Delivering great support is often a game of inches. Small, incremental changes that improve customer support interactions compound over time. The impact of making a meaningful change has a waterfall effect on customers. Happier customers become repeat customers. Their average order value increases. Their affinity for the brand or store grows, increasing the likelihood of positive word of mouth or referral. If you are not working to improve your support function on a regular basis then you are missing out on this goodwill.
When exploring how to improve your customer support function, we think it is important to meld data and feedback with old-fashioned efficiency. Support should be a revenue driver for your business, not a painful expense. The following four ideas for improving support can have a big impact on customer satisfaction.
Evaluate and update your training
One of the oft-overlooked areas where support teams can improve is in their training. Many training programs are old, outdated, and don’t accurately reflect the needs of the business. Customer behavior and needs change. Different support channels become more popular. A different product or service gains popularity.
Whatever the case, take care to update your training on a regular basis. Your core culture and behaviors will likely stay the same, but as customer needs change in the aggregate so too should your support process. Providing great customer support is an evolution. If you are training support team members using old documentation then your support process may not align with your business.
Set a goal or KPI for FRT and track against it
Regardless of the support channel they choose, customers expect a quick first response time (FRT). Are you monitoring how long it takes your team to respond to inbound support inquiries? If not, start tracking your FRT right away. If you are, is your FRT improving or getting worse over time?
By tracking your FRT you can work to improve it. A few seconds faster on chat responses or answering the phone for support goes a long way with customers. Replying to email tickets in a matter of minutes instead of hours gives customers the support that they expect.
Send a survey to those that have used support
Looking for suggestions on improving the exact support offered by your organization? Ask the people who have experienced your support what you could do better. Many support tools have a post-interaction survey to help provide feedback. That information can be very valuable as it is given soon after a support interaction takes place.
Give some thought to sending a different request for feedback in the form of an email survey. An email survey sent a few days after a support interaction can often elicit feedback that is free of emotion. When giving feedback at the end of support interaction, a customer may be aggravated or elated, essentially giving feedback based on their emotional state at the time. And while emotion IS a big part of the support experience for customers, it should not be the only feedback you receive.
As a note, email surveys sent days or even weeks after a support interaction are likely to have low response rates. That is okay. All feedback is good feedback. Send the survey anyway.
Consolidate support channels into one platform
Tools like Gorgias can bring support tickets, emails, chats, and social messages into one place. This means your support team does not have to log in to different platforms or systems. Using one platform or tool for all support interactions saves time for support representatives.
Using a central system for all support communication also standardized support. By not using different templates across different platforms, your support team can deliver a consistent support experience.
Most of these tools do carry a monthly or annual cost. However, this investment in streamlining and improving support can pay massive dividends in the form of repeat customers that spend more money with each interaction.
Small Improvements Can Make a Big Impact
The customer experience is everything. From the moment they land on your site to the point at which they buy or leave, you want customers to feel like their needs were met and that they are happy with what you have offered them. This requires a well-trained support team who can be there for customers when needed. It also means making sure that all of your channels work in tandem so that no matter how somebody reaches out to you, it’s clear where to go first next time.
Whether through chat, phone call, email ticket, social media post—whatever way your customer chooses—you need timely responses from an agent who knows what help is needed and why. The bottom line: don’t neglect any of these channels and invest in the tools that make your support more efficient. The impact on your customer base, and your bottom line, could be significant.
Improving customer support can seem like a daunting task. However, making small changes can have a large impact over time. By tracking your First Response Time (FRT), sending surveys to customers, using a consolidated support platform, and making incremental improvements, you can improve the customer experience and drive more revenue.
