Contacting Tech Support
Before contacting technical support please consult the resources listed below:
How do I...? Solution Finder™
Try our newest addition to support here at Chief Architect. The "How do I...? Solution Finder™". Here you can create a complete sentence and be assured that you will find an article on that subject. Try it out. It only takes a couple of clicks to get a short list of solutions.
Free Software Updates
In the interest of maintaining the highest level of quality, Chief Architect periodically releases software updates and enhancements for its customers. Before speaking with a technical support technician, we recommend that you verify that you are using the latest update software. You can check the version number of your current version of Chief Architect by selecting "About" under the Chief Architect Help Menu. Then, check our updates page to verify that you are running the latest version of the software.
Online Support by the Help Database
If you have verified that you have the latest updates and are still having problems we recommend searching our help database. Our database has articles about most of the common issues that you may run into. Type your question below and hit the submit button to search the help database.
The Chief Architect Reference Manual
Many technical support calls are answered simply by opening the reference manual and consulting the index. The reference manual is an excellent source for finding answers to most common questions about how to use Chief Architect. To access the Reference Manual from within Chief Architect select Help> View Reference Manual... from the menu.
Training Resources
Technical support will answer simple how to questions as time permits. If it becomes apparent that you will need extended instruction in a subject you will be directed to our various training resources. These include training videos, classroom seminars, personal trainer sessions, and the Chief Talk online user forum.
If after consulting the above resources you still have not found an answer, our technical support staff will be happy to work with you to provide an answer to your questions.
Support Options
Supported Versions
We provide technical support for the current version of Chief Architect. We will try to help you with questions about older versions of Chief Architect, but only as time permits. You can also find information about how to upgrade to the most current version of Chief Architect.
Hours of Operation
The Technical Support office is open from 6am to 5pm pacific time, Monday through Friday.
Contacting Support
Chief Architect is committed to providing world-class technical support and training to complement our professional products. Our support professionals are eager to work with you to make certain your program is functioning as designed.
Although the primary function of technical support is to make sure your program is functioning correctly and to help you quickly resolve problems that prevent its normal use, our Technical Support staff is trained in the use of Chief Architect and will be happy answer basic questions about how to find or use a particular function of Chief Architect.
When contacting technical support there are several things that you can do to assure a speedy answer to your question.
- When you first encounter a problem or error message copy the exact wording of the message.
- Be prepared with exact steps to reproduce the problem so you can walk through the steps when you contact us.
- Try to be in front of the computer that is experiencing the problem. This will allow us to troubleshoot the problem and correctly identify the solution.
- Verify you have the latest program updates. See free software updates above for instructions on installing updates.
If you experience problems with your hardware lock while installing Chief Architect on Windows XP Service Pack 2 refer to Chief Architect Help Database – Article Number: 569
Chief Talk
Looking for answers?
Answers to many how-to and technical questions can be found 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on our on-line forum, Chief Talk, located at: http://www.chieftalk.com/. Chief Talk is visited not only by our software users, but also by members of our training, support, and our engineering teams who are well-versed in using the software and happy to help you. On Chief Talk, you can discover tools and techniques to bring your design ideas to life.
Support Center Web
We have recently implemented the Chief Architect Online Support Center which will allow you to contact our support department via a secure web page. This will allow you to log in and contact our technical support staff. You will be able to review old support tickets, upload files, and receive files from us. You will be notified via e-mail when a response has been submitted or you can check back periodically to see the status of your support ticket. We will respond to each ticket within 2 business days or earlier. To access the support center go to http://support.chiefarchitect.com
Support by Telephone
Chief Architect technical support can be accessed by dialing (208) 292-3399. Our support team is committed to answering your technical questions as quickly as possible. There are times when we get more calls than expected and you may have to wait a few minutes before speaking to a technician. Your call is important to us and will be answered in the order in which it was received. Remember that if you are asking how to use the software our support staff will refer you to the appropriate training resources. If you would like us to walk you through how to use the program we may also refer you to one of our personal trainers.
Support by E-mail
Due to the unreliability of e-mail, support by e-mail has been discontinued in favor of the new Chief Architect Online Support Center. If you need after hours or weekend assistance use the Chief Talk users forum.