How shocking is it to find out about a feature because a customer reached out and asked Support how it worked?
Is your Support team finding out about product launches from customers?
If this feels too familiar, and maybe a little triggering, I want you to read this.
Most people at your company don’t have bad intentions. You just have bad communication.
And, it might not be them. It might actually be you.
I can say this because it was me.
During a company wide meeting, PMs were demonstrating new features they released that day and I was fuming.
Then a non-Support person sitting next to me said,
What are you going to do about it besides complain?
This truly snapped me out of the reactive and positioned me into a proactive state.
Product teams are under a lot of pressure trying to meet c-level and investor expectations.
So, if you’re in Support or CX, you should reach out to Product, not wait for them to reach out to you.
Think about how you can provide value to help guide product decisions. Show other departments the value that CX can provide.
I’ve heard, “It’s not that easy. They don’t have the time to talk to us.”
Trust me, I’ve been there. But, you can’t retain customers if they don’t trust your company. Support needs to start the conversation with Product.
Here’s what you can do to start the proactive conversation with Product.
- Schedule time to discuss the product roadmap so you can find out features or fixes that are being worked on over the next weeks or months.
- Ask them what customer data would help guide these adjustments.
- Deliver on numbers and actual customer comments.
This is valuable before Engineers starts developing it. And now, you’re in the loop before the launch.
I matched each of the 4 Product Managers with a Senior Support Lead, and my team would mine data to uncover customer feedback that the PM didn’t know they needed.
Customer feedback is valuable.
The voice of the customer provides different perspectives for the company.
Support is the customer gatekeeper with the key.
It’s up to you to unlock the voice of the customer so you have a seat at the Product table. Changing the way Product and Support work together takes time. If you’re watching this, I know you want to see a change. Be persistent and develop your company’s voice of the customer.
If you found this helpful, share it with your team.
If you’re struggling to reduce customer volume, connect with me. You don’t have to do this alone.
Have a great day and a productive week!
