Customer support is important. It’s a big deal to you and to the company providing you with kennel management software, and for good reason. You need to know that you have access to help when you need it. Good customer support relies on more than just resolving the issue…it also relies on building a good relationship with the customer. How does a company achieve that great relationship? Through a support model that listens to your needs. Let’s look at the benefits of working with a company that values support focused on people instead of problems, as well as some things that you should consider when assessing the customer support that you receive.
WHAT DOES HUMAN-CENTRIC CUSTOMER SUPPORT MEAN?
Human-centric support means that the company is committed to solving your issue through understanding your business and what you need. This type of customer service is focused on building a relationship with you and your business and solving your issue from there. This type of customer support differs dramatically from the more traditional issue-centric customer service that focuses on solving the issue and moving on. Generally, human-centric support means that you will experience a warmer and more “real” conversation about the issue that you are having, allowing for a positive relationship between your business and the software provider. Many companies are moving in the direction of human-centric customer support as it allows for a better understanding of their customers.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?
There are a variety of benefits to choosing a company with support that is focused on people and not just their problems. No one needs the extra frustration of encountering an automated phone menu when you’re just trying to talk to a real person about your issue and manage your business at the same time. One of the main benefits of human-centric customer service is that you can get the answer that you need without waiting a long time for a response. Many companies pride themselves on answering your query within 24 to 48 business hours via email, phone, or otherwise. What are some of the other benefits of human-centric customer service?
- It builds trust between your facility and the business that is providing your software. A more personal relationship means that the service you receive is tailored to you, and that the company is more attuned to your business needs
- Fast and informed customer service means that a small problem doesn’t have the chance to turn into a larger one
- Your daily business practices can run more smoothly when you know that a problem can be resolved with minimal impact on your business
- Decreased frustration associated with impersonal service and repeating your problem to multiple representatives. Human-centric customer service means that the representative should have access to previous issues, how they were resolved, and any contact that you’ve had with the company about the issue
WHAT DOES GOOD SUPPORT LOOK LIKE?
Now that we’ve outlined some of the benefits of customer support that is focused on the people and not the problems…what things should you be looking for when assessing your support experience? Ask yourself these questions:
DID THEY ANSWER YOU PROMPTLY?
Did you receive an answer in a timely manner? If a company promises to contact you within 24 business hours and you haven’t heard from them in a week with no explanation, it is clear that their customer support does not consider prompt responses a priority. Your time is invaluable to your pet business, make sure that your software company respects this by quickly addressing your issues.
DO THEY KNOW YOUR NAME?
When the representative that you are dealing with knows your business and your name it indicates that the company values your business enough to try and build a relationship with you. It is important to know that you can rely on your software company to partner with you and grow your pet business, and a big part of that is understanding what your business needs and how problems affect your ability to operate.
DID THEY TRY TO SELL YOU ANYTHING?
You use their product. There is a time and a place to be offered promotions, upgrades, and new deals from the company. When you’re stressed and trying to resolve a problem is not that time. You don’t need another sales pitch delivered to you by a customer support representative-you need a solution so that you can get back to running your facility. If the representative is focused on solving your problem and building a relationship with you, they know that your stress level won’t decrease with a sales pitch.
DO THEY ASK ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE?
Do you get regular emails, phone calls, or survey requests from the company? Do they ask if your experience with their software is positive, and do they ask how well their support reps did? A company that really cares about their customers will want to know what things they are doing well and the areas that they could use improvement. This shows that the company is responsible and cares about how they treat their clients.
THE “R” WORD
The big “R” word, or retention, is an important one for a couple of reasons. The company that you’re dealing with should care about retaining your business, and they should care a lot. When you experience a problem and the service that you receive isn’t great, the company should want to correct the issue so that they do not lose you as a client. Retention is direclty related to the company asking for your feedback on your experience with them. If a company really wants to keep your business, they will listen to your negative feedback and try to make it right. This could mean reporting the issue to someone higher up, issuing an apology, or even offering an incentive or discount, depending on the company and situation.
Good customer service is something that you should care about from the perspective of both a business and a customer. You treat your clients (both furry and human) with the utmost respect and try to make sure that any issues are resolved quickly, so don’t settle for any less from your software company. Customer support is the key to running a great business, and focusing on the people, and not the problem, can mean the difference between keeping or losing a great customer.
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