How to raise a support ticket like a pro: A guide for faster resolution
How-tos Published on •3 mins
Got a load balancing issue you need help with? As technical support engineers, we thrive on clear and concise information.
A well-written ticket is the key to getting your issue resolved faster and more efficiently.
Helping you solve problems as quickly as possible is something we take great pride in at Loadbalancer. After all, our support team responds on average x48 times faster than F5.
So here's how you can craft the perfect support ticket, to help us help you even faster.
1. Describe the problem like you're telling a story
Imagine explaining the issue to a friend. Be specific. Instead of "The system isn't working," tell us what you're trying to do and what happens instead.
Are you encountering error messages? Unexpected behaviour? Include the exact wording of any error messages you see.
The more details you provide, the easier it is for us to pinpoint the root cause.
2. Include the affected Virtual IP address
If you're dealing with a virtual service (VIP = Virtual IP), mentioning its name can save us a ton of time. Knowing which VIP is experiencing issues helps us narrow down the potential causes and focus our investigation efforts on the service you need help with.
3. Declare the severity: inconvenience or site down?
Let us know how critical the issue is in your initial outreach. Is it causing you a minor inconvenience, like a slow-loading page, or is it impacting a large number of users or preventing core functionality?
Classifying the severity helps us prioritize tickets and ensure critical issues are addressed first.
4. Tell us when it all started: Timing is crucial
Include the date, time (with timezone please!), and if possible, the exact moment you first noticed the problem. This information is crucial for analyzing the logs and tracing the issue's origin.
5. Share the background: New configuration or well-tested?
Was everything working smoothly before this issue arose? Did you recently make any configuration changes to the system or the VIP?
Knowing the service's history helps us understand if this is a new development, or a regression in a previously stable system.
Bonus points: attachments
Tip 1: Screenshots are worth a thousand words
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a screenshot is an absolute goldmine for technical support!
If possible, include screenshots that visually represent the problem you're encountering. This can be especially helpful for issues related to user interfaces or error messages.
Tip 2: Include a TSD for config issues
Alternatively, when raising a ticket you may just want to go ahead and generate a Technical Support Download (often abbreviated as TSD).
When it comes to configuration, screenshots are not as great, so sending a screenshot of a page with config will never provide as much information as this archive.
To download the TSD, do the following:
- Navigate to the 'Support → Technical Support Download' page in the WebUI
- Click the "Generate Archive" button.
- When prompted, download the archive file to your local machine.
If it's less than 20 MB you should be fine to just attach it to your email. If bigger, we will provide you with a link to an upload server as soon as the ticket is opened.
Why does a Technical Support Download add so much value? In a nutshell, it contains the configuration as well as the logs. This allows our support team to get to the bottom of the issue easily.
Go forth and conquer
By following these simple steps, you'll be well on your way to raising tickets that get resolved faster and more efficiently. Remember, the more information you provide, the faster we can diagnose and fix the problem.
No matter the issue, whenever you raise a ticket with the Loadbalancer support team you'll be dealing immediately with a Level 3 engineer. No hoops to jump through. Just someone chomping at the bit to help you solve your problem.
So raising a ticket simply saying “We have an issue, please help” isn't going to help us get right to the heart of the issue for you.
Because when you deal with the support team at Loadbalancer, there's a real pesron on the other end, waiting on poll, rolling up their sleeves, ready to dive straight into the weeds of the problem with you.
Ready to submit a ticket? Rev your engines. Here we go.
One. Two. Three...go!!