Yes - that is quite a common solution in commercial software.
Either paying 'per support ticket used' or use an insurance model.
I am also setting up a support email that has some automated email replies for common queries (based on a search hit in the email looking for the name of the exception). That might help.
Topic: I am going to need help with tech support of MultiBit users (Read 1198 times)
One obvious solution (though it's a bit circular for some kinds of problems) is to let people pay for support.
There are now more MultiBit downloads
Recently on the bitcoin.org 'Choose Your Wallet' page, the recommendations for new users was switched from:
+ Bitcoin QT (for desktop users)
+ Bitcoin Wallet (Andreas's app - for mobile users)
to
+ MultiBit
+ Bitcoin Wallet
Yey ! :-)
Over the last week or so I have been watching the effect of the change.
So far the multibit.org server is happy.
About 2000 downloads per day have moved from Bitcoin-QT to MultiBit.
The daily downloads of MultiBit are now about 3000 a day.
Just multiplying that daily rate up we are talking about half a million downloads by Christmas 2013.
I am going to need help with tech support
I can see myself easily being swamped with support calls from new users. They will probably be new to Bitcoin entirely as well. If you have ever done any 'first line support' with your family members you know what that means.
I need some help.
I think a good way forward is to spread the load by recruiting some informal MultiBit tech support.
How the support works at the moment is:
+ users start at https://multibit.org/support.html
+ if the notes for common gotchas and help do not fix their problem they raise an issue on the MultiBit github issue tracker.
I would like to spread the first line support of these issues between a few people. Often fixing things is a matter of looking through the logs and taking it from there. The improvements to the backups (see other thread) will also help.
Are you interested in helping ?
I won't lie to you - first line support can be a pain-in-the-ass and there is no money paid for the time you put in. The only reason to do it is because you believe in Bitcoin and want to see it rolled out to more people. I think if we can crack support we can scale up to the "million user" range.
Obviously if you pick up an issue and cannot solve it then just tag it for escalation and then I (or Gary or Tim) would pick it up.
If you are multilingual I can see that also being helpful in helping newbies. Most Bitcoin literature is still in English so I am sure being able to explain things in their native Russian, Chinese or Spanish etc would help everybody.
Just post here or message me if you would like to help out.
Thanks in advance
Jim
Recently on the bitcoin.org 'Choose Your Wallet' page, the recommendations for new users was switched from:
+ Bitcoin QT (for desktop users)
+ Bitcoin Wallet (Andreas's app - for mobile users)
to
+ MultiBit
+ Bitcoin Wallet
Yey ! :-)
Over the last week or so I have been watching the effect of the change.
So far the multibit.org server is happy.
About 2000 downloads per day have moved from Bitcoin-QT to MultiBit.
The daily downloads of MultiBit are now about 3000 a day.
Just multiplying that daily rate up we are talking about half a million downloads by Christmas 2013.
I am going to need help with tech support
I can see myself easily being swamped with support calls from new users. They will probably be new to Bitcoin entirely as well. If you have ever done any 'first line support' with your family members you know what that means.
I need some help.
I think a good way forward is to spread the load by recruiting some informal MultiBit tech support.
How the support works at the moment is:
+ users start at https://multibit.org/support.html
+ if the notes for common gotchas and help do not fix their problem they raise an issue on the MultiBit github issue tracker.
I would like to spread the first line support of these issues between a few people. Often fixing things is a matter of looking through the logs and taking it from there. The improvements to the backups (see other thread) will also help.
Are you interested in helping ?
I won't lie to you - first line support can be a pain-in-the-ass and there is no money paid for the time you put in. The only reason to do it is because you believe in Bitcoin and want to see it rolled out to more people. I think if we can crack support we can scale up to the "million user" range.
Obviously if you pick up an issue and cannot solve it then just tag it for escalation and then I (or Gary or Tim) would pick it up.
If you are multilingual I can see that also being helpful in helping newbies. Most Bitcoin literature is still in English so I am sure being able to explain things in their native Russian, Chinese or Spanish etc would help everybody.
Just post here or message me if you would like to help out.
Thanks in advance
Jim
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