I’ve noticed a trend on pricing pages where a lot of companies are treating customer service like it’s a feature. The more comprehensive support you want, the more you’ll have to pay.
Here’s a typical example. Let’s say there are 3 plans: Free, Standard, and Professional. The support levels are then structured in a typical way.
| Plan | Support Level |
| Free | Community support |
| Standard | Email support |
| Professional | 9-5 phone support |
Some companies limit customer support to only the higher paid levels and, even then, it may only be email support. To be able to get somebody on the phone and actually talk to them is reserved for only the highest plans, if at all.
There are 2 reasons I can think of that every customer should have access to top-tier support.
1) Don’t give your customers the chance to get frustrated.
Be accessible. If they have a question or are confused about something, you want to make sure they get it straightened out as quickly as possible.
It’s frustrating when stuff doesn’t work. We’ve all experienced it, especially with software. When your customer gets frustrated with your product, it’s only a short time before they get frustrated and angry with you.
2) Jump at the chance to build a positive relationship with them.
Treat customer service as a marketing expense. Every interaction you have with your customer should be seen as an opportunity to build a better relationship. Even if they call to ask a simple, routine question that you get all the time, take advantage of the opportunity.
When the customer emails or calls you, they’ve already expressed an interest in your offering. You have their full attention. Don’t waste it.
Further reading:
- Adding a phone number to LessAccounting increased our paid user base - Allan Branch, Less Accounting
- ZenDesk gets +40% sales call volume by putting a phone number on home page, not contact page - Patrick McKenzie, at the Twilio conference
September 26, 2011 at 11:19 am
It isn’t easy deciding where to fall on the sales and support spectrum. Having dedicated sales and support staff available by phone 24/7 is almost always too costly, where as creating a completely no-touch sales and support process will most likely leave many customers frustrated.
Companies are better off not drawing attention to the cost of support and providing the same support across the board as opposed to letting the customer think 1) they don’t have access to the best support available because they’ve chosen a lower tier option, or 2) they are paying more for support than other customers even if they may never need it.
September 26, 2011 at 12:01 pm
That’s another good point. The Premium plan customers might feel they’re paying too much for your service if they never use the phone privileges included with their account.
October 17, 2011 at 11:51 am
Abstoluely first rate and copper-bottomed, gentlemen!