Remember the last time you used this sentence, “Let me speak to your manager!” Unless you are calling to praise the service, it may not be a happy memory to recollect.
The customer asks for the manager when they feel ignored, unheard, or unappreciated.
And working in the support team for a SaaS company, I got to witness such calls. Let me share my learnings and reasons that may lead to this call.
It all starts with an email. The customer usually connects over email to —
● raise an issue,
● inquire,
● or request a feature.
Now, let’s look at the events following this email which might be broken.
Robotic response: The person pointing at an issue isn’t a bot. So there is no reason to respond like one.
If you have automized your email responses, customize the email template to include the human touch. The below version does not help.
If you want the customer to feel more confident about the service they invested in, personalize and customize your response. The below version works.
Too much back and forth: One thing the customer hates is to keep repeating themselves. An infinitely long email thread isn’t a good sign for the support team. Let’s find out if your response is inviting a long email string.
To start, when a customer raises an issue,
● Try getting all the details in one go.
Get all your assumptions cleared. Get on-call if necessary.
● Better phrasing
Avoid open-ended questions that have no value, apart from lengthening the email thread.
For example, you might be closing your email with an open-ended question such as, “Does that work for you?” The better closure would be “Let me know if you have any questions.” This sentence does not invite any unnecessary responses.
Approvals:
The main culprit for the increase in the wait time is approvals.
Solution: Give more autonomy to your support team. You do not want the support team reaching out to the manager for every small little thing. This ownership by the support team will make the customer feel more confident about the service. Further, encourage your support team to give refunds and rewards to loyal customers.
Speaking to multiple agents:
It is a disaster when a customer speaks to multiple agents about an issue. Different responses to an ongoing issue might agitate the customer.
If you are using the helpdesk service for support emails, make sure it has a well-defined solution for such an issue.
Respond before the mentioned timeline:
You asked the customer to wait a week for an update on a feature request. It’s been a week, and you got nothing? Reach out to them before the mentioned timeline and be honest. Do not sweep the request under the rug, thinking the customer will forget it.
Here’s a checklist to consider —
● Mention why you care about the feature request — again be honest.
● Share the reason why the request could not be processed.
● Give them a workaround.
Let them speak to the manager: When the customer requests for the manager, he/she is looking for a person who can best solve their problem. Speak to your manager and find who that person is. Sometimes, it may not be your manager. For the above instance, the product manager would have better insight into the feature request.
This will reduce any miscommunication and wait time. If necessary, let the customer get on a call with the right person.
Parting thoughts:
Customer support can be tricky, with miscommunication and misunderstandings surrounding it. However, with patience, empathy, and the right approach things can be made better for the customer and the support team. So, use it wisely.