Running customer support with a small team

Get every request into one queue

Requests arrive by email, phone, text and in passing conversation. If each one lives somewhere different, some will be forgotten. Pick one place where every request is logged as a ticket, even the ones taken by phone.

Many businesses use a dedicated support email address that turns each new email into a ticket. NovaSoft One does this with email-to-ticket routing once a supported Google or Microsoft mailbox is connected.

Give every ticket an owner and a priority

• Owner: one person responsible for the next reply.
• Priority: urgent, normal or low, with agreed definitions.
• Status: new, waiting on us, waiting on the customer, resolved.

Agree response targets

Customers mostly want to know they’ve been heard and when they’ll hear more. Set a first-response target and a resolution target for each priority, and make overdue tickets obvious. See setting targets you can keep.

Keep replies and internal notes separate

Your team needs a place to discuss a ticket privately: “Check with Jo whether the part has arrived.” The customer should only see the replies meant for them. A help desk that keeps the two apart prevents embarrassing mistakes.

Answer common questions once

Write up answers to the questions you get every week, both as saved replies for staff and, where it suits, as articles customers can read themselves. See building a small knowledge base.

Writing support replies customers like

• Use the customer’s name and acknowledge the problem.
• Say what you have done or will do next, and when.
• Avoid jargon and internal codes.
• If it is your mistake, say so and say how you will fix it.
• End by confirming whether anything else is needed.

Hi Jo, thanks for letting us know the invoice showed the wrong address. I’ve corrected it and attached the updated copy. Sorry for the hassle. Let me know if anything else needs changing.

Measuring support without a big team

Three numbers tell most of the story: how many tickets came in, how quickly you first responded and how many are still open. Look at them weekly. If open tickets keep growing, you have a capacity problem or a recurring issue worth fixing at its source.

Handling complaints

A complaint handled well can strengthen a relationship. Listen, acknowledge the problem, say what you will do and when, and follow through. Record the complaint and the outcome on the customer’s record. Look for patterns: repeated complaints about the same thing point to a process worth fixing.

Support during busy periods

Every business has peaks: end of financial year, the run-up to Christmas, the first week after a product change. Plan for them. Prepare saved replies for the questions you expect, roster extra cover and tell customers if responses will be slower. A short note on your website or in your email signature sets expectations and reduces chasers.

Quick checklist

• Log every request as a ticket, including phone calls.
• Give every ticket an owner, priority and status.
• Set first-response and resolution targets.
• Keep internal notes separate from customer replies.
• Save replies for your most common questions.
• Review open tickets and response times weekly.
• Look for recurring problems and fix them at the source.

Connect support to the rest of the relationship

A support request is easier to handle when you can see the customer’s history: what they bought, open quotes, recent jobs. NovaSoft One’s service desk sits on the same customer records as your sales and projects, and is included from the Starter plan.

Common questions

This guide is general information for Australian businesses, not legal, tax or financial advice. Check anything specific to your situation with a qualified adviser or the relevant government agency.