1. Never be in a defensive mode
People usually get in a defensive mode when they feel attacked, and if you’re the founder, it’s also relevant if the customer says bad things about your product. Once you get there, your responses can be impulsive and you can say things you didn’t really want to Instead, when you read the other side’s comments, focus only on solving the issue they have, be professional and nice, and ignore any insults or irrelevant adjectives.
2. Don’t take it personally
This one is pretty much related to the point above. It is almost never about you as a founder or as a support representative. Users sometimes can be frustrated that they couldn’t figure out something in the software or they faced an annoying bug, but whatever they say to you, even if you think or know they are wrong, take a deep breath before you respond.
3. Be efficient
Try to solve the issue with the minimum amount of iterations From our perspective, when you solve a problem with the least amount of questions and iterations, it is ideal for both sides. For example, once a user messages us in our live chat, we already have all their info in front of us, and see if something is wrong there before they even send their question (like a wrong domain name they inserted and things like that). Don’t ask questions that won’t get the issue to be solved faster, and try to predict what the user is going to say next.
4. Be kind
Always be nice. It doesn’t matter who is on the other side of the chat/email. We succeeded to turn a few 1-star reviews into 5-star reviews just because we were super nice, consistently .
5. Never assume you are 100% right.
Even if you are very experienced and you think you know what the problem is, or the user is wrong, always check and see for yourself. There might be a new bug or a new issue you’ve never seen before, and you can learn from every experience
6. Don’t let users ‘hang in there’
Don’t let users ‘hang in there’ especially if you offer live chat support People hate waiting. If you tell the user you are checking the issue, and you disappear for more than a few minutes, it is better to let them know you are still on it. If it will take more than a few minutes, let them know you will get back to them in an hour or so via email. Don’t let them assume anything, updates are very appreciated in users’ eyes.
7. Got many questions on the same issue?
Fix it in the product. If you see you are getting a lot of questions on the same function or feature in your product, that’s the best feedback you can get to change it or make it more clear. The more you pay attention to it and segment the questions, the better your product will be.
8. Go the extra mile when possible
Answering questions or solving issues is one thing, but doing an extra step and giving the right tips on how to use your software is always better. In Poptin for example, when users ask us a random question about their popup, we try to see if there is something that can be improved in their design or targeting, and we let them know. Their success is your success (cliche but true).
9. Ask for reviews
Don’t be shy to ask for a review, even if you helped with the smallest problem possible.