Overview
- A strong support request will save time and money
- Focus on how to reproduce the issue, not describing what is broken
- Include clear, step-by-step instructions so a support technician can quickly see the problem firsthand
- Describe both what you expected to happen and what actually happened
- Provide environmental context such as whether the issue is consistent or intermittent, which users are affected, and any recent system changes or updates
- Before submitting a request, test your own instructions to confirm someone unfamiliar with the issue could recreate it successfully
Help Us Replicate the Problem
When something goes wrong in CiviCRM, the fastest path to a solution is a support request that clearly explains how to reproduce the issue. While it may feel natural to focus on what is broken (“membership renewals aren’t working” or “the contribution page failed”), the most helpful support requests focus on what happened, what you expected to happen, and the exact steps someone else can follow to see the same problem.
Why does replication matter so much? Because troubleshooting starts with seeing the issue firsthand. If a support technician can reliably recreate the problem in the system, they can inspect logs, trace settings, identify conflicts, and test solutions. If they can’t reproduce it, troubleshooting becomes guesswork—slower, more expensive, and more frustrating for everyone involved.
A strong support request should include a clear step-by-step walkthrough. Start from the beginning: Where in CiviCRM were you? What menu did you click? What search did you run? What form did you submit? What options did you select? Include enough detail that another person could follow your instructions exactly. For example, instead of saying, “Event registration is broken,” try: “Navigate to Events > Manage Events > Spring Conference > Register Participant. Select ‘New Participant,’ choose ‘Member Rate,’ click ‘Continue,’ and an error message appears after submitting payment details.” That level of detail makes a huge difference.
It’s also important to include what you expected to happen and what actually happened. Did you expect a confirmation page but receive an error? Did a record save incorrectly? Did the screen freeze, redirect unexpectedly, or produce incorrect data? If there’s an error message, include the exact wording—copy and paste it if possible. Screenshots can help provide context, but written steps are still essential because they explain the process behind what the screenshot shows.
Context matters too. Small environmental details often reveal the root cause. Mention whether this happens every time or only occasionally. Does it affect all users or just administrators? Is it happening in your live site, staging site, or both? Did anything recently change—such as a software update, new extension, payment processor configuration, or website deployment?
Finally, test your own instructions before submitting them. Pretend you are the troubleshooter and read your steps back: Could someone unfamiliar with this issue recreate it? If the answer is yes, you’ve created a high-quality support request—one that gives your support team what they need to diagnose the issue quickly and accurately.
The better you help us replicate the problem, the faster we can help solve it!
Suggested Template
- Overview: High Level overview of the problem
- Steps to Recreate the Issue (see more detailed example below)
- Expected Behavior: What you expect to happen or should be happening
- Actual Behavior: What is happening
Helpful Details to include:
- Screenshots of the issue
- links to where the issue is occurring
- examples of broken records
- information about who is experiencing the problem
- Is the user logged in or not
- When did the issue occur (time/date)
Example of a strong Support Request
Subject: Unable to Edit Existing Price Set Options for Annual Conference Registration Event
Hello Support Team,
I’m the Events Manager for our organization, and I’m having trouble updating the registration pricing options for one of our upcoming events in CiviCRM. Specifically, I am unable to successfully change the options in the event’s attached Price Set.
We need to update our registration choices from:
- Early Bird Individual — $150
- Standard Individual — $200
- Student Rate — $75
to:
- Early Bird Individual — $175
- Standard Individual — $225
- Student Rate — $100
- Nonprofit Partner Rate — $125 (new option)
When I attempt to make these changes, the system either does not save them correctly or the registration form continues showing the old options.
Steps to Reproduce:
- Navigate to Events > Manage Events
- Open event: 2026 Annual Leadership Conference
- Click Configure > Fees
- Open attached Price Set: Annual Conference Registration
- Edit existing option values and add a new option
- Click Save
- Return to the public registration page
Expected Result:
The registration page should display the updated prices and the new “Nonprofit Partner Rate” option.
Actual Result:
The public form still shows the original pricing options, and the new option does not appear. In one attempt, the updated values briefly appeared in the admin interface but reverted after refreshing the page.
Attached are screenshots of the Price Set configuration screen and here is a link to the event registration page: (https://fakedomainforthisexample.org/linkexample)
This event is currently open for registration, so resolving this quickly would help avoid attendee confusion!
Thank you,
Felix Giso