Did you know that 96% of customers will leave a business due to poor service? Today’s broadband and telecom customers expect everything to be instantly at their fingertips – and the expectation of access to immediate, reliable customer support is no exception.
But how can your company provide the 24/7 exceptional support your customers demand? One key way to provide the top-tier service customers want is with the right customer app support. In 2023, in-app support has become a critical factor for success in the broadband and telecom industries.
If your business isn’t already using customer app support, it’s leaving money (and the opportunity to reduce customer churn) on the table. But it’s also not enough to have an app. To get customers using and raving about your technical support, you need to create a top-tier experience.
Below, we discuss what features customer support apps typically include, how support apps positively impact your business and how to create the best customer support app experience for your customers.
What do customer support apps typically include?
Customer support apps are a central hub for your customer base. These apps allow customers to seek answers to common questions about devices or software, update or manage subscriptions, make payments and even shop for new products.
But it’s not enough just to have an app. You need customers to be active users. And to do that, you need to offer the best app customer service possible.
Why it’s important for businesses to provide the best app support
App support is becoming a non-negotiable for broadband and telecom businesses. Here are a few reasons your company should aim to provide the best app support.
Reduce unnecessary calls to your contact center
Without quick and easy access to reliable information, customers may be forced to direct even the simplest of tech inquiries to your contact center agents. This can increase contact center wait times and frustration. Redirecting customers to reliable customer app support can provide significant cost savings for your business.
In addition, reducing unnecessary support calls frees up your agents' queues to deal with more urgent or complex requests. After implementing Ozmo’s app support solution, agents at a tier-one operator were able to send over 25,000 app answers to customers via SMS or email, which was more efficient than handling every request over the phone. This resulted in significant savings in terms of time and money.
Customers prefer self-serve options
Did you know that Gen Z has more than $360 billion in spending power? Companies must be prepared to adapt their support options to meet this generation’s wants and desires.
Gen Zers aren’t fans of waiting on the phone to speak with an agent. In fact, a survey found that nearly a third of Gen Zers cited not being able to find reliable information online as a marker of bad customer service.
But they aren’t alone in their desire for quick and easy access to customer support. The same survey found that millennials want to be able to access support immediately. These tech-savvy generations aren’t going to be happy with being another number in an agent’s very long queue.
Self-serve solutions such as an app can meet Gen Zers’ and millennials’ needs for fast and reliable tech support. With the growing demand for instant support, the importance of self-serve options like app support can’t be overstated.
Customer app support promotes digital adoption
A key part of reducing unnecessary spending in customer support is reducing contact center call volume, and customer app support plays a fundamental part in that. Access to dependable, updated information lets customers skip the frustration of scouring the internet and empowers them to resolve their tech support inquiries independently.
Contact center solutions allow agents to send answers directly from the app to the customer to help modify customer behavior. This will help rewire the customer to seek out self-serve solutions first before calling your contact center.
Driving digital adoption doesn’t just save you money, either. It also improves your net promoter score (NPS), reduces customer churn and increases customer satisfaction.
What is needed to provide the best app support software?
So now that you know why your business needs to provide in-app customer support, how do you improve it? Below are a few ways to provide an exceptional customer app support experience for customers.
Provide clear self-serve resources for customers
More customers prefer to use self-serve options instead of speaking with an agent. However, that doesn’t mean they’ll want to read online manuals that are a wall of text, or ones that are full of confusing, technical jargon.
Self-serve resources should be clear and provide easy-to-follow instructions. In addition, consider adding step-by-step interactive tutorials. It’s one thing to describe how to activate cellular network settings, but it’s much easier to follow along with a tutorial that shows you which buttons to click and where to find them.
Quality self-serve customer service is interactive, visual and optimized for learning. When you’re choosing a self-serve solution, it’s important to also ensure that it’s accessible.
One in four people have a disability. If your company doesn’t have accessible self-serve options, you may unintentionally exclude 25% of your customer base from the assistance they need. To make your self-serve content accessible to everyone, regardless of ability, look for products that are WCAG 2.0 AA compliant.
Make sure all support resources are always available and up-to-date
To reap the benefits of customer app support, you need to ensure customers actually use the app. However, if your tutorials have outdated information, that will hinder digital adoption among your customer base.
The world of technology changes fast. Customers are constantly upgrading to the latest smartphones or tablets. Even when they do have the same tablet, companies will release multiple software updates in one year. So how can your company’s customer app support keep up?
To provide an optimal experience with your app, you need to make sure your tutorials and answers to common technical support questions update dynamically. That way, your app can continue to guide customers through resolving their tech issues independently. This eliminates frustration caused by outdated information that doesn’t match their current device or software version.
When customers can find accurate, up-to-date answers to their pressing tech questions, they’re more likely to remain loyal to their provider. In addition, they’re also more likely to bundle additional services, which provides your business with unique up-selling or cross-selling opportunities.
Exceptional app support is critical for business success
Your customers' experience with technical support can make all the difference between them sticking with your company, or jumping to a competitor. Customer expectations are changing rapidly, and companies must pivot quickly to keep up.
As more customers prefer self-serve customer service options, customer app support has become a critical factor in business success. These apps act as a home base for customers to search for answers to their pressing questions as well as manage their payments and subscriptions all from one place.
The use of apps has numerous benefits for businesses as well. When done right, customer support apps can help businesses increase digital adoption among customers, reduce call volume at contact centers and improve customer retention.
To reap the benefits of customer app support, companies should curate an app experience that engages customers. Therefore, it’s critical to ensure that customer app support is always current, accessible and provides straightforward answers to help customers navigate even their most complex technical issues.
By taking the time to prioritize high-quality customer app support, your company can boost its NPS score and stand out among a sea of competitors.
Are you looking for customer app support that saves money and helps build brand loyalty? Learn more about how Ozmo’s My Account app can help you meet your business goals. Download the free case study today!
