When you are needing to fix something in your course and contact your Canvas tech support, which one of these responses would you want to receive?
1 - “Click this link to follow the steps in our online guide to resolve your issue: https://guides.bigbusiness.com/kb/asd89a7fsa98sdv7a98s7cs987d”
2 - “Done.”
3 - “To fix your problem you first [long run-on sentence devoid of commas using ambiguous, confusing directions made by a support person using their own heavily-customized computer assuming everyone has the same configuration.]”
4 - “Hi [firstname], I made some changes based on your email to your [specific name of] Canvas course. I also made a quick video to provide you with a “visual receipt” for the work I did on your behalf with your best interests in mind: https://d.pr/v/xuQz4w” (or click on the video link above to view my “visual receipt.”)
Make no mistake: Choices 1 and 2 are devoid of of any semblance of “customer service” and are not options for a Canvas Admin who actually cares about their clients and chooses to cultivate a rapport with whom they serve. Choice 3 is headed toward a customized solution for the client, but is lacking any awareness of the client’s level of ability with technology; in this case, their Canvas course. It also is a little too hyper-nerdy and in need of a grammar check.
For five years, I have discovered that:
recording a personalized, customized, narrated screencast video
auto-uploading it to the cloud for rendering
sharing a URL link in the email response
…takes much less time than:
pounding out a bullet-point addled guide to help a client solve their problem
proof the email for spelling, grammatical, and factual errors
hitting send
For example, this took me six minutes from receiving the email from my client to sending them a reply:
Sending video emails have been ubiquitous for me in providing asynchronous support for my Canvas clients. They can view my videos whenever they have time, often outside my in-person consultation timeslots. They can bookmark my weblink in their web browser for future use. Also, showing my clients how I resolved their issue helps them see my process as opposed to some tech support who just blasts through the fix without explaining anything about what they did. Most importantly, my clients have responded positively to the personal touch when comes to fixing their Canvas course aggravations.
-Chris
canvasinsider@protonmail.com
