Build a Robust Customer Support Network

Why You Need to Quit Pinching Pennies and Invest in a Good Support System

Having worked with hundreds of software applications—both for my clients and my own companies—I’ve had the privilege of navigating countless customer support conversations. Unfortunately, I’ve seen the quality of service deteriorate over time. While customer service representatives (CSRs) may be polite, the overall standard of performance has, in many cases, become unacceptable.

A recent experience highlights this problem:

I was managing a project for a client using a calendaring solution. The sales team had multiple methods for adding new leads to the system, one of which involved the calendaring tool. I wanted to know if there was a way to check the availability of salespeople, then send a generic calendar appointment to the CRM, where it could be routed to whoever was available. This would ensure leads were evenly distributed across the team.

The software lacked this feature, so I reached out to see if there was a workaround—perhaps syncing a group calendar instead of individual calendars.

Initially, I interacted with a bot. It collected some basic information, apologized for not being able to help, and promised to connect me with a human. The bot ended the conversation by asking me to rate the experience, but I chose not to respond—I was still unclear on how to judge this interaction within the broader support context.

24 hours later, I received a reply: “Thanks so much for reaching out. Can you give us more details around your query?”

Great. At this point, between the delayed response and the lack of relevant information, I was growing frustrated. It felt like the CSR was overwhelmed, perhaps rushing through tickets to meet a quota. I replied, “Please ask specific questions about my issue so I can provide the necessary details.” I’ve been through this before—don’t waste my time.

12 hours later, I was surprised to receive another response (I had expected at least a 23-hour wait). The CSR asked specific, relevant questions—so I answered in detail, hopeful for progress.

8 hours later, I received a response from a different CSR. This person hadn’t bothered to read my detailed message. Instead, they sent a couple of links and a copy-pasted response with a keyword from my original question. Frustrated, I replied, “Please re-read my detailed response. Your reply does not reflect the time I spent explaining the issue. You likely won’t find the answer by copy-pasting from your KnowledgeBase. Critical thinking is required here—our paying client urgently needs a quick and accurate resolution to this problem.”

By this point, I was losing hope, and my client was growing impatient. The next response I received was even more technical, discussing features irrelevant to my client’s needs. It went on like this for two more days. Ultimately, the issue was never resolved, but I did receive a survey asking how my support experience was. In a nice touch of irony, the subject line of the email labeled me a “non-client,” despite my repeatedly explaining that I was acting on behalf of one of their clients.

Customer Support as Part of the Customer Experience

Customer support is a critical part of the customer experience. Just because you’ve secured a client’s credit card doesn’t mean their experience with your company can be neglected. Yet, this seems to be the norm in some industries. I’ve encountered companies notorious for poor customer support, many of which outsource it to third parties that lack the expertise needed to solve problems effectively. Then they add insult to injury when they expect customers to pay for support—yet deliver subpar results.

Integrating Customer Support into Customer Experience

Creating a memorable customer experience will never happen by accident. Like a sales process, like a marketing plan, like other functions in the company, it starts with a goal – not necessarily a process. You’ll want to define what the outcome of your customer’s experience should be, and why that is important.

In Conclusion

When building your company’s customer support function, make sure that you treat it as part of the customer experience. Keep in mind that your customer’s support experience is going to be the lasting feature that they are going to remember. If the experience was great, they are more likely to recommend your offering, assuming it meets their needs. If the experience is awful, there is a chance that they will complain. Doing it well can give your company an advantage and pave the way to long-term customer relationships.

Aepiphanni is a Strategy and Operations focused Business Consultancy dedicated to providing Fractional Growth Leadership, Management Consulting, and Business Transformation to business leaders and entrepreneurs looking to enhance or expand their companies. As trusted advisors, we specialize in delivering forward-thinking operational and strategic solutions that empower our clients to navigate and overcome the challenges of business growth.

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