{"id":225339,"date":"2024-05-21T09:15:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-21T13:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.sap.com\/?p=225339"},"modified":"2024-08-12T15:12:49","modified_gmt":"2024-08-12T19:12:49","slug":"retaining-customers-through-support-experience-and-efficiency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.sap.com\/2024\/05\/retaining-customers-through-support-experience-and-efficiency\/","title":{"rendered":"Retaining Customers Through Support Experience and Efficiency"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A smooth support experience and efficient support teams work together to delight and retain customers when it comes to customer support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Customer Support at ·θΕΔ΄«Γ½: Where Artificial Intelligence Meets Application Integration<\/div><\/div>
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Read part one of the interview<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Stefan Steinle, executive vice president and head of Customer Support, ·θΕΔ΄«Γ½ SE, shares more about how the Customer Support organization at ·θΕΔ΄«Γ½ is harnessing artificial intelligence (AI)<\/a> to help bring innovative improvements and deliver value to businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: What are your views on the idea that businesses need to look beyond the customer to deliver outstanding customer support?<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A: <\/strong>Customer support is a differentiating factor in the success of any business, as it directly impacts customer satisfaction and in turn customer retention.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the primary role of customer support is to fix customer issues promptly and effectively, it is equally important to address the needs of support engineers. I would even go one step further and say that customer support is not just about customers. Yes, you heard that right. It may seem counterintuitive, but there\u2019s another side to the story of retaining customers. The customer’s support experience and the engineer’s support efficiency are two sides of the same coin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Support engineers are responsible for resolving complex issues and ensuring customer satisfaction. They are the first line of defense in protecting the company\u2019s reputation. By investing in the well-being of support engineers, customer support can significantly elevate the customer support experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: What constitutes a great support experience for customers?<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A: <\/strong>I can\u2019t emphasize this enough: customers love self-help. They find satisfaction in testing workarounds, playing around with tips and tricks, and arriving at a solution without raising a ticket. What does this mean for us? It is our job to provide comprehensive ·θΕΔ΄«Γ½ Knowledge Base Articles, guided tutorials, and other self-service options. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next, we need to accept that customer preferences are diverse. Not everybody has the same choice when it comes to interacting with support teams. Some like tickets, some prefer live agents to bots, and some like talking on the phone. We address this by offering multichannel support. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Time is always a huge factor in a customer\u2019s support experience. Maybe the issue they are facing is a minor speedbump or a major showstopper. Our job is to get them back on track. This includes personalization and the sharing of engagement history across support channels, to help ensure the customer is not forced to repeat its complaint at every desk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are many more, but if you asked me to pick one \u2013 I would think proactively addressing customers\u2019 issues, even before they realize there is a problem, constitutes a great support experience.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get AI-powered services and support resources, whenever you need our assistance<\/div><\/div>
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Learn more<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Q: What can improve support efficiency among support teams and engineers?<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A: <\/strong>Any business that takes pride in offering exceptional customer support would address three areas and ask the following questions to ensure that their support teams are fully empowered:  <\/p>\n\n\n\n