Posted on August - 18 - 2010
The “Secret” Customer Service Weapon for Small Technology Companies
Technology companies are, unfortunately, almost as well known for having poor customer service as they are for their actual products. Why is that?
Small business expert Anita Campbell cited poor customer service for web apps as one of three key issues that needs to be overcome before cloud apps can become ubiquitous in small businesses. Shame on us web software companies for allowing an easy-to-fix item like this onto the list!
This truth stings quite sharply, for a couple of reasons:
1. It’s true
2. Most cloud app companies are small companies (not large ones)
Crappy customer service is almost expected from large companies – in software, and beyond. But it should NOT be an acceptable business practice for us smaller software companies. The future of the software industry is in the cloud – and in the many innovative small companies that are producing productivity enhancing web apps for small business. So we need to get the customer service issue figured out – and soon!
The Most Common Customer Service Complaint
What’s the worst feeling a customer can have? How about when you can’t get a hold of someone to help you.
You know the feeling – and you probably dread it. Remember the last time your plane got delayed, and you couldn’t get a hold of anyone from the airline to inform you about your alternate travel plans? Or how about the last time you called your cell phone company, and you were stuck in a maze of 1-800 numbers, all answered by people without a clue or even an inclination to help you?
Our Secret Customer Service Weapon: The Telephone
From a customer service perspective, the offer of free email AND phone support is very comforting for many of our customers. It assures them that they’ll always be able to get a hold of someone, because they can pick up the phone and give us a ring.
And ironically – between you and me – they rarely take us up on the phone offer. We get only one phone call for about every 20 email inquiries. So the incremental effort required from us to accept phone calls is actually minimal.
Most importantly, we’re able to take care of that one person out of twenty who really wants to talk to a live person.
And Sometimes We Even Call Them
Sometime we will even call somebody back directly after receiving an email. We’ve found this to be a very good practice in the following situations:
1. When we are unsure of what they are