Customer Support Etiquette
Every second counts when you're in the process of helping a customer, and here at FuseDesk, we're fans of leaving the customer with a great impression of the company, from the moment your interaction begins, to the moment a support ticket is closed. Whether you're on a call or just typing a customer support response via email, there's a few things you can do to show your customers how much you care.
It’s the Little Things That Count in Customer Support
We often focus on the customers in need, those who are having a problem, the squeaky wheels. But how often are we simply reaching out with unprecedented customer support, just to check in on those who are ultimately responsible for keeping us all gainfully employed?
Sometimes a simple thank you email is the most influential thing a company can do to earn a customer's continued loyalty and support.
Beyond the Online Help Desk: Knowing When to Escalate an Issue
Forrest Gump knew what he was talking about when he said life was like a box of chocolates. For customer support reps, some days on the job are like a rich truffle, while others are like those nasty drugstore fruit nougats. You may be nursing a killer headache, or falling asleep despite the 5-hour energy drink you just consumed.
But no matter how you're feeling, there's no excuse for dismissing a customer's concerns. If a chain of emails between you and a customer threatens to fly south for the winter, it's time to take a deep breath and bring in the big guns - the telephone. Let's break down a major customer support fail to see where and how the rep should have taken action. Documented on a blog called Technoracle, this customer support chain of emails deserves a place on the Wall of Shame.
Customer Support on the Web – What to Include
When you need directions, you head to your favorite online map site and find the shortest route from here to there. When you can’t remember the whoshisface actor in whatchamacallit movie, you head to the Internet Movie Database for a search. But when you need help with a specific product or service, you head to an individual company's website where you can find answers to all of your questions – most of the time.
Have you ever gone to a company’s website and gotten so lost in the maze of their navigation that you never found the information that brought you to the site in the first place? We don’t want you and your business to end up in the same trap, which leads to frustrated customers that may lose faith in your company. Be sure to include all of the following on your website to offer the best customer support possible!
The Importance of Internal Customer Support
In the words of South Park’s Terrance and Phillip, maybe your coworkers are “not your buddy, friend,” and “not your friend, guy,” but they do deserve the same level of respect as your customers. It’s important to not only serve those on the outside that patronize your company, but to serve your “internal customers” as well.
As you can probably imagine, this is particularly crucial for those who work in customer support! Your colleagues may have just as many questions as your clients and they are just as important – if not more important – to help.
The Stuff of Ideal Customer Support Reps
Little girls are made of sugar and spice; little boys of snips and snails (say what now?), but what are good customer support representatives made of?
If you've been in the business awhile, you know that dedicated customer service and support reps are hard to come by. If your new hire isn’t a "people-person," you’ll be interviewing again for the position in just a few weeks. Someone who gets agitated easily will end up screaming into a phone, sending out unhelpful emails, pawning work off on someone else or even worse – not responding to your customers altogether.
So how do you know when you’re interviewing a great rep? Here’s what we at FuseDesk think the best customer support reps are made of.