Comments on: 5 surefire ways for tech support to make customers drop like flies http://wordsofabrokenmirror.com/2009/12/05/surefire-ways-to-lose-customers/ Online and Offline Marketing and PR Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:14:49 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Alina Popescu http://wordsofabrokenmirror.com/2009/12/05/surefire-ways-to-lose-customers/comment-page-1/#comment-2409 Alina Popescu Sat, 12 Dec 2009 21:52:21 +0000 http://wordsofabrokenmirror.com/?p=608#comment-2409 Anthony, thank you so much for your input! You are right, when it comes to customer support, there are always a few tiers. And the problem is transferred to superior support tiers if the fist ones can't handle it. That is not a problem, it's normal and indeed, each tier needs to know their part of the troubleshooting process well enough, so that they can control the load that gets to the superior tiers. Usually, when an issue gets to the last tier of support, it is tricky enough that it takes an hour just to be analyzed properly, while the front end issues take a couple of minutes to figure out... However, each tier needs a certain set of soft skills and to follow a certain procedures to make sure they don't drive customers nuts. The customer should not have to wonder if they were angry or got their paycheck. The customer has paid for his end of the deal. I know there is a high pressure to have round the clock support, different channels of communications (phone, email, chat, etc), but if you do offer one means of getting support, the high quality of service should be part of it. Especially when it's email we're talking about and you take 24 hours to reply :) Anthony, thank you so much for your input! You are right, when it comes to customer support, there are always a few tiers. And the problem is transferred to superior support tiers if the fist ones can’t handle it. That is not a problem, it’s normal and indeed, each tier needs to know their part of the troubleshooting process well enough, so that they can control the load that gets to the superior tiers. Usually, when an issue gets to the last tier of support, it is tricky enough that it takes an hour just to be analyzed properly, while the front end issues take a couple of minutes to figure out…

However, each tier needs a certain set of soft skills and to follow a certain procedures to make sure they don’t drive customers nuts. The customer should not have to wonder if they were angry or got their paycheck. The customer has paid for his end of the deal.

I know there is a high pressure to have round the clock support, different channels of communications (phone, email, chat, etc), but if you do offer one means of getting support, the high quality of service should be part of it. Especially when it’s email we’re talking about and you take 24 hours to reply :)

]]> By: Anthony Licari http://wordsofabrokenmirror.com/2009/12/05/surefire-ways-to-lose-customers/comment-page-1/#comment-2401 Anthony Licari Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:35:09 +0000 http://wordsofabrokenmirror.com/?p=608#comment-2401 Okay, so I worked in the front end for one of the major cell carriers over the past year and a half. Naturally we would try to handle all issues we could before getting on the phone with tech support. The problem with tech support is that you want your support to be as cheap as possible and provide the best possible service for that low cost. It's a numbers game really of balancing load time, quality, and cost. Because they're human sometimes when I would call in they might be having a bad day. Maybe they didn't get their pay check on time, maybe they haven't had a cigarette break recently... I don't know. Sometimes they were incredibly helpful, staying on the line for hours to solve a problem. I think the best way to keep the load off of the tech support people is to have your front end sales/staff be as knowledgeable as possible and able to troubleshoot anything that might arise. As well as providing as much information as you can for your clients before they ever pick up the phone. .-= Anthony Licari´s last blog ..<a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/anthonylicari/posts/~3/hK9Ea2P6KdA/does-your-twitter-look-like-spam-try-interesting-interaction">Does Your Twitter Look Like Spam? Try Interesting Interaction.</a> =-. Okay, so I worked in the front end for one of the major cell carriers over the past year and a half. Naturally we would try to handle all issues we could before getting on the phone with tech support. The problem with tech support is that you want your support to be as cheap as possible and provide the best possible service for that low cost. It’s a numbers game really of balancing load time, quality, and cost.

Because they’re human sometimes when I would call in they might be having a bad day. Maybe they didn’t get their pay check on time, maybe they haven’t had a cigarette break recently… I don’t know.

Sometimes they were incredibly helpful, staying on the line for hours to solve a problem. I think the best way to keep the load off of the tech support people is to have your front end sales/staff be as knowledgeable as possible and able to troubleshoot anything that might arise. As well as providing as much information as you can for your clients before they ever pick up the phone.
.-= Anthony Licari´s last blog ..Does Your Twitter Look Like Spam? Try Interesting Interaction. =-.

]]> By: Alina Popescu http://wordsofabrokenmirror.com/2009/12/05/surefire-ways-to-lose-customers/comment-page-1/#comment-2397 Alina Popescu Mon, 07 Dec 2009 09:27:04 +0000 http://wordsofabrokenmirror.com/?p=608#comment-2397 Indeed :D Indeed :D

]]> By: Ovidiu http://wordsofabrokenmirror.com/2009/12/05/surefire-ways-to-lose-customers/comment-page-1/#comment-2394 Ovidiu Sat, 05 Dec 2009 10:08:58 +0000 http://wordsofabrokenmirror.com/?p=608#comment-2394 Alina, I completely agree! (maybe because I was a tech support engineer at the same company as you :D ). .-= Ovidiu´s last blog ..<a href="http://blog.mybox.ro/2009/12/04/invitatie-la-intalnirea-rlug-decembrie-09/">Invitație la întâlnirea RLUG Decembrie ‘09</a> =-. Alina, I completely agree! (maybe because I was a tech support engineer at the same company as you :D ).
.-= Ovidiu´s last blog ..Invitație la întâlnirea RLUG Decembrie ‘09 =-.

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