How to set the right support expectation with your users? : 6 Best Practices

As a business owner or support representative, it’s essential to set the right support expectations with your users. The way you handle your customers’ expectations

right support expectation

As a business owner or support representative, it’s essential to set the right support expectations with your users. The way you handle your customers’ expectations can have a big impact on how they feel about your business. Your users could become frustrated if you don’t establish clear and right expectations, which could result in negative feedback, lower customer satisfaction, and eventually lost sales.

Let’s explore some best practices for setting the right support expectations with your users:

Clearly Define Your Support Policy :

This step must be stressed enough for its importance. The support policy should outline the types of issues your support team can assist with, the anticipated timeline for resolving them, and the support channels.

Display your support policy outrightly on your website and in all end-user documentation. By doing so, it will be easier to establish clear expectations early on and make sure users are aware of what to expect when they contact support. If you’ve let your customers understand exactly what to expect from you in terms of your products or customer service, they’ll be more likely to be welcoming and loyal to you.

2. Provide Clear and Timely Communication :

When a user requests support, they should receive an acknowledgment of their request in a timely fashion. It could be an automated email or a text message.

While the support team is actively working on the issue, provide regular status updates to the user and communicate any potential delays upfront.

3. Build an omnichannel presence :

Customers seek to connect with customer support over their comfort channels. You do not, however, have to be on every channel. Identify the channels your customers are most likely to be.

Create your business profile there and display your availability channels over your website, emails, etc.

4. Be Transparent & Set Realistic Response Times:

Being transparent is an underrated tactic. It’s important to be honest about your support services limitations. Don’t make bold claims! Be sincere about your bounds. If you only offer support during certain hours or for specific sorts of issues, make sure users are aware of this upfront.

Be honest if a user asks for assistance with an issue that is out of your scope. You can share self-help resources with them or escalate the issue to another level.

Do you know that 82% of customers seek responses within the first 10 minutes of reaching out for support? While this fast response time may not be feasible for you, you can set another one for your support.

Make sure your response times are clearly outlined in your support policy, and that they are realistic and achievable.

5. Provide Self-Service Resources :

Self-service resources can help users in finding solutions to their queries quickly and effortlessly. This could include:

A knowledge base section
The FAQ section
Step-by-step guides
Video tutorials

The fact that 70% of consumers expect a company’s website to include a self-service application clears how important self-service options are.

By making these resources available to users, you can decrease the number of support inquiries you get, lower the response time and improve customer satisfaction.

6. Ask for Feedback :

To make sure you’re meeting user expectations when it comes to support, send out surveys after every support interaction. This could optimize your reputation as a company that values its customers and works hard to enhance their experience.

Utilize this feedback to determine areas that require improvement and, if essential, revise your support processes.

Final Thoughts :

Setting realistic expectations and putting in the hard effort to exceed them is how you can build a strong relationship with your users.

Additionally, it’s crucial to regularly evaluate your support processes and make any necessary changes. As your business grows and evolves, so too will the needs of your users. By staying attuned to these changing expectations and adapting your support processes, you can continue to provide excellent service.