Great support can make or break your eCommerce store. Your online products may sell now, but what about when people need help? How? You can create a community around your products while you’re offering support.
This is precisely how we support our users at PeepSo with a Support Group, of course. And this isn’t foo-foo self-help either. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that.) We’re talking product support.
“Here is a powerful yet simple rule. Always give people more than they expect to get.”
Nelson Boswell
Product Support Options for eCommerce
There are many SaaS solutions for product support including Zendesk, Freshdesk, HelpScout, and more. Many brands also use chat support or chatbots. If you feel you must, then do it. Understand, however, that the perception of chatbots is that they are like call center loops that never end. They’re frustrating to customers who are already frustrated. They’re calling support for a reason.
Facilitating a friendly area for support also allows experienced users to answer questions. This helps to create friendships while easing the burden on you. Not that people are a burden, but it does take time (and human resources) to provide human support. Reward customers who help answer support questions with VIP badges and maybe even exclusive swag or discounts!
“Customers want to be treated as individuals, not as numbers. That’s why relationships matter so much, whether you are a startup or a global enterprise. To establish friendly familiarity in the age of digital-first experiences, it’s all about the best customer service possible at every touchpoint along the way.”
Salesforce
How Can We Improve the Support Process?
Improving the support process is much like improving your product development. Understanding that you are not your user is the first step. They don’t know your product as well as you do; nor should they. Where are they mentally when they use your product? What solution does it solve? This helps you develop empathy.
Empathy is the key component to treating your customers like humans. Support departments that are angry, annoyed, or disgusted by their customers show little-to-no empathy. When you acknowledge your customer’s experience as valid, that’s the beginning of a good rapport. You need to work with them to solve their issue. Once you do, you become their hero!
“Excellent customer service can be a key differentiator that converts casual buyers into loyal customers. In fact, 59% of American consumers say that they’d try a new brand or company for a better service experience.”
Freshdesk
Isn’t Product Support Just Customer Service?
Nothing is “just” customer service. “Just” is a terrible word; it minimizes and discounts that role. We prefer to talk about support as user experience. After all, UX is the new sexy. The whole experience matters. Every single touchpoint you have with a customer along the lifetime of that sale and post-sale is important. Those touchpoints are customer service.
By viewing your customers as humans instead of a generic persona or product silos, you gain insight into what they like about your product, how you can best serve them, and why you should develop (or not develop) similar products.
Support Your Product and Grow Your Community
It’s your community, your way with PeepSo. You have all the tools you need to engage your community. Create your community your way. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t start today.
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