Customer support is among the most vital services any brand can offer, SaaS or otherwise. It’s worthwhile to periodically optimize and improve support features in ways that won’t disrupt existing users. You might not gain a customer with good support alone, but you’ll almost certainly lose one with bad support. Here are a few quick and easy steps that will keep your business on the path to obtaining and maintaining loyal customers.
Make support options easy to find
Your customer is looking for support because they have a problem that needs solving, so the last thing you want to do is make it a problem to find that support. Some companies seem to believe that placing support links front and center implies their product is prone to issues. What it really means is that they want to provide the most hassle-free customer experience possible. Putting your “Need Help?” button front and center is a convenient and easy way to be there when you’re most needed and decrease your client’s frustration.
Make all support channels accessible from a single location
The best approach to making support easy to find is putting all support options in the same place. It’s smart to offer different options, so customers can choose whichever one best suits their issue and schedule. And while it may follow a certain logic to have your support email address in one location and the link to your chatbot somewhere else, that logic will be lost on a customer who’s having an issue with your software. Ideally, clients should be able to reach all of your support streams from a single entry point.
Create a robust FAQ — and keep it up to date
Help your customers help themselves by creating a detailed FAQ and making it easy to find. A good FAQ not only decreases the strain on your support resources, it also allows your customers to solve their issues on their schedule. Remember that an FAQ page is a living document. Audit it regularly to be certain it covers currently relevant concerns and isn’t clogged with issues long resolved. If you discover that a high number of support tickets are bringing up a problem not currently covered by your FAQ, it’s time for an update.
Connect your support streams
It’s crucial to offer a variety of support conduits to your clients. Email, live chat, chatbots, and phone service all suit customer needs, and it won’t be unusual for your customers to use more than one to contact you about an ongoing problem. Don’t add to their frustration by forcing them to bring the latest support person up to speed. Implement a multichannel approach that ensures a customer’s information can travel seamlessly among your support teams and platforms so that each interaction is a pleasant one.