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by dvdgsng 2779 days ago
> instead they keep sending tickets back for "more info"

Isn't that the case with basically every support request, no matter the company or severity? The first couple of emails from 1st & even 2nd level support are mostly about answering the same questions about the environment over and over again. We've had this ping-pong situation with production outages (which we eventually analysed and worked around by ourselves) and fairly small issues like requesting more information of an undocumented behavior which didn't even effect us much. No matter how important or urgent the initial issue was, eventually most requests end up being closed unresolved.
2 comments
jon-wood 2779 days ago
I've definitely had interactions with smaller companies where you can effectively bypass first and second line by demonstrating you know what you're doing, mostly just saying the right things for them to accept that you've done basic troubleshooting steps already and really do need to talk to someone beyond that point.
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dvdgsng 2779 days ago
Yes, same experience here, support at smaller companies can be more dedicated when talking to "knowledgeable" customers. It's generally easier to get to their 3rd level, sometimes just because there is no 1st or 2nd level at all. But at "big" enterprises - not so much.
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rainbowzootsuit 2779 days ago
> I've definitely had interactions with smaller companies where you can effectively bypass first and second line by demonstrating you know what you're doing, mostly just saying the right things for them to accept that you've done basic troubleshooting steps already and really do need to talk to someone beyond that point.

"Shibboleet" https://www.xkcd.com/806/

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manigandham 2779 days ago
Smaller companies or personalized support structures (like named engineers) is very different. You can build up a relationship and usually bypass many questions to get to main issue, and even get it resolved before you can even open a case at larger organizations.

GCP does have role-based support models with a flat-rate plan, which is really great, but the overall quality of the responses leaves much to be desired.

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