Today’s consumers are digitally dependent and face a continuous state of technical anxiety and a myriad of challenges – new products and applications, software upgrades, data migrations, new operating systems…the list goes on. According to the Pew ReSearch Center, more than half of all digital equipment and software users have logged support tickets to resolve their issues, and more than 60 percent say they feel impatient, discouraged and confused by these issues and the resulting disruption of their digital lives and productivity.
Despite these challenges, more than 75% of computer and digital device users consider themselves savvy enough to confront and solve their own problems and express a preference for doing so. Almost half of those that tried to reach out to customer support were not happy with the support they received. They complain of long service wait times, lack of issue resolution, finger pointing between vendors, and language barriers of the support technicians.
Obviously, the source of user anxiety is clear. Take a majority of consumers who consider themselves savvy, DIY problem solvers and fail to allow them to support themselves in a self-serve environment and you’ve created a product abandonment – customer dissatisfaction powder keg waiting to blow inside your revenue stream, and across the web and social media. Frustrated consumers not only vent to friends and co-workers…they broadcast across Facebook, twitter, YouTube, websites, user groups, forums, anywhere and everywhere they have a voice and an audience.
from a 2010 Pew Research Study
And, if you’re not providing an abode for the ‘do-it-yourselfer’, the guy or gal who likes to solve their own problems (remember that’s more than 75% off all consumers), they go to where they can…often in places where your brand and your products are taking beating. And let’s face it…almost nobody is running to the web to praise their support experience; just Google “Worst Support Experience Ever” then Google “Best Support Experience Ever”.
See the difference?
In order to succeed with a majority of your customers you must acknowledge and nurture their prevailing demand to first be self-reliant with your product and second to quickly respond when that possibility diminishes. Socially enabled help sites allow you to do both. Instead of merely offering up static information about your products, you should leverage your documentation to create a social experience between your company and your customer seeking help. Nothing deepens brand loyalty more than enabling the customer to quickly find highly relevant information that solves their problem and which expands their understanding of your product along the way. Furthermore, when adopting a socially powered help-site it’s essential that it allows you to act quickly when the consumer is not finding the answer they need. Your choice must include the ability to give you insight into a customer’s behavior around your documentation and their sense of fulfillment with your product. Only then will you truly succeed with the vast majority of your customers and avoid the moniker of “Worst Experience” damnation.
