New Year, new you. Right? Last year, approximately 45% of Americans made a New Year’s resolution. Whether we want to trim off a few pounds, actually eat vegetables, or call mom more, the new year inspires us to be better. But how many people actually follow through with their lofty goals?
Well, about 50% of resolution-makers have infrequent success, and 8% fail altogether. Yet we hold onto the irrational belief that making grand New Year’s resolutions works. In our personal lives, we don’t have a lot to lose by deciding to improve ourselves. But in business, making grand, albeit well-meaning resolutions is bad news- especially in customer support, where best practices are set for a reason.
Resolutions are the Pits
Businesses simply have too many external factors that impact daily activities. These external factors are often ignored when companies make sweeping goals like “make every customer happy” and “make more money.” Chances are also pretty good that if you feel the need to make a business-minded New Year’s resolution, you should take a hard look at your existing practices.
After all, a New Year’s resolution is simply “cultural procrastination.” So rather than making big diagnoses of your customer support’s weak spots via broad resolution (two common New Year’s resolution pitfalls), reflect on why you feel the need to change.
What do you seek to change?
Now that I’ve sufficiently poopooed resolutions, you shouldn’t want to make them. Right? Well for many, January marks the beginning of a new business quarter and fiscal year. That said, it makes sense to make adjustments to policy and practice according to predictions and past performance.
Good Resolution: decrease ticket resolution times
HappyFox can help your ticket resolution strategy with omnichannel support and customizable support levels. However, instead of simply decreasing resolution times, look at the cause of long wait times. Is the long wait time in itself the problem, or is it a symptom of some bigger issue?
Consider:
- Are your support levels reasonable?
- Are your channels integrated?
- Do you have adequate self-help resources?
These factors may contribute to long ticket resolution times more than just having unenthusiastic support staff (though this is possible too).
Dangerous resolution: reduce customer support costs
Resolutions like this fail to see that customer support is a cost of maintaining your best customers. It’s not an expense, it’s an investment. Poor customer support kills companies. Good customer support increases your chance of retention, and a 10% boost in retention equals a 30% increase in the valuation of your company.
If you’re looking to save money without cutting corners, look at HappyFox’s customer support solutions.
Follow Best Practices
If you feel the need to make a resolution for your business that necessitates a large cultural or procedural shift, you should take a breath and consider the implications. Better yet, be certain that your resolutions (should you still choose to make them) are consistent with industry best practices and your best interests.
Above all, avoid making hasty decisions.
If you choose to make customer support resolutions in 2016, make them good ones. Make them agree with your business strategy and best practices. Make them with the customer at the heart of your decision. Make this year a good one!
Happy 2016 from all of us at HappyFox!
