How Online Communities Improve Customer Support
Customer support communities have been around for years, proving to be a successful strategy for many companies. The reason is simple: a well-executed, self-serve support option not only strengthens a company’s brand but also leads to better revenue and customer retention.
However, despite these benefits, many companies are still hesitant to implement such programs. Why is this the case?
To find out, Higher Logic Vanilla partnered with analyst firm Demand Metric and conducted a comprehensive study. We interviewed over 400 customers and 200 managers, leaders, and support professionals to discover the challenges and advantages of self-serve support strategies.
In this article, we’ll share our study’s findings and demonstrate how community support drives better results, translating into higher profits and customer loyalty.
The Benefits of Customer Support Communities
Customers Want to Help and Be Helped by Each Other
Traditional customer support methods can be frustrating—waiting on hold, navigating endless computerized prompts, and receiving delayed email responses. Today’s customers are understandably disillusioned with these outdated options.
Self-serve support communities offer a solution. These systems rely on customers helping each other with their questions. Why? Two key reasons: trust and convenience. Customers feel at ease knowing they are communicating with peers who have faced similar issues and found solutions.
A recent survey revealed that 56% of respondents who have used a customer community before stated that having a self-serve support option is a key factor when choosing a company’s products and services.
Contrary to initial concerns, implementing self-service support does not take anything away from the customer. Many companies use self-service support alongside traditional channels like phone and email. This provides an additional, immediate way to solve problems while enhancing the user experience and saving time and money for both the customer and the brand.
Customers Demand Better, Faster Support Options
Imagine waiting on hold for 45 minutes, only to be asked basic troubleshooting questions. It’s a common and frustrating experience.
Eventually you may get to something on the checklist tht actually helps, but how long does that take? In most cases, it isn’t until a customer is referred to higher levels of support that they find a solution to their problems.
Customer-driven support communities are different. By interacting with peers, customers can bypass the basic fixes and get straight to the root of the problem. They receive direct answers to their questions from someone who can say, “I have experienced this as well, and here’s how I fixed it.”
The Growing Trend of Community Support
Community support is a growing trend that should not be ignored. Roughly 16% of customers surveyed prefer to resolve issues themselves and will turn to social media or community-based support if it means avoiding the wait for an email response.
While traditional live support is still favored by 44% of users, the faster, more effective results of self-service support systems are likely to shift the balance, potentially overtaking live support use in the near future.
The Business Impact of Self-Serve Support
Positive customer experience lead to stronger customer loyalty. Companies that offer an effective and convenient form of community support gain up to 82% more insight from their customer base. This includes understanding the preferred support methods and how to improve these efforts long-term.
Additionally, self-service support reduces the strain on traditional customer support channels, allowing them to assist customers more effectively and with less stress.
Self-service support communities also bring together customers from around the world, providing valuable data on diverse customer groups without the need for additional research programs. This results in metrics up to 15 points higher than those of companies not using community-based support.
Self-service support communities also bring together customers from around the world, providing valuable data on diverse customer groups without the need for additional research programs. This results in metrics up to 15 points higher than those of companies not using community-based support.
Management Teams Embrace Community Support
Over half of all managers surveyed (54%) view these self-service support programs favorably.
The evidence is clear: rather than focusing on the “how,” managers are shifting their concerns away from cost and towards providing with the necessary support, regardless of the channel.
By offering quick and easy support options, management teams worldwide are seeing significant improvements in customer experiences, retention, loyalty, and revenue.
Overcoming Cost Concerns
Despite concerns about the effort and costs involved in creating and maintaining self-help channels, nearly one-third of companies surveyed do not offer self-help support. Let’s address these concerns.
Traditional support options are undeniably expensive. While companies strive to provide adequate live support, many must scale back due to costs. This scenario is especially problematic for software and tech companies. With so many products, versions, and updates, it’s almost impossible to assist all customers effectively, around the clock. Why not give them a free alternative that offers a better, faster resolution to their problems?
Customer feedback on this speaks loudly. They want to know: if I purchase your product or service, will support be there when I need it? Self-service community support makes it far easier and more attractive for your customers to go online and find a fast solution than to sit on hold on the phone when they should be walking the dog.
Investing in Community Support
Even “free” customer support options have initial and ongoing maintenance costs. Building an efficient self-serve customer community requires effort and resources. However, considering that customers will seek answers online anyway, it makes sense to facilitate their search.
Setting up a community support base takes time and money, but it’s a viable alternative to ineffective traditional support. Many managers now tout the financial benefits of community support. Here are three reported savings:
- Fewer channels of support necessary after implementation
- Fewer customer support representatives required
- Less monitoring and tracking of open tickets
Self-service support communities handle easily solvable problems, freeing up traditional support teams to focus on more complex issues. This is a win-win situation for everyone.
Self-Service Support Can Be Profitable
Self-service support pays for itself in customer loyalty and reduced strain on traditional support staff. But did you know it can also be profitable? Companies that give their customers a free, community-driven support system can then generate additional revenue by offering “premium level” expedited customer service coverage for a fee.
In a recent survey, 64% of corporate teams using self-serve support systems charge customers for higher-level service, with 40% charging a moderate amount or higher. Charging for premium support covers the costs of free support programs and can generate sufficient revenue to sustain themselves.
Does Self-Service Replace Traditional Support Staff?
No. The goal is to provide the best service and support options possible. Freeing up traditional support staff’s time means they can focus better on the customer. Happy support staff leads to better service and happier, more loyal customers.
Management teams are finding that dedicated support options thrive when offered alongside community-based support systems. Traditional customer service teams work more effectively, achieving even better results.
Building a Successful Community Support Program
Worried that customers won’t use the community support programs you create? Don’t be. As long as the programs are implemented correctly, they will be used. Over half of surveyed customers stated they were satisfied with their community-based support systems, and only 4% were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied. Nearly a quarter were very satisfied, leading to an overwhelming majority of happy customers using such programs.
Moreover, companies can generate additional revenue through paid support options once they’ve implemented a free community support program. Of those surveyed with a community program, 71% saw greater support-based revenues from paid options, compared to about 65% without community-based support.
Be the Best Community Possible
Customers demand reliable support systems that are there when they need them. They appreciate both free and affordable options, as well as different streams of support that are available around the clock. By making both forms of support convenient and affordable, if not free altogether, most customers who experience problems with a product or service are willing to seek help rather than abandon a brand completely.
Whether your customer prefers traditional live assistance or peer-based community support, simply making that support efficient and accessible wins the battle. Remember when most managers reported that they just wanted a support program to work for the customer, regardless of the channel? It turns out customers feel the same way.