In a digital-first world, too many companies continue to rely on NPS, CES, and CSAT surveys as the primary source for customer insights. Companies must develop a robust capability to collect, analyze, and act on customer insights. The use of post Support and Customer Success transaction surveys to gather satisfaction or Net Promoter scores are common. Although widely used they seldom tell us much about true customer sentiments or suggest customer intent. A customer that indicates positive sentiment still may be at risk of churning. To gain rich customer insights you must expand your data gathe ..read more

Happy New Year! You are likely well into your planning process for 2024, but it is never too late to take a step back and ask if you are focusing on all the right things. Before getting swamped in daily tasks, let’s explore five pivotal New Year’s resolutions for Support that can redefine your approach. 1. Prioritize Adoption and Accelerate Value Delivery In the whirlwind of managing support demands, the core purpose can blur — aiding customers in leveraging your product for their success. Quick, comprehensive support responses are vital in facilitating customer adoption and value realization ..read more

AI is exciting and the slate of new and updated tools hitting the market is impressive.  But what comes first, selecting an AI platform, or developing uses cases. If you have an AI platform, chances are you will find use cases it can support. If you are searching for an AI platform – start by thinking about all the things you want to do – then find the right match. Developing uses cases helps you find the right AI vendor capable of meeting your needs. Need guidance on developing AI uses cases, check out AI for Support: Use Cases, Risks and Quick Wins. The post AI Platform Selection ..read more

The relationship between Support’s efforts and business outcomes is connected by the Support Contribution Value Chain. The Support Contribution Value Chain The Support Contribution Value Chain establishes a direct link between the level of effort Support expends helping customers and the benefits the business realizes. There are four elements of the Support Contribution Value Chain. Support Effort – The time and effort allocated by your Support team to help customers. Support Impact – Support resolves problems, removes barriers to product use, and provides “how-to” instructions. Customer Val ..read more

Lack of content to address a customer issue is the most common reason for underperformance of self-services. The Deflection Gap Customers use self-services, yet too often, resolution of issues remains elusive. ServiceXRG defines this underperformance of self-service resources as the Deflection Gap. The Deflection Gap is the difference between the Usage Rate of self-service resources and the Resolution Rate of issues solved without direct support from assisted resources. There are three primary reasons for the Deflection Gap: Lack of Content. Customer Comprehension of Content found. Lack of ..read more

Your current slate of metrics may not tell you everything you need to know. Here are new Support metrics to provide greater insight into the efficiency and effectiveness of your Support team. Perhaps the last thing we need is more Support metrics, but this article introduces 14 new Support metrics to consider for the new year.  The list is in alphabetical order as no one metric is presented as more important than another. BACKLOG – The percentage of cases not closed at first customer contact or within 24 hours or other designed timeframe. BACKLOG AGE – The average days open for backlog ca ..read more

AI enabled tools and platforms offer the potential to leverage unstructured digital information to improve customer experiences and drive business outcomes. AI is not a silver bullet, but it is a useful tool when applied to the right use cases. This article introduces an approach for selecting AI use cases and balancing risks and rewards. ServiceXRG defines and presents 20 possible AI for Support use cases. The dimensions for choosing which use cases to consider are described in detail following the figure. Use Case Dimensions: Customer Facing vs. Internal AI-enabled tools can be provided to ..read more

Nov 1, 2023, 9:00 – 10:00 AM (PST) REGISTER HERE Support Driven is hosting a fireside chat event for Metrics and we’d love for you to join us! In 60 minutes, this virtual event will cover: Business & Strategy Metrics: Dive into the essential KPIs for future success, aligning strategic objectives with metrics, and the pivotal role of financial metrics in shaping your company’s course. Tech & Innovation Metrics: Embark on a journey through the metrics that fuel innovation and competitiveness, measuring the effectiveness of your R&D investments, and assessing the impact of cutting-ed ..read more

The Deflection Gap The Deflection Gap is the difference between the Usage Rate of self-service resources and the Resolution Rate of issues solved without direct support from assisted resources. The Deflection Gap serves as the best indicator of the effectiveness of your self-service initiatives. If you have a high deflection gap – your self-help services are underperforming. A Deflection Gap can be caused by three primary factors.   Content Often, the content required to answer questions either does not exist, cannot be found, or is incomplete. This is the most common reason for the ..read more

Are your self-service initiatives reaching their full potential? Self-help use is rising yet only 22% of support cases are fully resolved. Reducing the deflection gap is vital to self-help success, here’s how. Self-service initiatives are the foundation many companies rely on to scale support efficiently. However, despite the widespread adoption of self-service channels, there is a significant “Deflection Gap” that needs to be overcome to maximize its impact. Understanding the Deflection Gap The Deflection Gap is the difference between the Usage Rate of self-service resources and the Resolutio ..read more