When issues arise, clear communication between your team and PropertyBoss Support helps resolve them faster. Providing the right information upfront reduces follow-up questions and shortens the time it takes to identify the issue. This article outlines best practices for submitting support requests that minimize back and forth.
Be Specific About the Issue
General descriptions make troubleshooting more difficult. Specific details help Support understand exactly what is happening.
- Instead of: The report is not working
- Provide: The Owner Statement report returns an error after selecting the date range and clicking Run
Clear descriptions help support focus on the correct area of the software.
Include the Exact Error Message
If an error message appears, include the full text exactly as shown. Error wording often points directly to the cause of the issue. Helpful details include:
- The full error message
- Where it appears on the screen
- When it occurs during the process
Screenshots or pasted text can be especially helpful. Screenshots of the error that include the full PropertyBoss program are a bonus. Support can zoom in to read the message and the background acts a map to the location in PropertyBoss.
Explain What You Were Trying to Do
Support needs to understand your goal, not just the outcome. Include:
- What task were you attempting?
- What did you expect to happen?
- What actually happened instead?
This context helps separate software issues from workflow or administrative questions.
Provide Clear Steps to Recreate the Issue
When possible, explain how the issue occurs step by step. For example:
- Go to Reports
- Select Transactions by Date
- Choose "Last Month" as date range
- Click Run
- Error appears
Clear steps allow Support to test the same scenario and confirm whether the issue can be reproduced.
Confirm Who Is Affected
Let Support know whether the issue affects:
- One user
- Multiple users
- All users
Also include whether it happens on:
- One computer
- Multiple computers
- Different locations
This helps quickly determine whether the issue is user-specific or system-related.
Share Any Recent Changes
Many issues begin after a change, even if the change seems unrelated. Include details such as:
- New users or permission changes
- Recent network/computer updates or installations
- Configuration changes
- New portals or features enabled
This information can immediately narrow down the cause.
Avoid Combining Multiple Issues in One Request
Submitting multiple unrelated issues in a single ticket often leads to confusion and delays. Best practice:
- Submit one issue per request
- Clearly label each issue
This allows each problem to be tracked and resolved independently.
Respond Promptly to Follow-Up Questions
If support asks for clarification or additional details, quick and complete responses keep the issue moving forward. Delays in responding often pause troubleshooting until information is received. Providing thorough answers reduces repeated questions.
Remember the Goal Is Resolution
Questions from Support are part of a structured process designed to identify the root cause accurately. Clear, complete information upfront benefits everyone by shortening resolution time and avoiding unnecessary back and forth.
See also: Why PropertyBoss May Ask Specific Questions During Troubleshooting