cutting down on support back and forth
This is kind of crazy. Dave just pointed to his "how to" for bug submission.
http://support.opml.org/2005/06/17#bug
His 1.2.3 steps basically mimmic a feature of HelpSpot exactly. Cool, I guess that means I'm on the right track. Basically in HelpSpot the web form where you can submit a request has 2 views (administrator selectable). Either a simple form box like you usually see or 3 form boxes that basically walk the user through the exact sequence Dave points out. It's an option because the 3 steps aren't always appropriate in all circumstances. It's a little more work for the user up front, but providing this framework tends to coax out the real information you need and therefore lessen the back and forth aspects of customer service.