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What is Customer Support to you?
I think everyone—and I mean everyone—has used customer service of some kind. A lot of us looking at this website are in customer service of some kind. I’m curious what customer service means to all of you, both as a provider and as a customer. Do you care more about quality or quantity? Of course as a customer, you want quality. But as a provider with thousands and thousands of customers wanting that support, do you focus on quantity? Where is the middle ground and how do you achieve it?
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6 Answers
My first instinct is to say this: Be careful. When companies focus on this issue as an either/or between quantity and quality, they tend to lean toward quantity, and quality suffers.
I would recommend looking at the root of the problem: How can you cut down on the number of people needing or wanting support? Cut down on the problems in your product or service. Give answers before they are even asked.
You need to look at your customers as a whole. Each customer is an individual that needs and deserves respect, but you will anger customers if you keep them waiting. Give each person the service he or she needs, but you hurt yourself and your overall product/service if you ignore or upset more people than you help.
In other words, get your CSRs to be compassionate AND efficient.
I like the last two responses, but I want to add that customer service is a two-way process. The vendor will mess up some of the time, and the customer will mess up some of the time. Vendors need to willingly accept feedback about their products, and they also need to tell their customers when their customers are in the wrong.
Two points:
#1—Listen.
Listen to the customer, and you will solve the problem quickly and you will satisfy the customer. Customer support staff often don’t listen to me when I call with problems. I hang up angry and even more confused.
#2—Quality.
It’s more important that quantity. Get more people so you can support all the calls you are getting, or fix your product so there aren’t so many problems with it.
As a provider, I focus on two things: Quality. Provide good quality and you won’t have such a need for customer service. Service. Problems do happen, even with quality products, and that’s where service comes in. Customers have the money you want, and you have the product they want. Don’t make the customer take their money elsewhere by taking too long. Think about how you would want to be treated as a customer.
Other notes: Apologies go a long way. The customer will appreciate if you are actually trying to help, even if you can’t bring them answers as quickly as you or they would like.
I'd agree with Meri. A clear instruction or better-designed product at one end can save ten thousand questions at the other. Beta-test new designs and interfaces before heading to mass-market.
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