Better customer support teamwork pays off in improved customer
retention, increased revenue, and an overall better product. Here’s how.
Customer support is not a one-man band
A common situation for most startups is to start out by making developers reply to customer support emails or even phone calls to get feedback and provide the best help possible for customers. It goes great and your company grows quickly, but… things change. You might hire a remote support employee to handle all tickets and it quickly loses the personal touch that it once had.
That’s why we at SupportYourApp recommend treating your customer support with the same level of teamwork that helped your company grow in the first place.
Before you jump to conclusions about this radical policy, saying it’s “unrealistic and inefficient” remember that:
- Customer support is a top priority for your company.
- Business success is highly correlated with quality customer support.
- Talking to customers is not a chore or somebody else’s problem.
1) Your customers will love it and return for more
Think of that one time you were eating at a mom n’ pop restaurant and the owner came out to personally ask you how you were doing and if you enjoyed your meal. Maybe even the chef came out to ask if your medium-rare steak was cooked just right.
Did you eat at that restaurant again? Yes. (Unless you’re a total introvert)
Same principles apply when you’re going through a tech support experience.
How likely are you to continue using a certain software (and buy more of it) if you speak directly to the developer or CEO during a support request?
Pretty damn likely.
Treat customer support as if it were a mom and pop restaurant. Make your developers and co-founders interact with the customers. (or at least fake it)
2) You will gain valuable business insights
Think of the show Undercover Boss.
In Undercover Boss, Corporate CEOs go undercover and disguise themselves as normal employees and mingle with their employees.
They interact with their employees first-hand and always come out of the show with a deeper respect and appreciation for the individuals fuelling their business.
They see their employees’ pains from a more personal POV and feel a deep obligation to create a better experience for them.
As a CEO you will gain important insights as to where your company and product can improve.
3) Employees will be more emotionally invested
Team members become more empathetic and perform better when they are face-to-face with the harsh reality that is the customer. (AKA the one really paying their bills)
“Your team will “feel the pain” of the customer and make more empathetic
product decisions. There’s a big difference between hearing a complaint
second-hand and actually having to face an upset customer. — Alex
Turnbull, GrooveHQ”
Let’s take this similar logic to #2 and apply it to those team members that have never seen or spoken to your customers. Help them feel that same burning obligation to improve the product for the users that put the proverbial food on their table.
How to apply “All Hands In” Customer Support to YOUR company
The most simple way to start is to have everybody either resolve a minimum number of tickets a day (1–2 each) OR have team members dedicate a few hours to resolving support tickets just 1 day out of the month.
Buffer has had huge success with doing support this way. They call it the “5% model”
This will be a major culture change in your company, but starting now will pay off in the end with the most valuable currency possible: happy customers. (Wow.. that was cheesy)
Got any questions, suggestions, or feedback? Leave a comment and let’s talk about it!