Usman Ghani (September 16, 2016)
For all businesses, the customer support department acts as a portal that lets you tap into the needs of your clients. Before you setup a customer support department, there are a few things you need to consider. This department will serve as the front line that will communicate with your clients one-on-one. Because of this, it becomes a priority to have a competent department that can represent your business. From hiring skilled people to compiling an easily accessible knowledge base, there are numerous factors that will require your attention. In addition, identify customer pain points and focus on treating them with empathy. Make small changes here and there within the team to make it unique from others in the industry. Here are five things that will help you along when starting your support department:
The foundation of a support department is built on efficient provision of help and care to clients. If you want to strengthen this foundation for years to come, you have to determine the needs of your customers. Once you have identified them, providing help accurately becomes more convenient. Analyze and test your product or service thoroughly as a customer. This exercise will give insight into what sort of queries and issues you might expect. After an overview from all perspectives, you will be able to know what your clients will need and how they would contact your support department.
To start a client support department, it is essential for businesses to hire the right people who have the right attitude, essential customer service skills and emotional intelligence. You can assess their temperament before having them on your team. The core values to look for include empathy, patience and willingness to help and go the extra mile. They will be dealing with your clients who will interact with a wide spectrum of emotions. Hence, it becomes necessary that your team has the mindset and capability of being perceptive and receptive.
The first phase of setting up the department will comprise of taking care of resources such as machinery and technology. After this, equip your support team with trainings, courses and skills that make them more proficient in their responsibilities. Form an extensive knowledge base in collaboration with your team to educate them in all manners of your business. This effort will pay off in terms of streamlining support processes for your customers.
For clients to get in touch with your support department, they may use one of the multiple channels readily available to them. Your team should be available to help on all modes of communication, be it email, phone, social media or live chat. Customers will contact you on the medium which is most convenient for them, so your front line should be prepared to handle it promptly. Divide your team into specialized groups that take care of inflow from separate channels.
Your help desk is one of the most active places where your clients will interact with you on a personal level. If they require any assistance before, during or after buying from you, they will come straight to your support team. This is why this department is ideal for portraying your company’s vision. Through this, you can emphasize how valuable customers are for your business as well as generate a positive image for your brand. A competent department will also give you a competitive edge over others. If trained properly, the people in your support department can also be your marketing and sales representatives.
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