Blackbaud CRM Blog - Knowledge is Power (Especially When Opening a New Case with Blackbaud CRM Support)!

Knowledge is Power (Especially When Opening a New Case with Blackbaud CRM Support)!

Posted: 25 Jul 2012 01:55 PM PDT

Every time you create a case, our goal in Support is to resolve your issue as quickly and efficiently as possible. To achieve that, we need your help! There's some basic information that should be included at the outset of every case in order to make sure we understand the problem, its impact, and what we can do to help.

Of course, some of these requirements aren't going to be relevant to your situation – use your best judgment, and remember, it's always better to include more details than to leave things out!

1. Current Version, Build, and Patch Number

Blackbaud has 6 current versions of CRM and 3 versions of BBDM that are being actively used – and that's not including the dozens of patches available for each version! And most users have multiple environments that may be on a variety of versions and patches. Since these change constantly, YOU are the most up-to-date on your current versions and patches, and can ensure that we have accurate information immediately when we first see a case.

Just go to Help > About Blackbaud CRM to see the version and software revision:

Now we know we're on 2.93.2034.10!

If you're using version 2.93 or higher, please indicate whether the issue occurs in the web version of the application, or the Smart Client, or both.

2. Recent Changes

What changes have been made recently that may be tied to this issue? Did we apply a patch and then notice a problem or error? Has a customization been loaded that may have had an impact? When a problem comes up and you need to submit a case, consider when the problem started occurring. If it's been a problem for as long as you can remember, then this may not be relevant to include. But if it happened last Friday, then check to see if any changes were made to your database or environment last week that might have triggered the problem. If you're aware of anything that may have happened, let us know!

3. Status – Problem, Critical, Down

Give us a sense of how important this issue is, and how it needs to be prioritized so that we can handle it appropriately.

Down – Can't access your production environment? Or are you completely unable to work for some other reason? Use this status!
Critical – This is a time dependent case that is stopping users from working in some area of the program, and there are no workarounds that you're aware of.
Problem – Anything less than critical, down to cosmetic change requests.

4. Time Sensitivity

Are there deadlines associated with this problem that we need to be aware of as we work? If so, let us know right away so we can manage our time and ensure that you receive a timely resolution. The earlier in the process we know this, the better!

5. What Have You Tried So Far?

We know you do plenty of your own testing before ever submitting a case to Support for assistance. Let us know what you've already tried, so we don't overlap your efforts! A couple of things that we always want to try out are:

Does the issue occur in other environments (staging/test/dev)?
Does it occur for all users and system administrators?
Does is occur on other workstations?

6. Steps to Duplicate

We're all working with a very large and in-depth database – so give us step-by-step instructions on how we can re-create the problem, and include all of the button clicks you're making.

This is by far the most important information you can provide. If an analyst can duplicate the issue as soon as they receive the case, they can take immediate action either by providing you with a solution or submitting a bug report to the production team. If we can't work out how you did something we will contact you and ask for this. This slows down our speed of resolution, which we know you need!

You don't have to write us an essay if you don't want to, simple steps will do:

a. Go to functional area A
b. Click on link B
c. Select Tab C
d. Add a new instance of D
e. Enter data "E"
f. Click Button F – the error appears here!

7. Error Message

If we're seeing an exception or error message, include the exact text or screen shot of the error. Feel free to copy and paste into a Word or Text file and attach it to the case with all other details!

8. Customizations

Is there a customization around this part of the product? When we identify that a problem is caused by a customization, we send the case to our customization specialists. If you know that the problem area is customized, let us know so we can send it over to the appropriate team immediately, rather than spending time looking through your environment and interpreting what's there. Of course, if you're not sure, it won't hurt to let us know that you think that a customization may be involved, so we can check!

9. Performance

As with any other problem, our goal with performance issues is to quickly pinpoint the problem, and get to the bottom of it. So, in addition to the information above, we'll need the following:

Exact start and stop times of the process that's running slowly
Other business processes that were running at the same time
Has this process always run slowly, or has it just started running slowly (if so, see #2!)

If you run your own servers and host the software yourself you will need to provide us with Snaps and logs when you submit the case. Information on setting up SQL Snaps can be found in the Infinity Installation and Upgrade Guide.

10. Additional Information

The more, the merrier! When in doubt, it's always better to include additional information that you think may be relevant. Upload those screenshots, logs, import files, video snapshots of the issue, etc! The faster we can gather a full perspective on the issue, the more quickly we can help you resolve it!!

Now that we've reviewed all of that in detail, here's a template you may want to use when submitting a case, to ensure that you include all of the relevant details (*Denotes optional information):

1. Current version, build, and patch number
2.Recent Changes
3. Status – Problem, Critical, Down
4. Time Sensitivity
5. What have you tried so far?

Does the issue occur in other environments (staging/test/dev)?
Does it occur for all users and system administrators?
Does is occur on other workstations?

6. Steps to Duplicate
7. Error Message*
8. Customizations*
9. Performance*

Exact start and stop times of the process that's running slowly
Other business processes that were running at the same time
Has this process always run slowly, or has it just started running slowly (if so, see #2!)

10. Additional information*

When you submit a case, we know you've already done your homework – testing, working with your users, etc. The more details you can share with us about what you know and what you've already done, the faster we'll be able to help you come to a resolution! Remember, knowledge is power!

You can keep up with us on Twitter by following @bbsupport; we use the hashtag #bbcrm when we discuss Blackbaud CRM. Take a look at our Twitter Guide for more information.

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