Why doesn't GraphPad offer technical support via phone?

GraphPad is committed to providing excellent support for our products. We've discovered that we can provide much better support by offering it via email only. We know that some companies use "email only" as a way to brush off customers and avoid providing support. We are not like that. We really do provide individual, helpful answers to your email questions.

GraphPad doesn't offer telephone support for several reasons.

• Our customers live all around the world, but we're only here during business hours on the US West coast.
• When we return your phone call, you might be at lunch, away from your desk, or gone for the day. If we leave a message, it might start a round of telephone tag that could last for days.
• The person best able to answer your question may not be in the California office.  We sometimes consult with contract programmers in a different country before answering an email.
• It is difficult to describe graphing and analysis problems on the telephone. When you email us a question, you can attach your Prism files, exported images, or screenshots of error messages. This helps us figure out the problem and provide helpful solutions. 
• About half the time, our answers will include a screenshot, a file, or links to help pages or faqs on our website. This works with email but not phone.
• We keep a record of problems and solutions. When you receive an email from us, you can always refer back to it -- even weeks or months later. And we can keep a record of the questions you asked and whether or not we solved your problems. We use these records to help others with similar questions, and to help design new versions of our software.
• We often answer emails while traveling or from home. Email lets us answer much more promptly than we could by phone.