How to Write a Support Request That Gets Solved Faster

Written By Timothy Murenzi

Last updated 29 days ago

When something isn't working in Workroom, the fastest way to get it fixed is to tell us exactly what happened — in plain language. You don't need to diagnose the problem, guess the cause, or write a formal report. You just need to describe what you were doing and what went wrong.

This guide walks you through what to include so our support team can understand your issue on the first read and get you back to work quickly.

The one thing to remember

Describe what happened, not what you think caused it.

Most confusing support requests come from over-thinking. People try to figure out why something broke and end up describing their theory instead of the actual problem. That's our job to figure out. Your job is just to tell us clearly what you saw.

Think of it like telling a doctor "my knee hurts when I climb stairs" rather than "I think I have a torn ligament." Describe the symptom. We'll handle the diagnosis.

The four things every request needs

If you include these four things, we can almost always help you right away.

1. What you were trying to do. The task you were working on. For example: "I was trying to send an invoice to a client" or "I was adding a line item to a purchase order."

2. What you did, step by step. The clicks or actions you took, in order. Keep it simple: "I opened the project, clicked Estimates, then clicked New Estimate."

3. What you expected to happen. What you thought would happen next. For example: "I expected the estimate to save and appear in the list."

4. What actually happened instead. The real result — including the exact wording of any error message. For example: "Nothing happened when I clicked Save" or "I got a red message that said 'Something went wrong.'"

That's it. Those four points turn a vague, confusing message into something we can act on immediately.

A template you can copy

Fill in the blanks and paste this into your support request:

What I was trying to do: 
Steps I took:
1.
2.
3.
What I expected to happen:
What actually happened:
Any error message (exact words):

Details that help us even more

You don't need all of these, but any you can add will speed things up:

  • A screenshot. A picture of your screen — especially with an error message showing — is often worth more than a paragraph of description. Screenshots of the whole window are more helpful than tight crops.

  • The specific record. Tell us which one. The project name, invoice number, estimate, purchase order, contact, or timelog you were working on helps us find it fast.

  • When it happened. "This morning" or "around 2pm today" helps us check logs.

  • Whether it happens every time. Does it break every time you try, or just once? If you can make it happen again, tell us the exact steps that trigger it.

  • What device and browser you're on. For example: "Chrome on my laptop" or "the app on my iPhone."

Common mistakes to avoid

Over-explaining the backstory. We don't need the full history of your account to fix a button that won't click. Lead with the actual problem; add context only if it matters.

Guessing the cause. Saying "I think it's a permissions bug" sends us looking in the wrong place if you're wrong. Just describe what you saw.

Being too vague. "It's broken" or "the estimates aren't working" doesn't give us anything to go on. Which part? What did you click? What did you see?

Bundling several unrelated problems into one message. If you have three separate issues, send three requests. Each one gets tracked and solved cleanly.

Leaving out the error message. The exact wording of an error is one of the most useful things you can give us. Copy it word for word, or screenshot it.

Good vs. not-so-helpful examples

Not helpful:

"The invoices section is completely broken and I can't do my job. This keeps happening and it's really frustrating. Please fix ASAP."

We can hear that you're frustrated, but we don't know what "broken" means, which invoice, what you clicked, or what you saw.

Helpful:

"I was trying to send invoice #1042 to a client. I opened the invoice and clicked Send. I expected an email to go out, but instead I got a red error that said 'Recipient email is missing.' The client's email is filled in on their contact, though. Screenshot attached. This happens every time I try to send this invoice. I'm on Chrome on my laptop."

That request tells us the task, the steps, the expectation, the exact error, a possible clue, and the fact that it's repeatable. We can start solving it immediately.

A quick checklist before you hit Send

  • Did I say what I was trying to do?

  • Did I list the steps I took?

  • Did I say what I expected vs. what actually happened?

  • Did I include the exact error message (or a screenshot)?

  • Did I name the specific record (project, invoice, estimate, etc.)?

If you can check most of these boxes, you've written a great support request — and you'll almost always get a faster, more accurate answer.

You don't need to get it perfect. When in doubt, keep it simple and just tell us what happened. We'll take it from there.