We aren’t expecting iGO users to be computer experts, but knowing which browsers are supported and some quick tips to clear cookies and cache can make for a better user experience!
Like most software companies, we have certain browsers that our software is tested on and we support and we post that information on our Customer Portal here. While we can’t promise that every single browser will work on every single computer due to system and security limitations, we work to ensure that at least one of those browsers will work for a user. From error messages to pop up blockers, we do our best to help each user through whatever might be impacting their experience.
What might the user say to indicate that they need help with their browser?
“The PDF was supposed to open, but nothing happened with I clicked to view it”
“When I try to access the tool, I get an error message”
“I went from the carrier’s site to your site, and I can’t access any tools now”
“My browser is running a bit slow, any ideas how to speed it up?”
If we have ever asked you to clear your cookies and cache or switch browsers to trouble shoot an issue, you are not alone. The nature of SaaS based software is that it relies on your browser and internet connection to function and sometimes add-ons, cached data, or poor internet connections can cause errors or even slow load times when accessing our tools. Stay with me here, I’ll try to keep it fun!
Why clear that cache? Without getting heavily technical, think of your browser as a piece of tape. Every time you access a website, you pick up bits of data that stick in your browser. Eventually, your browser, that tape, gets weighed down, and you have to clean it off or clear your cookies and cache. Some users have their browsers set to do this automatically when they close, while others never do it.
Some of those bits of data are login details, and maybe even fillable form data. Clearing out your cookies and cache can clear that information out and speed up your browser along with resolving access error messages that can come up when using multiple agency or carrier websites. Have you ever seen the error that says this username doesn’t have access to this GAID? Yep, you need to clear that cache.
Another common issue tends to be disabling your pop up blocker or always allowing pop ups from iPipeline. The settings are different for each browser, but the most common place this occurs is when viewing PDFs. The browser usually gives a message that opens toward the top of the browser stating what was blocked and asking if you want to allow. There might also be an icon of a box with a red x in it displays in the website URL bar to indicate that a pop up was blocked. Both can be clicked to allow the pop ups.
For users calling in with errors or issues within the applications, we normally start with clearing cookies and cache to see if its something stuck in the browser, and then move on to switching browsers to see if we can replicate the issue in another browser. Switching browsers allows us to understand if an error or issue is browser specific or application specific and it also allows us to provide valuable information to our internal teams for testing purposes if we end up needing help to resolve an issue.
How to Clear Cookies and Cache for Supported Browsers (Please be aware this can vary based on browser version) –
To erase Internet Explorer’s cookies and cache please open Internet Explorer
- In the top right hand corner of the screen there will be a gear. Please click that.
- A menu will appear and one of the selections will be internet options. Click on that.
- A small window will appear. In this window there will be a button that says delete. Click on that.
- A new window will appear. Uncheck history and make sure that “Temporary Internet files and website files” and “Cookies and website data” has a check mark next to them. Click the delete button.
- Close Internet Explorer and start it again. It is now ready to try again.
To erase Chrome’s cookies and cache please open Chrome
- With chrome open, look at the top right hand corner of the screen. There will be 3 vertical dots that you’ll need to click
- A new menu will appear. If you go down the menu there will be an option called “more tools”. Click on that.
- Another menu will appear. Click on the clear browsing data. A new window will appear.
- In this window you’ll want to click on time range and change it to all time. Also make sure that “Cookies and other site data” and “Cached images and files” have a checkmark next to them. Uncheck “browsing history” and then click on the clear data button. This step may take a couple minutes depending on how much data chrome has currently stored.
- Once chrome has finished erasing the data you’ll want to close chrome completely and restart it before accessing iPipeline again.
To erase Firefox’s cookies and cache please open Firefox
- In the top right hand corner there will be 3 horizontal lines. Click on that.
- A new menu will appear. Click on “Options”.
- A new window will appear. On the left side there will be a “Privacy & Security” section. Click on that.
- A new page will appear. Scroll down until you see “Cookies and Site Data”. Under that section there will be a button that says Clear Data. Click on that.
- Make sure that “Cookies and Site Data” and “Cached Web Content” have check marks next to them. Then, click on “Clear”. Firefox is now ready to try again.
To erase Safari’s cookies and cache please open Safari
- Click Safari in the upper left hand side of your screen, and click Preferences in the menu that appears. A new menu will appear. Click on “Options”.
- In the window that opens, click the Privacy tab and then click the button “Remove All Website Data”.
- Click “Remove Now” in the window that opens
Why do users struggle with browser settings and clearing cookies and cache?
From our experience, the average user is not a computer expert and we would not expect them to be. We want users to focus on creating applications and working with their clients. Because of this, most users don’t know how to clear cookies and cache or update their pop up blocker settings, and they don’t realize those are the actions they can take to help resolve the errors they might experience.
We don’t expect you to be IT support; we aren’t IT experts either! While some of our team might have computer science background, we all start from the same place when it comes to browser trouble shooting – the basics. We use the basic browser trouble shooting described above and our understanding of the system to help resolve errors.
Check out these articles available to you on our Customer Portal for iGO:
How can I submit ideas for future enhancements or article ideas?
https://customerportal.ipipeline.com/ideas/
Submit your ideas on how to improve iGO. Not sure what to submit?
Here is an example: I always forget my PIN, can you text it to me? (Yes, for some carriers, we can do that now!)
We look forward to empowering you and helping increase your user adoption!
Thank you,
iPipeline Support