Customer-facing support is typically synonymous with telephone support, email, and live chat. However customers are increasingly turning to non-directed customer support methods. Why? Many customers prefer not to interact with support staff directly.
Others find these traditional support channels too time intensive. Time is money; are you wasting customers’ time with cumbersome customer service? If you have been neglecting FAQ directory and self-help functions, then your business is missing out on an easy opportunity to assist and retain your customers.
Why are FAQs important for B2B customer support?
For customer support, the keys to success are quick problem resolution and simplicity. Respondents to a Dimensional Research survey shed some light on the relationship between a quick resolution and satisfaction. Surprisingly, a quick resolution outweighed the importance of achieving the hoped-for outcome:
- 69% of respondents chalked up their good customer service experiences to a quick resolution of their problems,
- Only 47% credited reaching the hoped-for outcome for their good customer service interaction,
- 72% blamed their bad customer service experience on having to explain their problems over and over again to multiple people, and
- 65% blamed their bad customer service experience on it taking too long to resolve.
Customer service and customer satisfaction go hand-in hand, so it is vital to be responsive to your customers’ needs. And their needs have evolved:
According to Forrester Research analyst Kate Leggett, for the first time in the history of Forrester’s customer service channel usage survey, respondents report that they are using the self-service FAQs on a company’s website more often than speaking with an agent on the phone.
How FAQs affect profitability
Quality is the key differentiator in B2B customer service, which is indicated by quick and simple issue resolution. Customer service quality–whether good or bad– ultimately manifests itself in sales numbers and customer retention according to a Dimensional Research survey:
Both Positively
62% of B2B customers purchased more after a good customer service experience
And Negatively
66% of B2B customers stopped buying after a bad customer service interaction
Your business will be able to protect its current customers and bolster sales with quality support in user-friendly channels. Invest in FAQ and self-help channels. Boost sales, retain clients, and save money on resources otherwise devoted to telephone, email, and web support. Plus, you will be giving your customers what they want.
What to include on your FAQs
- The most common, popular, or known questions your customers encounter. Keep these most frequently asked questions in a featured area to expedite resolution and cut down on search time.
- Information tabs to separate frequent questions by product, concept, or department. Cross-tag questions in multiple tabs if necessary.
- Video tutorials. Many successful B2B companies use video tutorials when explaining technical material. Sometimes it is easier to “show and tell†than make complex, pages long tutorials.
- The ability to search. Make sure your FAQs are searchable on your self-service portal so that customers can quickly find the solutions they need.
- A rating system. Include a rating system so that customers can let you know if the FAQ has solved their problem or not. This will help gauge the efficiency of your FAQs.
PhaseWare’s Self Service Center
PhaseWare’s highly configurable Self Service Center feature makes it easy for you to provide your customer base with a simple, intuitive portal to find answers and solve problems. With a searchable knowledge base, in addition to an easily accessible FAQs, and a powerful search bar, you can ensure that your customers always have a solution on hand.
