The MOTU Tech Support is mostly very helpful, but...

[Tomas E]

I don't have much criticism about the MOTU Tech Support team. In most cases they are very accommodating. However one thing I experience now and then is that when they don't seem to have a solution for an issue they just stop giving me feedback.

What is your experience?

The Finale Support team for example is very keen to know if you have any more questions and always sends a request to rate the help in each issue.

[bayswater]

However one thing I experience now and then is that when they don't seem to have a solution for an issue they just stop giving me feedback.

That's pretty much what I'd expect. What can they say to us if they don't have a solution?

[mikehalloran]

The reason for Tech Links is so that you can log in and see the progress—or lack of—on your issue.

[MIDI Life Crisis]

Not every problem has a solution.
Not every question has an answer.

Getting the customer off the line quickly when the response is clear allows for the next customer to be helped. Next time YOU might be the one on hold waiting 20 minutes. You want to wait another 10 minutes while little Johnny thinks about that hat else he might want to know?

If the calls are kept efficiently short once the question is answered, little Johnny can just call in later when he thinks of his question and his call will get answered sooner.

People who run a business think like that. Also, I believe MakeMusic has a bigger tech staff to field calls.

I think MOTU is doing things just fine.

[stubbsonic]

This has happened to me, too.

In an ideal world, if MOTU support doesn't have an answer, they can say:

"I'm sorry this issue continues to frustrate you. We've tried X, Y, Z, and have only gotten so far. But at this point we're stuck. All I can suggest is to reach out again in a few weeks/months, and we'll see if we can make some progress from a different approach."

OR...
"I was unable to get anywhere with your issue. I'm going to pass you over to so-and-so to take over, and get a set of fresh eyes/brains on it."

The thing of just ghosting a user and not responding is pretty harsh.

[MIDI Life Crisis]

I didn’t interpret the comment as ghosting.

[Michael Canavan]

This has happened to me, too.

In an ideal world, if MOTU support doesn't have an answer, they can say:

"I'm sorry this issue continues to frustrate you. We've tried X, Y, Z, and have only gotten so far. But at this point we're stuck. All I can suggest is to reach out again in a few weeks/months, and we'll see if we can make some progress from a different approach."

OR...
"I was unable to get anywhere with your issue. I'm going to pass you over to so-and-so to take over, and get a set of fresh eyes/brains on it."

The thing of just ghosting a user and not responding is pretty harsh.

I think with Tech Links, sometimes they go and do the routine you mention in order to replicate the bug, either can or cannot replicate it, but may not have an answer, get sidetracked and forget to respond like the rest of us do. I sometimes read a text message, and forget to respond, it's not because I'm trying to be rude, I may not have a good response, or a bigger more immediate issue come up.

I've gotten a response to Tech Links at least 95% of the time if I ask for a response after waiting a couple weeks.

[stubbsonic]

Most of my interactions with MOTU support have been very positive. Just had one or two that didn't go smoothly. But as you say, it's likely just human beings doing their best. Perhaps they've added some tweaks to their system.

[Tomas E]

However one thing I experience now and then is that when they don't seem to have a solution for an issue they just stop giving me feedback.

That's pretty much what I'd expect. What can they say to us if they don't have a solution?

We are all different. Stubbsonic's reply is a good example of what they could say.

In an ideal world, if MOTU support doesn't have an answer, they can say:

"I'm sorry this issue continues to frustrate you. We've tried X, Y, Z, and have only gotten so far. But at this point we're stuck. All I can suggest is to reach out again in a few weeks/months, and we'll see if we can make some progress from a different approach."

OR...
"I was unable to get anywhere with your issue. I'm going to pass you over to so-and-so to take over, and get a set of fresh eyes/brains on it."

get sidetracked and forget to respond like the rest of us do. I sometimes read a text message, and forget to respond, it's not because I'm trying to be rude, I may not have a good response, or a bigger more immediate issue come up.

I've gotten a response to Tech Links at least 95% of the time if I ask for a response after waiting a couple weeks.

My thoughts have been in that direction too. But if you're within a company I'd expect you to answer even if you don't have a "good response" since you're dealing with your precious customers. I'd appreciate that much more so that I'd least know that they are aware of the issue and that they are still working on it. Or they could say something like: "Sorry for keeping you waiting but a more serious issue has come up. We'll get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks for your patience!"

In the beginning I felt a bit sidestepped, but I've learned to deal with it by posing a question like "any progress?". Similar to what you do in other words. By the way, wouldn't you rather prefer responses to a hundred percent of your issues in stead of just settle with 95?

Getting the customer off the line quickly when the response is clear...

Also, I believe MakeMusic has a bigger tech staff to field calls.

I think MOTU is doing things just fine.

I'm not speaking about clear responses, I'm speaking about when the issue hasn't been resolved yet. Furthermore I think of a support service as being first and foremost for people like little Johnny who doesn't have the same knowledge and needs more support. The support is not only for technical issues and bug resolving but also for general questions that may not have been clarified in the User Manual. I don't mind waiting in line since that is how things work, you have to take your number. If I'm standing in a regular line in a store I don't start to mess around in anger just because the person in front of me has an issue with expressing himself to the cashier.

However I agree that MakeMusic probably has a bigger tech staff.

Just for the sake of it, once again: In most cases the MOTU Tech Support guys are very accommodating.

[Phil O]

I thought MOTU tech support had forgotten about a tech link that I had open for quite a while. Just the other day I got an update from Matt and he said he was just checking in to let me know they were still working on it.
I think we here at Motunation tend to work out many of the problems on our own and when (and if) we finally break down and open a tech link it's because of a difficult issue that may take a little more time to solve than the casual user's call. Just sayin'.

Phil

[mikehalloran]

... Also, I believe MakeMusic has a bigger tech staff to field calls. ....

MM ended phone support about a week after Finale 25 was introduced and they became deluged with calls. Now you go to the support page, enter your problem and it’s handled via email. Works as well as anything, I’ve found.

But, to your earlier point, they don’t always have an answer. Sometimes there is no solution.