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Troubleshooter program improvements

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Troubleshooter program improvements

Google
2023

Troubleshooter program improvements

Client: Google

Project date: 2023
Industry: Technology
Services provided: Content strategy and curation, project management, program creation, senior and XFN stakeholder management

Project overview

Developed and expanded the Google Ads support team troubleshooter program to streamline the resolution of common issues across various Merchant Center product areas, reducing the need for high-touch support and improving user experience.

Project objectives

Continuously enhance the troubleshooter program to meet evolving user needs, reduce support escalations, and improve the overall support experience.

Project phases

  1. Initial phase: Synthesize existing troubleshooting articles into a single effective Merchant Center troubleshooter, providing actionable context and self-resolution solutions.

    Deliverable: create a Merchant Center troubleshooter to streamline the resolution of common shipping settings issues.
  2. Expansion phase: Identify and produce additional troubleshooters for multiple Merchant Center product areas, prioritizing and scaling the tool while improving vetting and production processes.

    Deliverable: Expanded the troubleshooter program to identify and produce additional tools for various commerce product areas.

Challenge

Users faced difficulties resolving shipping settings issues, often navigating through multiple articles with complex and irrelevant information, resulting in a high volume of preventable support contacts (60% of cases, as identified in the TUI analysis).

This situation provided a challenging user experience and increased the burden on support resources.

Task

Develop a data-driven, tailored troubleshooting solution to address one of merchants’ top issues, e.g., setting up shipping settings.

My goal was to create a more consumable and compelling experience that would empower users to troubleshoot and self-resolve their issues in real-time, while also educating them on how to approach similar issues in the future. The plan was implemented in phases:

  • Initial phase: Synthesize existing troubleshooting articles into an effective Merchant Center troubleshooter, providing actionable context and self-resolution solutions.
  • Expansion phase: Identify and produce additional troubleshooters for various product areas, prioritizing content, while  scaling the program by improving vetting and production processes.

My long-term vision was to establish a framework for ongoing development and improvement of troubleshooters, ensuring they remain effective and meet the evolving needs of Merchant Center users.

Action

I took proactive steps to ensure the successful launch and ongoing improvement of the program by:

  • Strategic placement: Maximizing reach and visibility, I published troubleshooter content in key surfaces, including the Help Center, Community forums, and directly within the product help panel.
  • Post-launch analysis: Conducted thorough analysis of metrics, pre and post launch, to assess content effectiveness and areas for improvement.
  • Collaboration & expansion: Partnered with accountable cross-functional teams to explore additional surfaces for content placement
  • Process & program optimization: Developed a troubleshooting playbook to streamline future troubleshooter content creation and deployment,  promoting efficiency and scalability.

Results

The troubleshooter initiative significantly improved key performance metrics, results:

  • Reduced case volume and resolution time: Cases opened decreased by 11.1%, average resolution time dropped by 29.5%, and more cases were resolved within 24 hours.
  • Enhanced help center engagement: Users interacted with the help center less frequently, but when they did, they had a positive experience.
  • Improved community engagement: The troubleshooter post received strong engagement, with low escalation rates and positive feedback.

Beyond these metrics, the project’s success led to:

  • Program expansion: Leveraged new strategies and partnerships to broaden the troubleshooter’s reach.
  • Process improvements: Developed a troubleshooting playbook and refined content production and case analysis processes.
  • Future-focused approach: Explored the potential of AI to further enhance support solutions.

These results demonstrate the troubleshooter’s effectiveness in empowering users to self-serve, reducing support burden, and improving the overall support experience.

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