Best Practices for Proactive Technical Support

Attitude is everything -

Go into every situation with a positive attitude and the intent of doing the right thing for the customer and everyone will benefit.

First and foremost, know your product inside out -

Be an encyclopedia of knowledge about how your product works and what it is capable of delivering. Use it every single day. Don't just assume a feature is working and forget about it. Providing awesome support is so much easier when you have that level of knowledge about your own product.

Be a learner -

Learn when new features are being added, or old ones removed, your product knowledge will become stale a lot quicker than you think. If you can't give your users an answer, or worse still, you give them the wrong answer, you're not supporting them.

Don’t keep customers waiting -

Respond immediately, even if you don't have the solution. Reduced turnaround time is very importan, make personalized response acknowledging you've got the request and that you're working on it. This puts the customesr at ease as they know you're on it and it also buys you time.

Frequent follow up required -

Keep a track of the status of a case with respect to both ends. If the customer is not responding, following up from your end is required at least twice a day.

Be as helpful as you can -

Explain things in multiple ways. Different things resonate with different people. So be prepared to explain the same thing in a bunch of different ways.

Resolution is the goal of every conversation -

Reaching resolution means that the customer is satisfied - whether you've solved their problem or not. It does not mean that the customer always gets what they want, or that you're just saying what they want to hear. Don't avoid difficult conversations, or say no without any explanation. This leads to mistrust and customers lose confidence in you and your company. If your customer believes that you've taken the time to listen, consider their problem, and give them an honest response, you'll reach resolution far quicker - whether the issue is solved or not.

Provide FAQs and troubleshooting help online (self service) -

During the service or after the service, share necessary links or help-portal links and documents with customers for their reference.

Be to the point -

Know the exact requirement and work accordingly. If something is out of scope inform the customer with possible work around. Do not drag the case. That will save time at both ends.

Use software to keep track of customers and take care of routine tasks -

Use powerful tools like Giffy to track customer details and to monitor open or in-progress cases. Also organize your gmail box properly to keep track of the cases. If required, create notes in your own device. Use all of your available resources (team members, training, tools, documentation, past incidents, etc.) to facilitate solving your customer’s issue on the first contact.

Learn to listen patiently and be polite to customers -

Patience and calm are the keys. Be patient with the customer and keep a professional behavior during communication.

Be specific -

Be realistic. Don't over-promise. Always be honest about what you can and can't do for your customers. Overpromising will lead you to under-delivering, which will make your customers unhappy.

Teamwork -

Empowering the team to make front-line decisions and coordinating through best practice processes are necessary for Service Desks to survive.