Easily describe any problem

When you see something odd in your CRM system, you might want to ask your specialist for help.

To make that work well, you have to describe the problem. Otherwise, how can anybody fix it or explain it?

Here are three easy ways to describe a problem with your CRM:

1. Write down the specific steps you take to observe the problem.

• Is it happening for a certain contact? Write down the contact ID.

• Can you make it happen if you take certain steps? Write down those steps — for example, "I log in with this username. I see X. I click on Y. Then I see Z. Then I click on A …” etc., etc.

• Are you expecting to see one thing but actually seeing another? Write down what you're expecting to see, and what you're actually seeing.

2. Take a picture

If some part of the problem is easily visible on the screen, take a screenshot.

Whether you're on Windows, Mac or Linux, or on your phone, there's a way to take a screenshot. You might have to Google "how do I take a screenshot on my Mac?", but that's faster than trying to write a long description of what you're seeing.

In the worst case, just pull out your phone and take a picture of your screen. It's not beautiful or slick, but as long as it's in focus and shows the problem, why not?

3. Record a screen video

This may just be the best thing ever: A video of 30 seconds or 2 minutes showing the problem from start to finish.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video is worth a million.

If you have a microphone and can narrate, great! If not, make a silent movie. It worked for Chaplin, and it can work for you.

If you don't know how to record a screen video, I recommend you just go to screencapture.com, where you can push a button and record your screen and download the video without giving them so much as an email address. (They have a thousand competitors, but this one's the easiest I've seen. And nobody pays me to say this stuff.)

The rest is easy:

Put all of that together in an email, or a support ticket, and send it with your request for help.

You may get some clarifying questions from your CRM specialist, but you've gone a long way toward painting a clear picture.

And describing the problem well is, after all, the first step in getting it resolved.

All the best,
A.