Customer Service – More Relevant to Cloud Apps?

Clint Boulton in eWeek cites the 10 Reasons why he believes Google won’t beat Microsoft in the online apps race. Regardless of where you land on the topic of who will top whom, one theme that struck a chord with me was #8: Customer Service.

Boulton highlights a single incident in which a customer has a sub-par customer support experience (who hasn't had one?) and argues that the firm which best supports the customer will have an advantage.

I agree, but maybe for different reasons.

Winning Cloud App companies provide service and support that goes far beyond helping a people navigate help topics.

One common misconception? Customer service is all about efficiently answering how-to questions.  Sure, that's a reality, but for many SaaS providers, email and phone correspondence is the channel through which the customer's frustrations, joys, and incredible ideas are heard.  Long gone are the days in which consulting teams learn about customers by sitting shoulder to shoulder implementing on-premise enterprise applications.  Service is now the hub.

Five benefits to SaaS companies who make service and customer engagement a priority:

• Support reduces the cost of future support - Encourage your team to listen for what is driving customers nuts.  Then kill those problems...quickly. Sounds easy, but it requires continuous focus.  Tip: Invite front line team members to feature prioritization and design meetings. 
• Great support experiences generate new sales - Smartsheet, like many modern software companies, offers a free trial of its online project management service.  A prospective customer's first, and possibly only, interaction during a trial might be when providing feedback or asking a support question.  Seize the opportunity, ask questions and help them understand how they can apply your solution to their situation.
• Adrenaline shots to employee morale - "That is seriously the most awesome thing that has ever happened to me in terms of customer support. Are you serious? You guys are my heroes." or "We are evaluating your product for our Project Management needs.  First let me start by saying that this program is pretty amazing." Exceptional support produces comments like these.  We frequently email these to the Smartsheet company alias...and quite often hear a hoot and a holler seconds later.
• Make life difficult for the competition by being great - No need to resort to black hat tactics to trump your competition.  Put some of your best and brightest in customer engagement roles and leave the competitor with the outsourced or junior helpdesk in the dust.
• Satisfied SaaS customers are socially aware - Folks who use online apps are very often socially connected and active with Twitter, Facebook, or blogs. Give them a reason to spread the word!     
  

As for who will win the Cloud Apps battle between Microsoft and Google?  I can't predict the future, but I can say that Google is by no means turning a blind eye to engaging with its customers.  Remember late last year when Google snapped up Don Dodge after he was let go from Microsoft?  For the thousands of people who had interacted with Don during his time at Microsoft, it was a sign that Google is very serious and recognizes the value of staying connected with the field.

-Mark