Some people seem snakebitten when it comes to customer support.
First, it seems like they’re always having issues with the things they buy. For their personal lives and perhaps for their work and business.
Second, when they do contact support to find help it seems that it takes forever to get the issue resolved. There is frustration during the communication. It’s just a poor experience.
If this sounds like you. If it seems like the world is conspiring around you…the issue might not be with the companies you choose. It might be you that is at least contributing to the issue.
But that’s okay. There are things you can do to help improve your odds of getting better support.
1. Kindness
I’ve been dealing with B2B customer support for 12+ years now. I’ve been dealing with B2C customer support for even more years than that. I’ve done it myself. I’ve observed others trying to work with support.
At least from all of my own experience I can tell you that kindness works way more often than anger and frustration.
Treat the person that answers your phone call, email or chat with respect. Treat them as an ally. Someone that is going to work for you to help solve your issue as fast as possible.
They’re probably frustrated with the product just as you are. They don’t want to deal with the same issues over and over. Their job is stressful. They don’t need you bringing more stress to their lives.
It might feel like a little short-term anger will work to speed things along. It doesn’t. Especially over the long-term.
So play the odds. Be kind.
2. Document Your Problem
Before reaching out to support, think through and document exactly what your problem is. At least as much as you’re able to. As you’re working through the issue think about and take mental notes or even real notes and screenshots of what is going on.
It’s good to have the detail. You might not need it all. You probably don’t want to bombard the support person with all the detail right away. But as they ask you questions it will greatly speed things up if you’re prepared.
Taking 10 minutes to do this before you call or contact can sometimes save hours in the long run. For the support team and for you.
3. Know What You Want
Obviously you want to fix your issue. But with things like software or even services, there can be little nuances to what you want versus what the support thinks you want or need.
Try to consider and state as simply as possible what you want. It seems basic, but letting the support person know what you want can help them understand the issue better and get you to what you want faster.
I remember having an issue with an invoicing software a few years ago. Clients were having issues paying. The support person was helping me and we thought we reached a conclusion, but only then did I realize they were helping me to solve payment issues for credit cards when I wanted a solution for PayPal.
It was my fault. I hadn’t stated the specifics on what I wanted.
4. Have As Much Account Info As Possible
You’ll almost always be asked for your account information to begin with. Have it ready. Name, account number and even things like your social security number. You probably won’t need most of it, but the more you have the faster the person can bring up your account and get context on you and what your problem is.
5. Use Their Preferred Channel
You might prefer to call the business for support. But they may prefer chat or email.
I find that it’s best to use the channel the company seems to prefer. You can usually tell on their website and support pages. If the phone number is prominent while the email and chat are a little difficult to find, it’s a good indication that they want you to call.
They know what is most efficient to them. Try to follow their lead on this one and they can help guide you through it as fast as possible.
Conclusion
Customer support is almost always a frustrating experience. It’s just the nature of it. But you can improve your odds of getting better resolutions by trying the tips here. They are things I’ve learned over a lot of years and they’ve worked well for me.