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Regardless of a software company's size, they
must provide support for the products they sell.
But providing support is often viewed as time-consuming,
and it does not always add to profits.
How can MicroISV's make the most of the software
support they provide? Here are a few ways...
Incident Tracking & Analysis
It is important that software support issues and
requests be tracked and analyzed. Tracking will
help you better understand the issues and problems
that your customers encounter. Here are a few
things that should be tracked for later analysis...
a. Volume Of Queries
The volume and nature of support phone calls and
emails should be tracked. If you see a sharp increase
or decrease, that could be an indication of a
larger change, such as the possible loss of important
search ranking for important keyword phrases,
or a false-positive resulting from a new release
of an anti-virus product.
b. Trends
Phone calls should be analyzed for any recurring
trends or patterns. Trends will help indicate
areas that need to be improved. For example, if
a significant percentage of the calls relate to
installation issues and problems, then the developers
may want to focus their attention on improving
the installation process. Likewise, if a large
number of calls relate to problems finding or
using a specific program feature or function,
then it might be time to implement a wizard, or
more intuitive menu options, or improved documentation
and content-sensitive help.
c. Feature Requests
Customer requests for specific software features
should be tracked. Customers are the best source
for software enhancement ideas. And if the same
requests keep coming in from a significant number
of customers, it might be time to consider implementing
those features. Keep track of all those requests
for later review and analysis!
d. Statistics
Statistics which detail the volume of queries
received and their response time can be beneficial.
Average response times should be fairly consistent,
so if you see significant changes, be sure to
investigate.
e. Bugs
Support queries may lead to the discovery of software
bugs, and having your customers make you aware
of them can be helpful in getting those important
updates and bug-fixes released more quickly.
f. Insight Into Niche Markets
Customer phone calls can often lead to a better
understanding of how your software can be used
in a specific niche. And that may even make you
aware of new sales and marketing opportunities
in a niche that you had not previously considered.
Triage Issues
Highly-qualified developers should not be dealing
with basic customer service and support issues
like "I lost my registration key" or "Do you have
a version for Mac/Vista/etc?" Implement a system
to "triage" support requests, so that experienced
and highly-paid developers are not spending their
time responding to basic issues that can be handled
easily by other customer service staffers.
Cost & Automation
Providing ongoing technical support can be a significant
expense to a small software company. There are
ways to minimize the expense by using automation
and implementing effective technology solutions.
In addition to robust and thorough documentation,
consider implementing the following...
a. Common Answers
Create a list of pre-written answers to common
and recurring questions, and use them with a macro
program like Macro Scheduler or TypePilot. When
such a query is received via email, the appropriate
"canned answer" can be entered, and customized
if necessary, with just a few key strokes. And,
those same answers can be used for support questions
by telephone as well.
b. Forums
Forums can be a great way to reduce the software
support burden. If an application has an active
user base, let your more-experienced users help
other customers.
c. FAQ
Create a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ),
and include a link to the FAQ list when you send
an order confirmation. That way, customers can
refer to the list and possibly resolve their problems
prior to needing any tech support at all.
d. Searchable Knowledgebase
Providing a searchable knowledgeably can also
help to reduce technical support queries, because
it will allow users a way to find their own answers,
and at their own convenience.
e. Video Demos
Create video demonstrations that provide a visual
explanation of how specific features work. Many
people can learn better, faster, and easier from
videos and images rather than having to read text.
f. Built-In Wizards
Use wizards within the software to assist first-time
users with basic functionality.
g. Content-Sensitive Help
Include content-sensitive help in the software,
so that customers need only click an icon for
assistance with that feature.
h. Web-Based Help
Include a web-based help file. Customers may prefer
to navigate their way through a new application
using the documentation. Provide the help file
in a variety of formats for their convenience.
MicroISVs can learn a lot from their customers
and their support queries, so support should not
be viewed as an non-beneficial burden.
MicroISVs need to find a balance, so they are
still engaging their customers while streamlining
the more common support requests.
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