Ask HN: great resources about customer service

5 pointsdavidw2 comments

I am looking for advice on how to up my game in terms of customer service/support for a micro-startup. In other words, if it's advice for big companies with lots of resources, it may, or may not be relevant. I'm looking for books/sites/whatever on how to deliver the best possible support on a very tight budget, and how to "institutionalize" it in the sense of training people up in a system.

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Mixpanel, Userfox, Customer.io, Intercom.io, Help Scout, Desk.com, Olark, and UserVoice are all tools that come to mind. It comes down to preference a bit. The engagement features in Mixpanel are probably my favorite for setting up drip email campaigns and it's a really great analytics tool to start with. I'm of the opinion that great customer service begins with understanding the customer and how they're using your product.

For books, I've heard really good things about "Delivering Happiness." I'm a fan of Seth Godin as well, but he writes more about marketing. I think the ideas translate fairly well though.

Most important point: answer FAST. When you get an email (and ALWAYS get emails, have your phone on you), answer immediately. Then follow up later. Speedy responses will make you look awesome.

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