Dropping Keys

Most people involved in software in some capacity are familiar with 37 Signals, the software company that is as famous for its’ outspoken founders as it is for the products that it releases.

The founders, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, have released two books: Getting Real and Rework, both of which I’ve enjoyed immensely.

Rework has a chapter called Speed Changes Everything, but it is not speed of product development they’re talking about - it’s speed of customer service.

Getting back to people quickly is probably the most important thing you can do when it comes to customer service. It’s amazing how much that can defuse a bad situation and turn it into a good one.

This is very true; there is nothing that enrages customers more than having to sit on hold on the phone, or having their emails disappear into some customer service black hole.

Having said that, I think the real gold in this chapter comes at the end:

Once you answer quickly, they shift 180 degrees. They light up. They become extra polite. Often they thank you profusely.
It’s especially true if you offer a personal response. Customers are so used to canned answers, you can really differentiate yourself by answering thoughtfully and showing that you’re listening. And even if you don’t have a perfect answer, say something.”

I can’t emphasize enough how true this is. On the support management side of things, I have been in many many (did I mention many?) situations where customers were quite rightly upset about something or other, but they ended up hanging up the phone happy (or at least talked off the ledge).

Why? We talked to them as a normal person to a normal person. No scripts, no canned answers, no nonsense. We also took a lot of pride in trying to get to know our customers as people and built relationships with them. Believe it or not, this is actually possible in software support.

We’ve all had experience talking to customer service reps that do it the “wrong way”, but have you ever had an experience where you contacted customer service and they actually treated you like a person?

Photo: markhillary