subject: Extending Proactive Support to your Customers [print this page] Extending Proactive Support to your Customers
Everyone is familiar with the phrase that says prevention is always better than cure. Its applicability is, however, not limited to the medical field alone and holds equally true for technological field as well. It is always an added advantage to take precautionary steps in advance instead of waiting for things to take an unfavorable turn and then look for reactive support. Proactive support is offered by several companies that have established themselves in the field of IT and maintenance. Unfortunately not all service providers have such a system in place. Though some of them offer exceptional troubleshooting 24X7, there are others who lack this approach of preventive planning.
Businesses need to take a few factors into consideration before they succeed in offering proactive support to their customers. These include:
Invest in a good CRM tool: You can make some initial investment in a good CRM tool that would enable you take stock of multiple issues at a go. You can keep a track of everything right from complaints to inquiries.
Determine the metrics that need to be tracked: You need to figure out the metrics that need to be tracked. Some of them might even feed you with incorrect information by measuring false pointers such as login information.
Build up a Consistent Follow-up Schedule: Begin with a baseline schedule for keeping in touch with your customers through phone or emails. You need to plan the follow-up schedule depending on the feedback that you receive from your customers.
Monitor the trends: You must always remember the fact that each customer is different, that the requirement of each business is starkly different from that of another. But again, what you can analyze are the current trends. You can figure out the trends when you carefully study the data acquired from the metrics. You may end up being surprised at what you see from the data. Read more about Remote monitoring.
Refrain from Going Overboard: While proactive support certainly indicates been prepared for an impending disaster, it should never end up been irritating for the customer. You do not want your follow up system to be so aggressive as to end annoying the customer. Send reports only if you see that the service has been availed by the consumer.
Even though there might exist a thousand ways to impress your customer, nothing works better than direct communication or providing a customized solution. This way they can be assured of any assistance that they might need, even at odd hours.
