My first job was working at a hardware store. Because of the hours in which I worked, I dealt primarily with customers who had a problem with something in their home and needed it fixed ASAP. These issues could be leaking pipes, broken windows, electrical problems, and just about any home-related problem that could occur.
They came to me for either replacement parts or for guidance. Many times, they would bring the broken product - stinky pipe and all, and ask "how can I fix this." That's a job unlike most others. For me, it wasn't about selling them something but sending them home with a solution.
Customer support was my job. Words I commonly heard were "thank you so much" and "you just saved me a lot of time and money." Every job I had after that, I realized the ability to provide customer support was what kept people coming back. The more help I could provide a customer which any aspect of sales or support, the more likely they were to return and buy more from the business.
My book, Cruise Control Customer Support, teaches how you can provide helpful customer service in the most effective manner. My success at that hardware store came from knowing the types of problems people have in their home and how they could be fixed. In other words, I had the solutions just waiting for the customers. My book teaches you how you can do the same.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Blurring the Lines of Customer Support
Customer support work is usually easy, right? Customer sends in an enquiry and you respond with a solution. You might have a few iterations of emails back and forth but that's the general process. What if they have a billing issue?
Who takes care of the billing issues in your business? Is it the customer support person or the person who does accounting? If you don't get this straight, your business is bound to have some problems.
And what about product fulfillment? Who takes care of that? Is it a third group? Is it the billing person? When you don't have clear outlines of responsibilities, your employees get frustrated and your quality of service to your customers suffers as well.
Who takes care of the billing issues in your business? Is it the customer support person or the person who does accounting? If you don't get this straight, your business is bound to have some problems.
And what about product fulfillment? Who takes care of that? Is it a third group? Is it the billing person? When you don't have clear outlines of responsibilities, your employees get frustrated and your quality of service to your customers suffers as well.
Are Evil Spirits Haunting Your Customers?
Determining if and how outside forces are causing the customer's problem takes a bit of investigative work. The first step is determining if an outside force is causing the problem. We'll use a fictional accounting software program as an example. The problem as it's sent to you is "after I installed the software, my virus scanner said I had a virus on the computer."
Let's first look at where the customer obtained the software. You ask questions like "where did you get your copy of the software? Was it directly from us on a CD? Was it via a web link?" The goal is confirm the software installed did not come from a questionable location such as some pirate software site or from another customer’s computer. As long as the location is a "safe location" then that leads to one of two possibilities; either your business has a virus packaged in their software or it has something else to do with the customer. It’s easy to eliminate the first option so it's on to the second.
At this point, you know the user has installed a clean copy of the software but is getting a virus notification. You now know that an outside force is at work, but how?
More on this later...
Let's first look at where the customer obtained the software. You ask questions like "where did you get your copy of the software? Was it directly from us on a CD? Was it via a web link?" The goal is confirm the software installed did not come from a questionable location such as some pirate software site or from another customer’s computer. As long as the location is a "safe location" then that leads to one of two possibilities; either your business has a virus packaged in their software or it has something else to do with the customer. It’s easy to eliminate the first option so it's on to the second.
At this point, you know the user has installed a clean copy of the software but is getting a virus notification. You now know that an outside force is at work, but how?
More on this later...
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
How to Guaranty Sales Rep's Don’t Gets Customer Support Calls
When your customer needs to contact you, do they know how? You have links all over your web site for contacting your sales department. You have phone numbers on your product packaging for product information. Unless you have also added a product support web link or a phone number, the sales department has to deal with customer support problems. Not very efficient, is it? Yet, that very scenario happens time and time again.
Knowing where and how your customers look for customer support information, you can place your important contact information in the right places so your sales staff does not get customer support requests.
There is a simple list of about ten different places customers go for contact information. Each is unique in how a customer views it and uses it.
One place is on their receipt. But don't think you can place that information just anywhere. The first contact information they find, they will use. Therefore, place your support contact information as near to the top of your receipts as possible. The receipts could be printed receipts or email receipts. No matter what type, the location is key.
Knowing where and how your customers look for customer support information, you can place your important contact information in the right places so your sales staff does not get customer support requests.
There is a simple list of about ten different places customers go for contact information. Each is unique in how a customer views it and uses it.
One place is on their receipt. But don't think you can place that information just anywhere. The first contact information they find, they will use. Therefore, place your support contact information as near to the top of your receipts as possible. The receipts could be printed receipts or email receipts. No matter what type, the location is key.
Solve Any Problem with the problem Solving Strategy
Problem solving is something we do in our heads all the time. Many times, it only takes a few seconds to identify a problem and come up with a solution. A simple example is sitting at a wobbly table. A quick solution is folding up a piece of paper or using a magazine to lift a table leg and thus stop the wobbling. What about more complicated problems?
Advanced problem solving strategies are used when no solution immediately comes to mind or the solution that was tried did not work. These strategies find the true cause of the problem and develop a solution that addresses that problem.
There is no single perfect problem solving strategy. Each strategy has advantages and disadvantages. The “I.D.E.A.L.” problem solving strategy is just one strategy that lends itself to customer support problem solving due to its simplicity.
Most customer support problems are easy to fix. The reason is that you know quite well the product you are supporting. Then comes that customer problem in which you are thinking "I have no idea why that would happen." If you use the IDEAL problem solving strategy, you will be able to determine the root cause of the problem and create the best method of fixing the problem. Yes, there is more than one way to fix something. This strategy helps you pick the best one for everyone involved.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Successful User Manual Writing
A user manual is the first line of defense against customer requests and problems. Customers might never read the manual when they first buy a product. However, when something goes wrong, it's the first place they go for help. This is the reason a user manual must be used for customer support.
Creating a user manual does require a lot of upfront time but once it's done, other than an occasional update, it's done. All areas should be easy to understand (readable) and clear as to the meanings and use of words. Customers should never question what is stated in a user manual. If you are not sure about the quality of your user manual, give it to someone who has never used the product and have them review the manual. They can easily point out the areas that need improvement.
A user manual needs to contain appropriate sections. Tangible products have a user manual; software products have a help section. Software can have a user manual but it's quite common for it to be built into the software. The primary difference between the two is software usually offers context sensitive help. Context sensitive help is help that is specific for the section of the software the customer is using. For example, the help information on the accounting software billing screen is specifically about the billing screen.
By writing a user manual with the proper sections, you are helping the customer solve their own problems. When you know what these sections are, writing it will be a breeze.
Creating a user manual does require a lot of upfront time but once it's done, other than an occasional update, it's done. All areas should be easy to understand (readable) and clear as to the meanings and use of words. Customers should never question what is stated in a user manual. If you are not sure about the quality of your user manual, give it to someone who has never used the product and have them review the manual. They can easily point out the areas that need improvement.
A user manual needs to contain appropriate sections. Tangible products have a user manual; software products have a help section. Software can have a user manual but it's quite common for it to be built into the software. The primary difference between the two is software usually offers context sensitive help. Context sensitive help is help that is specific for the section of the software the customer is using. For example, the help information on the accounting software billing screen is specifically about the billing screen.
By writing a user manual with the proper sections, you are helping the customer solve their own problems. When you know what these sections are, writing it will be a breeze.
How to Help Your Customers Help Themselves: Knowledge Base
A knowledge base (or “knowledgebase”; abbreviated KB or kb) is a repository of articles for your users. It's a database of knowledge on a specific topic - in this case, support issues. Some knowledge bases have an artificial intelligence component. They suggest solutions based on feedback provided by the user, and can learn from experience.
FAQ's, or Frequently Asked Questions, is just that - FREQUENTLY asked questions with answers. A knowledge base is useful when the FAQ's don't have the level of detail for a user or their problem is not listed.
Knowledge base articles might have screen-shots, step-by-step instructions, or even video if warranted.
Knowledge bases are used via online helpdesk packages that allow users to search and retrieve the information.
If you want to use a knowledge base on your support web site, you must understand how to write the knowledge base articles correctly. You also need to know how to pick the right knowledge base software and configure it properly for your unique situation.
FAQ's, or Frequently Asked Questions, is just that - FREQUENTLY asked questions with answers. A knowledge base is useful when the FAQ's don't have the level of detail for a user or their problem is not listed.
Knowledge base articles might have screen-shots, step-by-step instructions, or even video if warranted.
Knowledge bases are used via online helpdesk packages that allow users to search and retrieve the information.
If you want to use a knowledge base on your support web site, you must understand how to write the knowledge base articles correctly. You also need to know how to pick the right knowledge base software and configure it properly for your unique situation.
Making a FAQ's Work For You
A long time ago, in a galaxy far far way, someone got tired of answering the same questions over and over again. So they created a list of these questions and answers and passed them out to anyone who bought their product. Thus the FAQ (pronounced fax) was born.
FAQ stands for Frequently Asked Question(s).
Here is an example of a single FAQ.
Q: "Why does the bottle drip from the top when I shake it?"
A: "The top is not securely fastened. The top should be unscrewed and then removed. Remove any debris from the threading. Screw the top back on, making sure the threads are aligned properly and the top and bottom fit snuggly once re-attached."
FAQ lists are the number one weapon used for customer questions. FAQ can be on printed paper or in electronic form. The top portion of the FAQ is the list of questions. Each question is on its own line. If it's electronic form, by clicking the question, you go to the answer. Using paper or even electronic document form, the question is followed by a page location or the question has a number and the user then looks at the list of complete questions and answers, at the bottom of the question list, for the right number.
FAQ length is ultimately dependent on the quality of the FAQ. If five FAQ's are enough to satisfy most common questions, then five is enough. If your product can be used 87 different ways or has 50 different areas of functionality, then a significantly longer FAQ is acceptable.
There is also a method to creating a successful FAQ’s list. When you understand this method, your FAQ’s will answer more customer questions. Also understanding this method, you’ll be able to quickly create an effect FAQ’s list.
FAQ stands for Frequently Asked Question(s).
Here is an example of a single FAQ.
Q: "Why does the bottle drip from the top when I shake it?"
A: "The top is not securely fastened. The top should be unscrewed and then removed. Remove any debris from the threading. Screw the top back on, making sure the threads are aligned properly and the top and bottom fit snuggly once re-attached."
FAQ lists are the number one weapon used for customer questions. FAQ can be on printed paper or in electronic form. The top portion of the FAQ is the list of questions. Each question is on its own line. If it's electronic form, by clicking the question, you go to the answer. Using paper or even electronic document form, the question is followed by a page location or the question has a number and the user then looks at the list of complete questions and answers, at the bottom of the question list, for the right number.
FAQ length is ultimately dependent on the quality of the FAQ. If five FAQ's are enough to satisfy most common questions, then five is enough. If your product can be used 87 different ways or has 50 different areas of functionality, then a significantly longer FAQ is acceptable.
There is also a method to creating a successful FAQ’s list. When you understand this method, your FAQ’s will answer more customer questions. Also understanding this method, you’ll be able to quickly create an effect FAQ’s list.
Dealing with Customers Effectively
What is faster, getting a drink from a vending machine or waiting in line at the movie's for a drink? Easy, the first one is faster. This is exactly how you should see your customer's point of view. They don't want to wait in line for an answer. They want instant answers.
What is easier, filling up a vending machine once a week or working at a concession stand? Easy, the first one is easier. This is how you want to work - as little as possible! You don't want to answer every question. You have better things to do.
One-way customer support services are the methods available so you can fill your vending machine full of standard answers and let the customers take them as they need them. One-way customer support services provide immediate gratification to the users and keep you free to do other work.
Two-way customer support places you behind the concession stand. You now have a line of people waiting for time with you. The best way you can deal with these people is one at a time - everyone lined up quietly in a straight row. The two-way methods of customer support can be extremely useful or poor and cumbersome if you are not using the right services in the right way.
What is easier, filling up a vending machine once a week or working at a concession stand? Easy, the first one is easier. This is how you want to work - as little as possible! You don't want to answer every question. You have better things to do.
One-way customer support services are the methods available so you can fill your vending machine full of standard answers and let the customers take them as they need them. One-way customer support services provide immediate gratification to the users and keep you free to do other work.
Two-way customer support places you behind the concession stand. You now have a line of people waiting for time with you. The best way you can deal with these people is one at a time - everyone lined up quietly in a straight row. The two-way methods of customer support can be extremely useful or poor and cumbersome if you are not using the right services in the right way.
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