One of the areas where many online businesses consistently fall short is offering excellent customer support. This isn’t completely their fault. The expectations of customers have rapidly changed in the Internet era and there are a wide range of different software solutions that can help you to gain a stronger hold on the experience of your customers. Take these tips into consideration when you are looking at revamping your online customer support practices:

1. Invest in a Ticketing System

Trying to maintain excellent customer service practices through email is almost impossible. It is always a good idea to invest in a basic ticketing software so that you can better manage the requests for support that you receive. This will help you to not only manage requests, but also ensure that they are assigned to the person that is best suited to help them with their issue.

You may want to look into web-based solutions, because they allow you to access your support tickets while out of the office. Being able to quickly respond to support requests will provide a better experience for each customer and make them more likely to recommend your service to friends and associates.

2. Provide Resources for Common Questions

Any company that receives support requests on a regular basis eventually begins to notice that the same questions are being asked repeatedly. It’s just something that all businesses have to deal with. Instead of wasting your time going through each of these requests and answering them, try to create resources or resolve the problem internally. A simple FAQ page can be a great way for you to address common questions and limit the number of support requests that you receive on a daily basis, freeing up your support staff’s time to address more pressing issues.  (A FAQ page is also great for SEO ie. getting found on search engines – but that’s another blog post for another time. )

3. Accept Requests Through Multiple Channels

The truth is that we do not have a lot of control over where complaints and support requests come. Whether your customers reach out to you through email, Twitter, Facebook, or through your actual support ticket system – you must be equipped to deal with these issues. Remember, support requests that are issued on a public social network can be seen by prospective customers. Making them wait for service in those situations is never a good idea. Try to find a software solution that will provide you with multiple channel compatibility when dealing with support requests.

4. Be Personable, Not Robotic

No one likes to feel like they are talking to a robot. Far too many companies try to automate portions