What factors are contributing to the unexpected 50% increase in support tickets related to Qumulo's snapshot functionality in the last month?

Introduction

The unexpected 50% increase in support tickets related to Qumulo's snapshot functionality in the last month is a critical issue that demands immediate attention. This surge in support requests not only impacts customer satisfaction but also strains our support resources and potentially signals underlying product issues. To address this problem, I'll employ a systematic approach to identify, validate, and resolve the root cause while considering both short-term fixes and long-term strategic implications.

Step 1

Clarifying Questions (3 minutes)

• Given the sudden spike, I'm wondering about recent changes. Have there been any updates to the snapshot functionality or related features in the past 1-2 months?

Why it matters: Recent changes often correlate with support ticket increases. Expected answer: Yes, a minor update was released. Impact on approach: If confirmed, I'd focus on the update's specifics and potential bugs.

• Considering user segments, are these tickets coming from a specific customer type or use case?

Why it matters: Helps identify if the issue is widespread or localized to a particular user group. Expected answer: Enterprise customers are reporting more issues. Impact on approach: I'd tailor the investigation to enterprise-specific configurations or usage patterns.

• Regarding the nature of the tickets, are they clustered around specific error messages or user complaints?

Why it matters: Pinpoints whether we're dealing with a single issue or multiple problems. Expected answer: Most tickets mention "snapshot creation failure" errors. Impact on approach: I'd prioritize investigating the snapshot creation process and related systems.

• Thinking about system performance, have there been any notable changes in storage utilization or network traffic coinciding with this increase?

Why it matters: Could indicate if the issue is related to system capacity or infrastructure problems. Expected answer: Storage utilization has increased by 30% in the same period. Impact on approach: I'd explore the relationship between storage usage and snapshot functionality.