Customer support
Turn a tested fix into clear customer instructions
Write one action per step, say what the customer should see after it, and tell them where to stop and contact you. Use only steps your team has tested. A step with no way to confirm success leaves the customer guessing.
A text to start with
Here is a fix our team has tested: [tested procedure and who tested it]. The customer's product and version: [details]. Their comfort level with technical steps: [level]. Write numbered instructions with prerequisites first, one action per step, the expected result after each key step, and a stop condition telling them when to contact us instead of continuing. Add no step I did not provide.
Example request. Change the details to fit your situation.Troubleshooting instruction worksheet
Problem the customer reported: [ ] Product and version this applies to: [ ] Procedure tested by and on what date: [ ] Prerequisites: [ ] Backup or data warning, if the procedure requires one: [ ] Step 1 action: [ ] Step 1 expected result: [ ] Step 2 action: [ ] Step 2 expected result: [ ] Final step and how the customer confirms success: [ ] Stop condition, stated as something visible: [ ] What the customer should send us if they stop: [ ] Steps removed because they were untested: [ ]
Unsafe guesses and missing verification
Drafts often fill a gap in the procedure with a plausible step, such as a reset, reinstall or setting change, that nobody tested and that could lose data. Compare the numbered steps with the tested procedure and flag anything extra. Where a step deletes or irreversibly changes something, it needs a warning, but add a backup step only if your tested procedure includes one. Each major step should say what success looks like, and the stop condition should name a specific message or symptom.
Ask another agent to check the result
Compare these customer instructions with the tested procedure. Flag any step that was not in the original, any step that could lose data without a warning, and any step with no way to verify it worked. Check that the stop condition is something the customer can see, and quote each problem step.
Test and send the instructions
Have someone who did not write the steps follow them on a matching setup, noting every point where they hesitated. Adjust the wording at those points and confirm the product version matches what your team tested. Ask the customer to report the result of the final verification step.