Learn to be a customer support pro.
Intercom posted a great message on their fallout from the MongoHQ situation. It’s thorough, reassuring, and just really well written.
The part I love is their summary timeline. It details exactly what happened each day from the announcement on October 29th. It’s clear to the customer that the Intercom team was working every day to make sure their data was safe and secure. Definitely a nice touch and something to have in your back pocket if this ever happens to your team.
From the Help Scout team:
Hey ______,
I really appreciate you taking the time to shoot this over to us, thanks for sharing your thoughts. As of this time, [feature] isn’t the perfect fit. We do have some other exciting features on our plate, and should anything change about your request, we’ll make sure you are the first to know.
Short, simple, and sweet. I love the way they phrase this feature request email.
Every week, there’s some great articles out there on customer support and the overall customer experience. Most of us working on support teams tend to be busy helping customers so we don’t have a chance to go scouring the web for them. So I round them all up for your reading pleasure here.
If you’ve got any articles or links that I’ve missed, make sure to let me know in the comments.
Evan’s last article at UserVoice is a great reminder for everyone working with customers.
“What we often forget, however, is that we, as customers, also shoulder some responsibility in the service that we receive. Customers themselves play a very important role in the customer service process, but this role often goes overlooked.”
Jennifer Rowe looks at the best practices for creating your help docs.
Holly Aker from Software Advice pass this particular one on to me. It’s an interview Fab.com’s Senior Vice President of Global Communications, Deborah Roth, to find out how Fab.com uses low-effort customer service to keep their customers coming back.
Did I miss one from this week? Leave a link to it in the comments or get in touch with me here. I’ll include it in next week’s support roundup!
From Amazon’s new Kindle Fire HDX:
Live Support with Mayday
NEW—Simply tap the “Mayday” button to be connected for free to an Amazon expert who can co-pilot you through any feature by drawing on your screen, walking you through how to do something yourself, or doing it for you—whatever works best. Mayday is available 24×7, 365 days a year, and it’s free. Throughout the process, you will be able to see your Amazon Tech advisor live on your screen, but they won’t see you. 15 seconds or less is the Mayday response time goal.
From the customer support side, this is simple awesome. It’s like having a dedicated Amazon expert ready to help you if you run into any trouble. With the response time of 15 seconds or less, it’s a no-brainer for customers to use that channel to get help.
What’s your thoughts on the new Mayday button?
Every week, there’s some great articles out there on customer support and the overall customer experience. Most of us working on support teams tend to be busy helping customers so we don’t have a chance to go scouring the web for them. So I round them all up for your reading pleasure here.
If you’ve got any articles or links that I’ve missed, make sure to let me know in the comments.
This one’s a masterclass in how to properly explain outages to customers. Go read it now and make your notes so you can have something ready for your next outage!
“You have listened to your customer. You’ve communicated clearly with them. You’ve gone a step further and empathized with them. You’re well on your way to providing great customer service. Now it’s time to get inside your customer’s head. Don’t rely on fixing problems as they happen. Anticipate their needs and try to identify where they will encounter trouble before they do.”
Freshdesk gives us a solid explanation why customers paying for support just doesn’t appeal to them.
A great story on how being proactive can make customers love you.
Jamie Anderson from Software Advice sent me a great article that I just had to include in this week’s roundup. Start using these tips to really empower your team!
Reminder – The live Support Hangout is skipping this week. Our support pros will be back Monday September 30th at 5:30pm Central / 6:30pm Eastern.
Did I miss one from this week? Leave a link to it in the comments or get in touch with me here. I’ll include it in next week’s support roundup!
Every week, there’s some great articles out there on customer support and the overall customer experience. Most of us working on support teams tend to be busy helping customers so we don’t have a chance to go scouring the web for them. So I round them all up for your reading pleasure here.
If you’ve got any articles or links that I’ve missed, make sure to let me know in the comments.
And make sure to join us at 5:30pm Central / 6:30pm Eastern for the live Support Hangout!
Did I miss one from this week? Leave a link to it in the comments or get in touch with me here. I’ll include it in next week’s support roundup!
I got a chance to be on Brand Fever and Amanda Serfozo’s On Branding podcast. We talk about working remotely and how important the support experience is for a company. It was a ton of fun so make sure to check it out.
Every week, there’s some great articles out there on customer support and the overall customer experience. Most of us working on support teams tend to be busy helping customers so we don’t have a chance to go scouring the web for them. So I round them all up for your reading pleasure here.
If you’ve got any articles or links that I’ve missed, make sure to let me know in the comments.
And make sure to join us at 5:30pm Central / 6:30pm Eastern for the live Support Hangout!
Did I miss one from this week? Leave a link to it in the comments or get in touch with me here. I’ll include it in next week’s support roundup!
Like the new design? I’m still working on some tweaks here and there but this design should be cleaner, easier to use, and a bit faster. Hope you like it!
Now back to the roundup. Every week, there’s some great articles out there on customer support and the overall customer experience. Most of us working on support teams tend to be busy helping customers so we don’t have a chance to go scouring the web for them. So I round them all up for your reading pleasure here.
If you’ve got any articles or links that I’ve missed, make sure to let me know in the comments.
And make sure to join us at 5:30pm Central / 6:30pm Eastern for the live Support Hangout!
Did I miss one from this week? Leave a link to it in the comments or get in touch with me here. I’ll include it in next week’s support roundup!
Every week, there’s some great articles out there on customer support and the overall customer experience. Most of us working on support teams tend to be busy helping customers so we don’t have a chance to go scouring the web for them. So I round them all up for your reading pleasure here.
If you’ve got any articles or links that I’ve missed, make sure to let me know in the comments.
And make sure to join us at 5:30pm Central / 6:30pm Eastern for the live Support Hangout!
Did I miss one from this week? Leave a link to it in the comments or get in touch with me here. I’ll include it in next week’s support roundup!