How can we explain the unexpected 25% increase in customer support tickets related to Seismic's LiveContent functionality in the past two weeks?

Introduction

The unexpected 25% increase in customer support tickets related to Seismic's LiveContent functionality over the past two weeks is a critical issue that demands immediate attention. This surge in support requests not only impacts our customer satisfaction but also strains our support resources and potentially signals underlying problems with the product. To address this challenge, 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 LiveContent or related systems in the past month?

Why it matters: Recent changes often correlate with support ticket increases. Expected answer: Yes, a minor update was released three weeks ago. Impact on approach: If confirmed, we'd focus on that update as a primary suspect.

• Considering user segments, are we seeing this increase across all customer types or is it concentrated in a specific group?

Why it matters: Helps narrow down if it's a universal issue or specific to certain users. Expected answer: The increase is primarily seen in enterprise customers. Impact on approach: We'd investigate enterprise-specific features or usage patterns.

• Looking at the nature of tickets, has there been a shift in the types of issues reported compared to the usual distribution?

Why it matters: Identifies if there's a new problem or exacerbation of existing ones. Expected answer: There's been an uptick in performance-related complaints. Impact on approach: We'd prioritize performance analysis in our investigation.

• Regarding system health, have there been any notable changes in server load or response times coinciding with this increase?

Why it matters: Technical issues often manifest in support tickets before they're caught internally. Expected answer: Some intermittent slowdowns have been observed. Impact on approach: We'd focus on backend performance and scaling issues.