How Important is IT Support for your Online Business?
IT support has been growing in importance for companies as they continue to embrace technology solutions and their customers come to expect better from them. Regardless of whether their business directly operates within the IT/software realm, online companies have websites that provide support for IT issues, whether that’s via a mobile app, a live chat system or a support phone line.
Along with the services provided by the company, they will usually have established a service level agreement which covers what they expect to provide in terms of the level of service. Administering that to ensure standards are being met – or achieved – isn’t easy, but putting proper systems in place helps to address this issue succinctly.
IT Support: Where Rubber Meets the Road
While customer support gets the greater attention with most companies, when existing customers have a problem using the products, the software, the mobile apps or the website, they call technical support. Therefore, while customer services may deal both with existing customers and people calling up to get help and advice before becoming customers, IT support deals with people already on the books.
Pause for a second to take in that fact. They’re already paying customers or people using products of the company in one form or another. This should put to bed the idea that IT support is secondary in any way to customer service teams.
What Are the Expectations of Your Customers with IT Support?
When dealing as an online business, customers expect the support to be top notch. Better than a regular company that only pays lip service to online deals. An online company that makes most if not all its money from online activities has no excuses when it comes to IT support. People naturally expect if they’re a pure-play online entity or close to it, they should have all their ducks in a row.
Not keeping up with the stream of incoming messages or being disorganized about getting back to customers won’t be tolerated. People dealing with online companies are quick to complain publicly on social media, consumer forums and anywhere else where they can feel heard. This applies whether their IT problem is small or large.
A limited understanding of IT topics makes people feel vulnerable and upset at their lack of comprehension, which often spills over into annoyance at the company. Companies need to be aware of that reality.
Service Level Agreements: What Are They & Why Do They Matter?
For the company to achieve and maintain high service standards, service level agreements are a must. They spell out what the company is expected to achieve in terms of managing new tickets, dealing effectively with complaints and other important matters, on behalf of customers.
Using software such as SysAid’s service level management tool helps guide companies on what service levels they should be setting and monitoring their performance from thereon. Without using these tools, it’s easy for a company to run aimlessly or let standards inexorably slip.
Spend up to provide excellent support for online customers. The loyal ones will stick with you, but bad IT support is unforgivable, and the dissenters will be vocal about it. Therefore, brand reputation is at stake too.
