Mike Schertenlieb
We’ve all had those experiences, where the person behind the counter or on the other end of the phone just didn’t do what we needed them to – it could be because of policy, attitude, or simply because the support person lacks the information/skill to give us what we want.
This problem is compounded in the world of follow-up support, particularly subscription services and software support. It seems like common knowledge that these support services are notoriously subpar, but why?
The unfortunate reality is that many of these businesses simply don’t make any money through their support channels! Helpdesks and support lines are largely populated by existing customers who have already made a purchase, and as detestable as the mentality is, why would a company want to spend resources on someone who isn’t spending any more money?
What these companies don’t seem to understand is this: the damage dealt to their reputations has a far more negative impact than the positives of saving a few dollars with poor support. If offering support is a financial burden, and a company doesn’t see the value of maintaining a positive relationship with their customers, why even offer support in the first place?
It seems logical that offering top-tier support and fantastic customer service is one of the best ways to build and maintain customer relationships, and ensure that they share their business with you again in the future, even if it does use up valuable resources.
Again, if the support isn’t going to be any good (or if a company isn’t even going to make the effort), why offer it at all? It would almost be better to leave customers high and dry than to consistently disappoint them. It just doesn’t make any sense.
Instead, companies should be focused on taking things to the next level, offering such awesome support that their clients and customers are pleasantly surprised. This can be achieved through employee training, support-conducive policies, and an “open door” policy for customer complaints and problems. After all, a company who can stand behind its products/services, meet unforeseen customer issues head on, and generally “be there” for their customer base will gain such an outstanding reputation that customers will come back in droves to purchase from them again and again.
This even translates into the online review process, as well as word of mouth recommendations. Great service will yield great reviews. Terrible service will yield terrible reviews. No one will continue to do business with a company when they’ve learned to expect disappointment.
Why do you think companies are willing to offer less than stellar support? What can businesses to do offer the very best support for their customers?
Let us know what you think in the comments!
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