Known Errors and Workarounds
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In this lesson, you will learn:
- What a known error is
- What a workaround is
- How to share the workaround with linked incidents
- How to publish a known error article
🔁 Quick look back: Last time: Problem Tasks: Root Cause Analysis. You learned how problem tasks assign root cause analysis to a team, and how the VPN cause was found.
1 “The fix needs two weeks”
The new certificate must go through a change. That takes two weeks.
- Meanwhile, the VPN keeps dropping.
- Each agent solves it differently, or not at all.
- Callers wait longer than they need to.
👉 The fix: record the known error, and share a workaround every agent can use today.
2 Known error and workaround
Key term: Known error
A problem with a known root cause, and usually a workaround.
Key term: Workaround
A way to get people working again, until the real fix is in place.
Key term: Known error article
A knowledge article that explains the known error and its workaround.
3 A good workaround
- Simple: an agent, or the caller, can do it in a few minutes.
- Safe: it doesn’t create a new risk.
- Clear: written step by step.
⚠️ Heads up: A workaround isn’t the fix. Keep the problem open until the root cause is removed.
💡 Good to know: Agents can resolve new VPN incidents with the resolution code Workaround provided, and link them to the problem.
4 Let’s try it: make a known error
- Open your problem. Write a workaround in the Workaround field.
- Mark the problem as a known error (tick Known error, or use the menu option).
- Use Communicate Workaround to post it to the linked incidents.
- Create a knowledge article from the problem, titled “VPN drops: workaround”.
- Open a linked incident and check the workaround is in its activity.
5 Quick recap
- A known error has a known root cause
- A workaround helps people until the real fix
- Share it with every linked incident
- Publish a known error article so agents find it
- Keep the problem open until the cause is fixed
6 Check yourself
Think of your answer first. Then tap to check.
1 What makes a problem a known error? Show answer
Its root cause is known, and usually there’s a workaround.
2 Is a workaround the fix? Show answer
No. It helps until the real fix is in place.
3 How do the 12 callers get the workaround? Show answer
It’s communicated to all linked incidents.
4 Which article did SNWR publish? Show answer
KB0010210, VPN drops: workaround.
Nice work! SNWR’s agents can now help VPN callers straight away. 🎉
Next up: Problem Properties and Configuration
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