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Best Practices for Providing Screenshots in Your Support Case

Question

What are the best practices to provide useful screenshots for Technical Support Cases?

Applies To

  • 8x8 Technical Support Cases

Answer

When taking screenshots for technical support, it's important to capture the relevant information that will help the support team understand the issue you are facing. Here are some tips for taking useful screenshots:

  • Capture the entire screen: Take a screenshot of the entire screen so that the support team can see the context of the issue. This can help them understand where the issue is occurring and what other applications or processes may be running at the same time.
  • Minimize unnecessary windows: Once you have identified the relevant windows, minimize any other windows that are not needed. This may include email applications, office documents, file explorer windows, or other applications that are not related to the issue.
  • Arrange windows: Arrange the remaining windows so that they are easy to read and understand. This may involve resizing windows, moving them to specific parts of the screen, or organizing them in a specific way.
  • Highlight the relevant area: If the issue is confined to a specific part of the screen, use a screenshot tool or editing software to highlight the area of concern. This will make it easier for the support team to identify the issue.
  • Include error messages: If there are error messages or pop-up windows related to the issue, include them in the screenshot. This can help the support team identify the cause of the problem.
  • Use a descriptive filename: When saving the screenshot, use a short but descriptive filename. This will make it easier to identify the screenshot later on.
  • Include date and timestamp: Such as the clock on the taskbar.
  • Provide additional information: Along with the screenshot, provide any additional information that may be relevant to the issue. such as:
    • The date and time including the time zone screenshots were taken
    • If the issue occurred after a specific action, provide details about what you were doing before the issue occurred.
    • If the issue is related to a call provide the details of the call
    • Which user is logged in

By following these tips, you can take useful screenshots that will help the technical support team identify and resolve the issue you are facing.

Additional Information

  • Please include screenshots as picture/image files such as JPEG or PNG rather than embedding them in other documents such as a Word document
  • Avoid compressing the screenshot as this can affect readability
  • Consider minimising windows 
  • Consider obfuscating sensitive information
  • Microsoft Windows has a Snipping Tool which can be used for taking and editing screenshots
  • A series of screenshots may be useful to show a process or a before and after
  • For some issues, it may be worth providing a short screen recording or meeting recording of the issue occurring instead or in addition to screenshots

These are recommendations based on best practices, and may not necessarily apply to all situations. It's important to keep in mind that each case is unique, and the approach to sharing information with technical support may need to be adjusted accordingly. While these suggestions can help ensure that the support team is able to effectively address your issue, they are not mandatory requirements. Ultimately, the goal is to provide the support team with the necessary information to help resolve your issue, and the most effective way to do so may vary depending on the specifics of the situation.

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