“Ahia oma na ere onwe ya” [good products sell themselves], the Igbo Nation will say. A big part of those good products is customer service. In short, the ability to respond to online consumer customers on time solves a high percentage of frictions. In other words, even if you do not have an immediate solution, just telling them you are on it, is key, especially when you have a clear plan to provide that solution.
At Tekedia Institute, we run a 24/7 support cycle. It makes sense when you have people from 44 countries. If you have ever sent an email to Tekedia Institute and got no support, let me know.
Understand that opening many support channels you cannot monitor will hurt you. It is better to reduce the number of channels to avoid confusing users. Yes, you do not want them to think that you have received the messages, and are acting on when, when in reality, you are yet to cycle to them.
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It seems like a great idea having 5 emails for users to contact Support, HR, customer service, etc when you can efficiently have just one channel. Complexity does not bring clarity! You may think you are helping the users but in the real sense, you are making things harder.
The most difficult job in startups is making things simplest because only the most brilliant accomplish that. Bring clarity, and simplify your channels and thrive.
Simple things – the numbers will keep improving.
Never promise clients what you cannot deliver. If people know you for that, they will NEVER recommend you to others. Simply, you cannot grow. When you communicate with clients, be nuanced, under-promising but over-delivering. Clients remember those who over-deliver. Business is about ADDITION – keep everyone coming back, including your “enemies”.
Do all to keep clients. Do not do business with that man or woman who tells a paying customer that “he can go”. Tekedia Institute admits more students than any university in Nigeria. And there is no way we will not respond to your email within 6 hours because our customer service operates 24/7 as we serve people from 44 countries. The Singaporean students in our program do not care if people are sleeping in the US or Nigeria.
Service wins markets! Make it back of your playbook
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Very well articulated piece. This one says it all “the ability to respond to customers on time solves more than 70% of their frictions.”