7 Ways to Make Customer Service Your Top Priority in B2B

As a B2B software/technology company, your customer support needs to be exceptional.

Here are a few tips to help make customer support a top priority:

1. Practice Timeliness – using a software that is responsive on a variety of platforms means the service ticket that came in 2 seconds ago is now on your phone where you can respond to it.  The next step is ensuring that fast response times (answering or directing tickets to the right party if needed) are a part of your appraisal system and metrics. Automated responses also save time and frustration by sending pre-set messages for certain issues.
2. OmniChannel - great customer support means the customer has a seamless experience.  Every type of support request from phone calls to emails to social media posts/messages should be loaded into the same omnichannel ticket system so that nothing gets overlooked, and the customer doesn’t notice a difference from one medium to the next.
3. Ticket Tagging - Another helpful practice includes tagging tickets by location or issue, so if a certain issue is prevalent (i.e. power outage, faulty equipment, software bug), support techs will better understand how to respond and agents/managers can better organize and prioritize requests.
4. Cross-system Integrations - look for a support system that ties into other apps, preferably with a native integration but at the very least using an API.  In support the most commonly used integrations are CRM and developer software, but it’s most important to look at the business sytems you use, and try to integrate as many as possible for better visibility across the organization.
5. Self-Service - Some customers are more the DIY type who prefer to find answers on their own, especially in a B2B environment where users tend to be more advanced.  Make sure your software features a self-service help center in order to keep those customers satisfied. Compile all the remedied issues into one database to cut down on support tickets, and look for a knowledge base feature to log common issues.
6. Customer Satisfaction - companies that purchase your software will want to know how it’s working for their customers. Including an opportunity for customers to rate their experience is a great way for your customers to know how they’re doing, and for you to know what issues to fix. Constructive feedback is always better than losing customers.
7. Performance Metrics – it’s not enough to just look at a list of tickets, especially in a B2B support environment.  Your support software should include a robust reporting and analytics database so you can measure the performance of your company’s support overall. Both management and support reps want to know how they are doing and – if there’s a problem – how they can remedy the situation. Make sure data that’s accumulated is easily available so you can put it to work for you.

Great customer service really boils down to making sure your clients know that you put their needs first. Practical, alert, and courteous should be your company’s watchwords and your software should reflect the thought that you put into customer service.