At some point while developing or sustaining your site, there is a good chance you're going to need help from support.
No matter what tools you are working with or what company created them, there are a couple of key items to always include in your support request.
Plugin or Theme Version
If you are having trouble with a plugin or theme and are asking for help, the support team needs to which version of the product you're using. You may not realize that you're running an older version of the software and your issue may be resolved simply by updating to the latest version.
WordPress Version
Similar to your plugin or theme version, if you're running an older version of WordPress, your fix may be corrected by simply updating to the latest version. At the very least, the support team might know of any conflicts between the version of the theme/plugin you're running with that version of WordPress.
Testing Already Completed
There are certain things a support tech is likely to ask you to try to help find the cause of your issue. For instance, you will very often be asked to test for a plugin conflict. If you've already done this, let the support tech know that in your initial submission to save time both for you and your support tech.
Your Site URL (Optional)
Often, the easiest way to resolve an issue is to see it in action. While there are many reasons you may not be able to provide your site URL, such as the site being on your localhost, if you can provide your URL, please do!
Other than adding specific details to your submission, there are a couple of other things you should keep in mind.
Support Hours
Remember, not all companies offer 24-hour support. For instance, Dundee support hours are from 10 am to 5 pm Central time Monday through Friday and we're closed on all major US holidays. This means if you submit a request late Friday night, it will be Monday before you hear from a support moderator.
Test Well Before Your Deadlines
If you have a deadline with a client set for 8 am on a Monday morning, waiting until Sunday evening to test means you don't have time for support should anything go wrong. Be sure to start your testing well before your deadline.
If you intend to migrate your site from one server to another, test a migration as well before your set deadline. Different servers have different configurations and you may need to make adaptations to successfully migrate a site.
Doing this will give you time to access help from support before you have to meet your deadline.
Check the Documentation
Most software has documentation available for you and usually covers frequently seen issues/frequently asked questions. If you check the documentation, there is a good chance you will find the answer to your question, which saves you time and can have you moving forward much quicker than waiting for a response from support.
