For the first 2 years of our SaaS products,
Gal Dubinski
and I did the customer support ourselves, probably like most bootstrapped
companies. Since then we grew the team from 4 people to 20 and added full-time
customer success reps.
The most important thing for us was to keep our customer support in the highest
standard possible. Here are the 8 key points we followed then, and make sure our
support team does the same today:
1. Never be in a defensive mode
People usually get in a defensive mode when they filled attacked, and if you're
the founder, it's also relevant if the customer says bad things about your
product. Once you get there, your responses can be impulsive and you can say
things you didn't really want to.
Instead, when you read the other side's comments, focus only on solving the
issue they have, be professional and nice, and ignore any insults or irrelevant
adjectives.
2. Don't take it personally
This one is pretty much related to the point above. It is almost never about you
as a founder or as a support rep. Users sometimes can be frustrated that they
couldn't figure out something in the software or they faced an annoying bug, but
whatever they say to you, even if you think or know they are wrong, take a deep
breath before you respond.
3. Be efficient - Try to solve the issue with the minimum amount of iterations
From our perspective, when you solve a problem with the least amount of
questions and iterations, it is ideal for both sides. For example, once a user
messages us in our live chat, we already have all their info in front of us, and
see if something is wrong there before they even send their question (like a
wrong domain name they inserted and things like that). Don't ask questions that
won't get the issue to be solved faster, and try to predict what the user is
going to say next.
4. Be kind
Always be nice. It doesn't matter who is on the other side of the chat/email. We
succeeded to turn a few 1-star reviews into 5-star reviews just because we were
super nice, consistently.
5. Never assume you are 100% right
Even if you are very experienced and you think you know what the problem is, or
the user is wrong, always check and see for yourself. There might be a new bug
or a new issue you've never seen before, and you can learn from every
experience.
6. Don't let users 'hang in there', especially if you offer live chat support
People hate waiting. If you tell the user you are checking the issue, and you
disappear for more then a few minutes, it is better to let them know you are
still on it. If it will take more then a few minutes, let them know you will get
back to them in an hour or so via email. Don't let them assume anything, updates
are very appreciated in users' eyes.
7. Got many questions on the same issue? Fix it in the product.
If you see you get a lot of questions on the same function or feature in your
product, that's the best feedback you can get to change it or make it more
clear. The more you pay attention to it and segment the questions, the better
your product will be.
7. Go the extra mile when possible
Answering questions or solving issues is one thing, but doing an extra step and
giving the right tips on how to use your software is always better. In
Poptin
for example, when users ask us a random question about their popup, we try to
see if there is something that can be improved in their design or targeting, and
we let them know. Their success is your success (cliche but true).
8. Ask for reviews - don't be shy!
Over the past 3 years, we got thousands of 5-star reviews across all our SaaS
products and plugins. The key is to ask. Don't be shy to ask for a review, even
if you helped with the smallest problem possible. There are tons of things you
can do to get more reviews and improve your ranking, but that is for another
post
Remember that you and your clients are in the same boat, you're on the same
side, and your goals are aligned.
Good luck and have a great weekend
Posted by Tomer Aharon on Facebook
link: facebook.com/groups/231736180643534/user/1650334148/
Gal Dubinski
and I did the customer support ourselves, probably like most bootstrapped
companies. Since then we grew the team from 4 people to 20 and added full-time
customer success reps.
The most important thing for us was to keep our customer support in the highest
standard possible. Here are the 8 key points we followed then, and make sure our
support team does the same today:
1. Never be in a defensive mode
People usually get in a defensive mode when they filled attacked, and if you're
the founder, it's also relevant if the customer says bad things about your
product. Once you get there, your responses can be impulsive and you can say
things you didn't really want to.
Instead, when you read the other side's comments, focus only on solving the
issue they have, be professional and nice, and ignore any insults or irrelevant
adjectives.
2. Don't take it personally
This one is pretty much related to the point above. It is almost never about you
as a founder or as a support rep. Users sometimes can be frustrated that they
couldn't figure out something in the software or they faced an annoying bug, but
whatever they say to you, even if you think or know they are wrong, take a deep
breath before you respond.
3. Be efficient - Try to solve the issue with the minimum amount of iterations
From our perspective, when you solve a problem with the least amount of
questions and iterations, it is ideal for both sides. For example, once a user
messages us in our live chat, we already have all their info in front of us, and
see if something is wrong there before they even send their question (like a
wrong domain name they inserted and things like that). Don't ask questions that
won't get the issue to be solved faster, and try to predict what the user is
going to say next.
4. Be kind
Always be nice. It doesn't matter who is on the other side of the chat/email. We
succeeded to turn a few 1-star reviews into 5-star reviews just because we were
super nice, consistently.
5. Never assume you are 100% right
Even if you are very experienced and you think you know what the problem is, or
the user is wrong, always check and see for yourself. There might be a new bug
or a new issue you've never seen before, and you can learn from every
experience.
6. Don't let users 'hang in there', especially if you offer live chat support
People hate waiting. If you tell the user you are checking the issue, and you
disappear for more then a few minutes, it is better to let them know you are
still on it. If it will take more then a few minutes, let them know you will get
back to them in an hour or so via email. Don't let them assume anything, updates
are very appreciated in users' eyes.
7. Got many questions on the same issue? Fix it in the product.
If you see you get a lot of questions on the same function or feature in your
product, that's the best feedback you can get to change it or make it more
clear. The more you pay attention to it and segment the questions, the better
your product will be.
7. Go the extra mile when possible
Answering questions or solving issues is one thing, but doing an extra step and
giving the right tips on how to use your software is always better. In
Poptin
for example, when users ask us a random question about their popup, we try to
see if there is something that can be improved in their design or targeting, and
we let them know. Their success is your success (cliche but true).
8. Ask for reviews - don't be shy!
Over the past 3 years, we got thousands of 5-star reviews across all our SaaS
products and plugins. The key is to ask. Don't be shy to ask for a review, even
if you helped with the smallest problem possible. There are tons of things you
can do to get more reviews and improve your ranking, but that is for another
post
Remember that you and your clients are in the same boat, you're on the same
side, and your goals are aligned.
Good luck and have a great weekend
Posted by Tomer Aharon on Facebook
link: facebook.com/groups/231736180643534/user/1650334148/
