The surprising secret to my CAD success

Everyday and in every way I strive to become more knowledgeable and productive with my CAD software. But I don’t do it by myself! Oh no, I have lots of help – AutodeskHelp!

Did you ever have a day when your CAD software just wouldn’t play fair? Did you throw your hands up and shout a few choice expletives across the office?

We’ve all been there. Sometimes people get so annoyed that they air their frustrations on Social media… and are shocked when they get an answer!

Hello world!

Did you know that Autodesk offer a support service that guarantees a reply in real time? Did you know that you can get directly in touch with Autodesk employees (Real people) who can answer your questions?

I know, I hear you asking;

‘So – I guess that this service is this only available via subscription?

‘How much does this cost?’

And the answer is NOTHING! It is totally FREE! All you need is a social media account and you can get all the help you need my friend :D

Introducing AutodeskHelp

I finally got to meet the lovely ^PHL, ^CAM and ^JES at Autodesk University this year in person. I wantto introduce you to them and the Autodesk Help social media service. You can find out more about the service and the team behind the sunny smiles below.

If you can’t wait, follow the links to the AutodeskHelp social media accounts.

@Autodeskhelp      Autodesk help Blog      Autodesk Help on Facebook

Q: How did AutodeskHelp get started?

When AutodeskHelp got started at the end of 2011, customers were already talking about Autodesk products on social media, and we felt we needed to join the conversation.

Most of our official social accounts at the time were predominantly marketing based, operated as one-way streets to push content and didn’t have the bandwidth to handle inbound inquiries.

To fill that void we essentially opened a new road for any and all customers that acted as a direct open communication channel with Autodesk

Q: What is the busiest Social network for Autodesk Help?

Definitely Twitter! Our social monitoring tool picks up close to 20K tweets per month that hit on a number of configured support-related filters.

Twitter is a great social media tool as it enables people to quickly tell the world what’s on their mind about whatever it is that they are doing at that very moment.

You’re more likely to see folks tweeting “Love this app” or “Program X just crashed!” rather than posting it on any other social media channel. And that’s what we feed on.

Q: What are the current limitations for the Autodesk Help service?

We’d love to be able to provide direct technical support for all Autodesk products on social media but scaling our service with the company is a challenge. There are over 150 products listed on the Autodesk website!

Our challenge is to be extremely resourceful while knowing a little about a lot which leads to the limitation of not knowing the answer to every question. To combat this, we heavily rely on the Autodesk Knowledge Network which encompasses an evolving collection of technical support articles as well as the Autodesk Community and the expertise of its thousands of active members.

Q: Where do you see the Autodesk Help service going in future?

Growing bigger and better! We’re bringing more members into the team with unique product expertise. We’re also constantly working on new and different ways to provide proactive support and give answers to questions and resolutions for issues before they come up.

Q: How can we help you to build on Autodesk Help’s success?

Share your knowledge and help us share ours. If you tweet a quick solution for an issue, we’re very likely to retweet it to our followers.

We also help divulge support-related blog posts written by our customers. Similarly, it’s always a great help when our customers RT our daily #AutodeskSolutions or simply spread the word about @AutodeskHelp and encourage their peers to get in touch with us.

Also, feedback is crucial. What do you want to see more from us? Less? Anything that we’re not doing but you would find value from? What can we do to make your experience with Autodesk software more beneficial?

Similar to the Autodesk community, we also appreciate those that offer helpful suggestions to others, which is something that we don’t see a lot of on Twitter or Facebook.

Please introduce yourself ^CAM

How did you get Involved in AutodeskHelp?

I was promoted internally from our customer service team (A.K.A Front Desk) to the Social Media and Community team to help develop and maintain @AutodeskHelp and other different social support presences.

How do you maintain your sunny attitude!

I love the job, simple as that! It’s easy to maintain a sunny attitude when you’re doing what you like which, in my case, is talking to people and helping them.

What makes working for AutodeskHelp so enjoyable?

We have a fun and exciting team and a fantastic community of followers. Working with and for great people is the main reason why I like my work. I also enjoy reaching out to people in distress – especially the really angry ones! – and providing them with a support experience that will turn them into Autodesk fans. It’s a great opportunity!

What is the biggest challenge you face in your daily work?

We talk to thousands of people from all parts of the world every day. Every single one of our customers is a singular individual with a different background, age, nationality and experience with Autodesk products and services. Knowing exactly what to say to each customer and how to say it is definitely a challenge. Also, keeping up with news and updates on over 150 products is a big one.

What tips can you give us to get the best out of the AutodeskHelp service?

Follow us and let us know how we can best serve you! @ AutodeskHelp was created for you and every minute of every day our main priority is to make sure we provide you with the best service we can. Your feedback is vitally important to us. When you do contact us with an issue, please provide as much detail as you can; that will help us help you much faster!

Please introduce yourself ^PHL

How did you get Involved in Autodesk Help?

I was promoted internally into our Social Media and Community team to help develop, launch, and grow the social support program.

How do you maintain your sunny attitude!

From the impact that we’re able to have in real time and the sincere appreciation that people show when you help them, expected or unexpectedly, with their given issues both small and large.

What makes working for AutodeskHelp so enjoyable?

The same thing that helps maintain our overly positive attitude, being able to help our awesome customers in a space where most of them are not expecting assistance and the appreciation that comes along with it.

What is the biggest challenge you face in your daily work?

We work at an amazing company that helps our millions of customers imagine, design, and create amazing things every day.

While our team isn’t directly responsible for creating the 150+ different software titles, we do have the very important task of making sure any users are able to use them as they were designed.

Knowing a little about a lot and conveying technical information in 140 characters or less is no easy feat.

What tips can you give us to get the best out of the AutodeskHelp service?

Make sure to follow us to receive information about the latest and greatest #AutodeskSolutions support articles.

Please introduce yourself ^JES

How did you get Involved in AutodeskHelp?

I got started with Autodesk Help 2.5 years ago as a backup for Phil. I was a full time customer service representative but was also available to help out on social media a few days a week. Then a year ago a full time position opened up on the Social Media and Community team and I was lucky enough to be able to transition into my current role so that I can engage customers on social media every day.

How do you maintain your sunny attitude!

It’s easy to maintain a sunny attitude when you get the opportunity to help customers. Reactive engagement is a big part of what we do and it’s very important, but we also proactively reach out to customers in distress before they even have to contact Autodesk. It’s a great feeling to be able to connect and assist someone who didn’t know you existed.

What makes working for AutodeskHelp so enjoyable?

Working in the Autodesk Help crew is not only rewarding because of the awesome help we get to provide, but every day is exciting and different. I’m assisting customers on twitter, Facebook, and the Autodesk Community and I never know what challenge I’m going to get to tackle next!

What is the biggest challenge you face in your daily work?

I would say the biggest challenge of our job would be having to support every Autodesk product including those that have been retired and are no longer supported plus new product acquisitions. A question is never turned down and we do everything in our power to deliver an answer. We definitely have to make good friends with the product support teams and be on the up and up!

What tips can you give us to get the best out of the AutodeskHelp service?

Our customers are great and just want to get back to their work and it’s our job to get them there. When a customer provides the complete details of their question we are more quickly and easily able to find them an answer!

We also post new and relevant content from the Autodesk Knowledge Network, accepted solutions from the Autodesk Community, and articles from partner publishers like Digital Tutors, CAD Learning, Lydia, etc.

To get your hands on this great material be sure to follow the #AutodeskSolutions hashtag on twitter, read the Autodesk help Blog , and check the Autodesk community for sticky threads titled New and Updated Solutions!

^CAM, ^JES, + ^PHL have been in the San Rafael office this week working on projects and the future of #Autodeskhelp! pic.twitter.com/rOjyf2D8M8

— AutodeskHelp (@AutodeskHelp) October 17, 2014

Doesn’t that sound great?

Well it is! Instant response, direct contact with the people who matter and all for Free. Who could ask for more!

Here’s my final tip. Please don’t forget to say ‘Thank you’, to the team :D

[easy-tweet tweet=”Thanks @Autodeskhelp”]

Do you still need help with your CAD problems? Please check out the CSO help page….