What sets you apart from your competitors? Your software is no doubt superb, but there are plenty of other companies on the market offering great products. It takes more than that to stand out from the crowd.
Where you can make an impact is by offering the best possible service. If you get this right, you’ll win a legion of fans. These customers will spread the word about your software. These recommendations are worth a great deal for SaaS companies.
In this post, we’ll look at how you can improve your service levels to delight your clients.
Offer Proactive Customer Support
You can start by changing your approach to support. Most companies wait for queries to come in. The problem with this approach is that it’s reactive. Your client is likely already frustrated by the time they call in. What if you could turn that around and prevent that frustration altogether?
If you switch to a proactive service model, you can head issues off before the client even knows about them. You do this by offering good follow ups with new clients. You want to teach them how to use your software so they get the full benefit.
You can also, if they agree, monitor their use of it. If your team notices that the customer isn’t using all of the features, they can give them a courtesy call.
You can also:
- Monitor regular product usage patterns
- Predict common issues
- Provide solutions preemptively
Say, for example, that you get a lot of queries about customizing features. You can check in with clients during onboarding to help things move more smoothly. You can also use automated emails and in-app notifications to make your clients feel valued.
Outsourcing Customer Support
Can you only barely handle the calls you’re getting now? Are you wondering how you’re supposed to fit in courtesy calls, too? Outsourcing provides you with a cost-effective way to access the expertise you need.
You can hire a team to professionally handle your incoming calls to reduce the load on your employees. You can also task them with proactive support.
Implement Self-Service Options
You should empower your clients to find solutions themselves if they like. You can start with a good knowledge base and clear tutorials. Make it easy for them to find the information that they need. You can even build a bot into your site or social media pages to handle simple queries.
Take things a step further with interactive guides and how-to videos. Your bots can run your clients through simple troubleshooting steps. They can also run
Interactive guides, how-to videos, and onboarding walkthroughs can further enhance self-service. Additionally, by using tools like AI-powered chatbots that can guide users through basic troubleshooting, companies can handle simple inquiries quickly, leaving human agents available for more complex issues. Self-service should be updated regularly to reflect new product features and changes, ensuring it remains a valuable and relevant resource.
Use Customer Data to Personalize Support
Customers today want to know they’re more than numbers. They want the companies they work with to understand their specific needs. That’s why generic email blasts are so hit-and-miss.
You collect a lot of data from your clients. Use it to personalize everything from marketing to support. With the high-level AI-based CRM tools we have available today, it’s easier to get this right.
Invest in Customer Support Training and Knowledge
Even if you outsource your support team, your clients will deal with your in-house employees from time to time. You should put all customer-facing roles through some form of customer support training. You need to teach them about how to handle customers empathetically and professionally.
You also need to ensure that they know as much as possible about your software and how it works. The team also needs to stay up to date on new features and bug fixes.
Leverage Customer Feedback for Continuous Improvement
Customers who leave you any form of feedback are doing you a great favor. Many don’t bother. Make it easy for customers to leave feedback and actively ask them to do so.
Don’t stop there, actively monitor the internet for mentions about your software. Do the same for your competitors. That way, you can pick up opportunities for improvement.
Make Customer Success a Priority
Why do users start looking for other software? They may choose a competitor’s product because it’s easier to use. They might move because they don’t know your product has the features they need.
The best way to get around this is to have a strong onboarding process. You should guide new customers through:
- Key features
- Best practices
- Potential use cases
You can use interactive guides, one-on-one calls, video tutorials, and automated onboarding sequences. Making sure that your clients get the support they need at the start is one of the best ways to improve customer success.
Conclusion
As a SaaS provider, you need to make sure that your service is outstanding. By following the steps we outlined above, you can deliver the kind of support that wins you fans.
Once you have that loyal fanbase, you have a team of clients promoting your business. Therefore, this investment in support reaps rewards in terms of marketing.