that people really utilize," Hudson said.
"This and our discussion database have been huge. We have incorporated a solution into our discussion software, which allows people who have zero knowledge of HTML to edit their comments for the Web. It's been huge in that it allows people who are 'not on the Web' to post stuff, Hudson added."
"It was a nice surprise to get the award," said Hudson. "When you have a site that is customer-only you can pour yourself into it. A support site doesn't usually get seen by too many people, but we know who our customers are and who is coming to the site and it's good to be able to give something back."
Garnering ASP honors for the Best Site for Consumer Users was Network Associates, Inc., which makes network performance and security software. Complementing the sites finely-tuned design is the Virus Information Library. Here you'll find a complete collection of virus information ranging from the newest viruses to hit the Internet to virus hoax information to McAfee's Virus Research Department and Network Associates' technical documentation.
"We wanted to be sure that when you come to the site you get the answers you need quickly," said Dave Andrews, Web Services Manager at Network Associates. "The navigation tools are simple; the troubleshooting guides are complete. More often than not, you won't even have to talk to a tech person because chances are 100 or so people may have the same question and we've put all that stuff in our product FAQs."
Taking home the award for Best Site for Technical Users was engineering software manufacturer Bentley Systems, Inc.
The Bentley SELECT support site's main focus is on content and navigability. The site showcases four main sections: Support, User Services, Publications and Software. Each section has its content listed neatly below a representative graphic, and the descriptions are concise and accurate. The technical documentation section within the support page is home to just about every piece of documentation relating to every Bentley product.
Best Use of Design and Graphics went to production control software manufacturer DataWorks Corporation for its SupportNet online knowledge base and support features. "We wanted to use design elements and layout to create an interface where you can find what you need quickly and easily," said Terri Burnord, Advertising Manager for DataWorks.
DataWorks' tables-intensive site is heavy on design without compromising content. Dial-up users may find this site to be frustratingly slow due to its graphical nature but the content makes it worth the wait.
"We've got over 10,000 technical documents in our knowledge base, and we have made sure that navigating these documents, be it by the document number or subject or whatever, is easy to do," Burnord said.
The ASP competition included over 100 entries from all over the country, and the awards were given in nine different categories. The judges, who ranged in background from trade publication editors to IT consultants, took many different factors into consideration in determining the award recipients.
According to Paulette Dwen, Membership Director of the Association of Support Professionals, there were strict benchmarks against which these sites were judged.
"Criteria for honors included overall navigability of the site, graphics functionality and integration with the site, the ability to find specific answers and if not, are there alternative solutions, integration of multiple support solutions such as FAQ's and remote diagnostics. Basically, does the site teach you how best to use the product? "
The ASP's second annual Internet Support Forum will feature the developers of the winning sites discussing such issues as site design and implementation issues. Judges of the awards will offer follow-up analysis on featured sites and workshops on various Internet support issues.
The Association of Support Professionals Internet Support Forum will be held on June 18-19 at the Doubletree Hotel in San Jose, CA.
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