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 Infinite 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.
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!
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!
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