You customer is more important than your support system
We have all felt the frustration of jumping through option after option in an attempt to get routed to an agent in some massive phone system and we all dread it. Yet as email inquires start to dwarf phone based support many companies continue the tradition of putting customers through a journey just to ask a simple question.
Lines like the one above are completely common and from my inbox seem to have been growing as more companies work to segment, filter and prioritize messages. And while there is a great need to keep efficiencies there is a much greater need to give our customers easy access to help.
Whether it’s a support email, a survey or a newsletter the idea that a customer can’t click respond is simply not thinking about the experience. In the screenshot example below La Quinta is asking customers to rate and comment on their stay yet they tell people not to respond to their email. If the customer needs help or has feedback outside of the scope of the survey they are being told to find another means of support.
This drive for efficiency comes at the expense of the experience and therefore the business. Sure prioritized and categorized messages may be easier to handle but how many customers don’t get helped because they refuse to jump? How many calls are made when sending a same email isn’t possible? And how much does it really cost to be accepting.
These days most companies are looking for ways to get into social, to become more transparent and let customers reach right in. But if you aren’t letting people get a hold of you with ease you aren’t open.
Preventing this is as simple as putting the customer first. Look at touch points and be sure they can be responded to directly and with ease. Emails should have a reply address which an agent can filter. Support pages can have a few pictures or links to self categorize but keep things in human terms and not company terms (I have a problem with my computer, I have a problem with my order, I have another question, etc…).
Make the changes and measure the ROI by looking at average spend and / or engagement from people who contact support before and after the transition. You’ll find its well worth the effort and cost to keep the customer.
