As technology progresses, the business world continues to see many of its newcomers set up shop online. A business is no longer just opening a physical location; it’s not just about selling peaches or opening a restaurant anymore. Many million-pound industries today have no physical presence other than that which lives online in the cloud, or in a few sparse locations in servers. The growth of the online world and its functions has only enabled this, and will continue to do so in an exponential rate in correlation with each new service added.
Businesses need websites, websites need plugins, websites need other websites to index their sites, businesses need cloud storage, customer support needs chat bots, sales teams need statistics, and the list could go on. These are all software as a service, or, “SaaS” as they’re referred to in the business world, and their uses are almost unlimited.
Perhaps the most critical part of introducing a new SaaS is being able to support your user base with quality customer support. Almost everything you need to know about SaaS support solutions can be picked up online and, from there, taken to be implemented into your team’s customer support strategy.
After all, these are tech products and there will constantly be issues that need resolving.
How SaaS is unique
Software as a business or service presents both a unique challenge and an opportunity to both the business and its clients. For a software engineer and business owner, you’ve got the chance to provide something that’s not only convenient to use, but can provide useful insights or automation services to your client’s businesses or personal needs as well, depending on what exactly your service does.
As the client, you get access to something that’s being constantly updated and renewed to include optimisations that change as the online world does. Most SaaS are presented as subscription packages instead of one-time payment purchases, and while some consumers may not prefer it, the benefits are undeniable.
SaaS and B2B
What shouldn’t be overlooked is the fact that the majority of SaaS solutions are created with the business in mind. This makes SaaS a prototypical b2b (business to business) type of service, creating a stark differentiation from your typical b2c business model.
Business to business solutions are business owners working with other business owners. This makes for a stronger connection, and ultimately a deeper understanding of the problems your client base faces, making it easier for your service to cater to their needs.
Because of this, customer support must be top notch in order to keep your clients happy and resolve any of their issues that may come up. This business relationship is the closest thing to a partnership there is in sales, and clients want to feel like it too.
How to use SaaS customer support and use it well
Getting to know your clients is a start, and getting to know their problems is the goal. Once you understand your client’s needs, you better comprehend their issues when they do arise, and they will. As a software being used for business services, especially without a physical location, the technical difficulties will pop up and will run rampant if not kept in check.
Start by checking in on clients even if there hasn’t been any known issues and they seem to have been satisfied thus far. Connect them with real live team members who can receive feedback and answer any questions they may have about the products they’re using for their own business.
Be available to answer simple concerns quickly, whether it be via social media or email, both platforms being ideal. Provide a place for consumers to give detailed information about more complex issues, including the proper prompts to ensure all required details are gathered on your end.
Be available to set up a one on one call or video chat, even remoting into your client’s computers to resolve issues with your own insider knowledge of the service as well.
Going the extra mile
Of course, it’s easier with a smaller client base, but your support methods need to be scalable to an even larger level too. If the SaaS is viable, it’ll accomplish that anyway, so be prepared.
This may seem like some extensive customer support system, and it is, but that’s what makes the best SaaS superior to others. These products in the B2B industry demand that type of attention, and giving it the required time and effort can be the difference in the life and death of a new SaaS.