Solved vs. Helped

April 20, 2021 ,,Comments Off on Solved vs. Helped

If I ask you where I can find an open locksmith at this time of day and you tell me none are open until tomorrow, you’ve helped me.

…but you haven’t solved my problem (and you certainly haven’t provided me with an acceptable solution).

This is the problem with measuring whether an answer solved a problem or was ‘acceptable’ to the recipient. Often there simply aren’t any answers which can do either. A community and its membership shouldn’t be negatively judged for that.

If your product is so badly damaged it can’t be fixed, the only help a community might be able to provide are recommendations for replacement products. You might not be happy about it, but the answer still ‘helped’ you.

As in the original example, you’ve saved the person the time, energy, and frustration they would experience looking for other options. You’ve removed the uncertainty. The member can make a decision based upon the information they’ve received.

In many communities, ‘help’ is simply about being there for someone, listening to them, supporting them emotionally.

A lot of communities (and vendors) measure themselves by % of questions with an ‘accepted solution’ or ‘solved my problem’. For most, it’s a mistake.

Instead of asking ‘how many problems did this community solve?’ a better question might be ‘how many people did this community help?’

Comments Off
©2023 FeverBee Limited, Apartment 2410, 251 Southwark Bridge Road, London SE1 6FN England FEVERBEE

We’d like you to join us.

We’re a group of community professionals who push each other to the cutting edge of our work. Every day we share our experiences, highlight new expertise, and push one another to become the best community builders we can be.

The day you join, you’ll get access to 1000+ practical tips, dozens of resources, and unlimited access to the top experts in our space. You’ll also get to see how we go about building a community amongst our own audience.

It takes just 30 seconds and doesn’t cost a thing.

CLICK HERE AND JOIN FEVERBEE

Level Price  
ALL COURSES $750.00 per Month.
Select
Community Development Program $1,100.00 per Month.
Select
Director of Community $8,770.00 per Month.
Select
Free Trial - Accelerator Program Free.
Select
Community Accelerator (founding members) [annually] $250.00 per Year.
Select
Community Accelerator and FeverBee Intelligence [monthly] $45.00 per Month.
Select
Community Accelerator and FeverBee Intelligence [annually] $450.00 per Year.
Select
Full Community Upgrade (Large Enterprise Only) [monthly] $750.00 per Month.
Select
Full Community Upgrade (Large Enterprise Only) [annually] $7,600.00 per Year.
Select