Windows Live Solutions Center: a better way to interact?

After rolling out a new version of Hotmail only to be deluged with complaints ranging from the somewhat petty (I want the old version back!) to the pretty serious (my folders are gone!), and having to wade through hundreds thousands of comments on the Windows Live Wire and the Hotmail blogs, Microsoft has decided to take action.

Yes that’s right, a site dedicated to complaining about Hotmail! Yay!

wlsolutioncenter

Windows Live Wire announced today the introduction of the Windows Live Solutions Center.  Initially the site is focused on problems and solutions for Hotmail, but “other Windows Live services will be part of the site in the future”.  From the Windows Live Wire blog:

While our blog posts give us a good way to communicate new features that we add to the product, a blog is not a complete solution. We want to have two-way communication with our customers and decrease the time that it takes to solve problems that users are having with their accounts.

We are proud to announce a new and better way to interact: Windows Live Solution Center!

For someone who has been heads down in Community Server the past few weeks, the site is a little painful to look at, and certainly not up to Wave 3 design standards, but we appreciate the effort.  The interwebs are littered with similar well meaning but dying on the vine help sites, though, so we’re not too optimistic about this one, but hey, better than having to wade through 3008 comments on a blog.

Comments

  • http://www.liveside.net/members/CharlyAR/default.aspx CharlyAR

    Hey. Instead of creating a new website, throw away the “new” Hotmail and bring a better one!!!

  • http://www.liveside.net/members/DN2004/default.aspx DN2004

    I think the new hotmail is fine unlike many people. After taking a look at this website it looks like it will get messy very quickly after glancing at various “solution” pages I have noticed people are unable to read and just posting random issues in the comments and are expecting a solution to something else. So the sites point is already gone out the window.

    The site is obviously not simple enough to use or people using it have no idea what to do.

  • http://www.liveside.net/members/aho/default.aspx aho

    Just had a quick look at the site, and looks like the Windows Live team are trying to fix everyone’s problems!