Entities that own a web site that provides a service online need to budget time for their own internal web site support of customers for use of that site. There is nothing that tests the wide environment of web usage – technology, personal capabilities, and personalities – as having a web site that allows interactivity, whether there that be online purchasing or user login or more.
You may think you have the waterfront covered with your website technology. Your experience may prove otherwise. No matter how straightforward you think your web processes are, how well publicly documented you think you have your online instructions, it often will turn out to not be enough. People will have questions. People will have problems. You will have to do at least some basic troubleshooting.
A lot of the time, you can find that it is actually the user’s computer and browser which is the source of the problem. It could be cache. You may have to troubleshoot for your client to help them. First step – find out who they are, technology-wise.
Is there a specific URL or process that is the problem? If so, what is it?
Ask for a screen shot of the problem if there is one. Is there an error message? What are they seeing?
Get their details on their browser. Chances are, they won’t know much about it. Ask them to use a site such as
from their browser and have them email you the results. It could help.
A lot of the time, you may find this is user error, that they are not actually following the process correctly to achieve their goal on the website. Document what they are doing. This is your chance to get detail that can avoid this question in the future – simply by documenting and improving your user instructions on site.