24/7 Support is Worthless...Unless It's Done the Canvas Way

Many of your services (cable company, airline, cell phone) offer 24/7/365 support, but how many of us actually take advantage of it?  Most times 24/7 phone support is our last possible resort. Have you ever wondered why?

The answer is simple: hold times. When you don’t know if someone is going to pick up right away, you don’t call, unless you have to.  

Companies know how annoying hold times can be, so many now have automated services telling you how long your wait will be. I suppose if you’re going to be tortured with hold times, at least knowing how long the torture will endure is a little better.  

That’s not the Canvas way.

Our goal isn’t just to make an awesome learning management system; it’s to partner with teachers to make education better. If a teacher doesn’t use Canvas, then it doesn’t matter how great Canvas is. In order to help teachers make learning awesome, we offer schools 24/7 support. But we don’t do it like other companies.  

The absolute best part of our Tier 1 24/7/365 support is that teachers can call, chat, or email, and we’re going to answer calls within one minute, chats within two minutes, and respond to emails within one hour. Whether a teacher needs something in those precious minutes between classes or late on a Sunday night when they’re preparing their lessons for the week, they can pick up the phone or chat and get immediate help from an Instructure employee. That’s right, we don’t outsource our support. Here’s a more detailed list of our support offerings.

Surprised by this level of service, a school once asked me how we’re able to achieve that kind of standard license agreement. If you saw the list of new hirees, you’d understand just how much of an investment we make in supporting our schools. Think about that for just a moment. How often have you come across a company that puts an enormous amount of effort in trying to win your business but then delivers a dismal experience once they have you as a client? That’s the type of complacency that ruins a company’s reputation, and that’s not the Canvas way.  

"If a teacher doesn’t use Canvas, then it doesn’t matter how great Canvas is. In order to help teachers make learning awesome, we offer schools 24/7 support. But we don’t do it like other companies."  

As a former teacher and education technology director, I know how frustrating it is to sit on hold with a company.  I can’t tell you how many times I waited on hold and had to tell students and teachers to come back at a later time because I wasn’t sure when someone was going to answer my call.  I’ve even had to leave messages for support and didn’t get a call back until 1-2 business days later. I can’t tell you how proud I am to represent a company that thinks that type of support is nonsense.  

If you’re evaluating learning management systems, and a company promises 24/7 support, ask them, “Do you offer a service level agreement for response times?” Because the bottom line is 24/7 support is worthless, unless it’s done the Canvas way.

Keep learning,

Justin Hibbard
Canvas K-12 Regional Director