There are a large number of deciding factors that drive the success of a SaaS company. Research, development, marketing, and many other factors affect a SaaS company’s ability to connect with its customer base. However, one of the elements that are often overlooked is customer support.
No matter how great your offerings are and how big your market base is, customer retention is extremely important, and you should be able to resolve their issues effectively. The best way to address issues raised by your customers is, of course, omnichannel support. If your organization is not offering support ticketing system to your customers, read on to find out why you need to switch to it.
Why Omnichannel Support?
Most companies in the SaaS industry know that offering multiple support channels is the best way to handle customer queries, complaints, and feedback. It has become the standard practice in the industry and customers are always able to reach out to companies via email or phone at the very least.
While offering a range of support channels is great, the biggest mistake SaaS companies make when it comes to customer support is making these channels of contact independent of each other. This kind of multichannel approach means that the support channels are independent of each other.
Information sharing is of utmost importance, and that’s where an omnichannel model comes in. With omnichannel support, you continue offering multiple channels of contact for your customers, but you also allow your support agents access to data from other channels. Be it a customer’s purchasing history or their previous communications with support staff. Omnichannel support makes it very easy for your staff to handle queries as they always have the information they need in hand. All of the data being actively available to your support staff allows you to offer the best possible support experience as a SaaS company.
How to Create an Effective Omnichannel Support Strategy?
If you are interested in switching to omnichannel support and want to create a strategy that works for your SaaS company, it isn’t always simple. Here are some of the trusted and effective ways of getting started with omnichannel support.
Choosing the Right Support Platform
The first step to offering omnichannel support is offering the right support platform. You need to ensure that it offers all of the features you need, and your company already has a support tool that is capable of offering omnichannel functionality to connect with other channels, you should implement it right away.
Migrating to a new platform can be cumbersome and may require additional training of support staff. However, it is worth the research and effort that goes into building and managing an omnichannel support setup.
You also need to decide if you will be adding more support channels in the future. If you want to expand your channels, you will have to choose from support tools that allow you to integrate with other channels you have in mind for expansion.
Mobile Friendly Channels
Smartphone usage is at an all-time high with an estimated 1.49 billion smartphone units expected to be shipped in 2018. With affordable smartphones making internet connectivity and app usage more accessible than ever, one of your top priorities when choosing a support channel should be offering options that are mobile-friendly.
According to a survey by Software Advice, 77% customers between the age of 18 and 24 seek mobile support at least once a month and a similar trend are seen with customers aged 25-34, with 65% customers claiming the same. You should not only offer mobile-friendly support options but also ensure customers get the same level of support as traditional channels like email or phone.
Build Support Channels into Apps and Websites
You can integrate support channels right into your website or mobile apps. Customers often check in to websites and apps to know more about products and services for any business. Offering an integrated live chat service into your website or app can remove barriers to communication and your customers will be able to get in touch with you and get access to any information that they need.
Building support features right into your web and app interface also increases the chances of your customers finding the information that they are looking for. It can enable customers to reach their goals and increase retention through this simple feature.
Team Collaboration
One of the biggest advantages that SaaS companies implementing omnichannel strategies have is that it allows all support staff members to work together as a unified team. However, it can be made possible only through platforms that allow collaboration.
Fortunately, most modern support platforms come with communication tools that allow support teams from various platforms to work together through communication tools. For example, your email support staff can communicate with your phone support staff through a built-in chat interface and share information to assist customers.
Conclusion
Excellent customer service is a must, and it is not something that you consider optional. Offering quality customer service allows a brand to succeed in the SaaS industry. Offering multiple channels of contact through omnichannel support allows tighter integration amongst your support staff and also offers a consistent experience for your customers.
COMMENTS