Customers contact tech support when there is something about your product that they are unable to understand and fix. The problem can be anything – “user” error, a bug or technical issue, what matters for the customers is that it should be solved so that they can resume their work. Your technical experts will need to answer any queries regarding the installation or configuration of products so that your customers get the best value out of your products. Lack of proper tech support team to answer these questions will drive your customers away. In other words, if you run a product based business, your success depends on how good your technical support is.
The challenge is that tech support is expensive, more than even self-service channels. You are potentially losing money every time you could not solve a tech support question. The biggest risk will always be to lose customers. It becomes even more crucial if you run a subscription-based business because it means that the customer can subscribe to lots of user licenses. It can prove costly if you fail to deliver a good experience. Due to these reasons, it is important that you provide high-quality tech support.
What is Technical Support?
Product-centric companies provide a form of customer communication which helps their users to get the most out of their products. This communication is known as technical or ‘tech’ support which solves installation issues, login errors, and other technical difficulties through knowledge bases, live chat, email or phone.
Difference Between Tech Support & Customer Support
Tech support is not just another word for customer support. The difference is in the types of issues that they handle. Tech support teams handle technical issues that your customers face which prevents them from using your product more effectively. Also, there are fewer levels of customer support. The first line of support is through a customer service agent and the second line of support is through the customer support manager. There are 5 levels in tech support: pre-support, self-service, the first line of support (human contact), the second line of support (complex issues) and the third line of support (custom support).
Below are five tips that will help you to improve the quality of your tech support.
- Think Before You Outsource
You can influence the complete user experience of your product with tech support which means you need to make sure that your tech support team has complete information about the product. Therefore think carefully before outsourcing the handling of your tech support. - Treat Tech Support With The Same Importance As Sales
Businesses should not operate totally in silos. You need to consider what impact different parts of your business have on each other. This is true for tech support as well. Only a great service can retain a new customer that marketing and sales teams worked so hard to acquire. Tech support is the first point of contact a new customer will have when they are done installing your product. - Implement The Five Levels Of Tech Support
Keep a well-structured tech support system which will fulfill the needs of your customers quickly and efficiently. Implement the 5 levels of tech support which will help you to figure out which queries are hard and which are easier to be handled by a more junior member of the team. - Control The Conversation Outside Of Your Own Ecosystem
You need to monitor user conversations outside of your own platform because the first point of contact of your user might be on a forum or in social media. It would be great for your business if you can contribute to the conversations that are going on online about your product. - Make It Easy To Contact Tech Support
Make it easy for your customers to contact you. Don’t make them spend time browsing your website to look for information regarding tech support.
Conclusion
Product-based businesses need to take tech support more seriously because it is a crucial part of the overall user experience. Unlike ‘customer service’ which deals with transactional or account based queries, tech support deals directly with technical issues regarding the product. Get your tech support right because customers are becoming and more tech-savvy. It means that they are not going to ask basic questions to your tech support team. Equip and prepare your tech support team to handle more complex questions from the customers. Improving your tech support will also help you to retain customers Select the right tools and people for this job and make tech support a priority in your business.
