If you have built out your FileMaker product and are ready to sell it to your target users, there is one step you need to do before you start: You need to decide how you will handle software support questions.
As soon as you release your new software to the world, you will get users, prospects, or customers, who will need help with it. It could be with installation or usage. It could be something which is universally experienced by all your users. Or it could be something which is specific just to one user because of his/her particular OS and computer setup. But you will need to be prepared to handle it in some way.
It all comes down to customer service. Now, I know that some businesses consider the software support to be a necessary evil which costs them money. They view customer support issues as a drain on their support staff and their engineers. But it does not need to be viewed in that way. There are some definite advantages to having a great support system for your software.
Here is a list of ways in which you can turn those support calls into money-making opportunities for your growing software business, all with the handy acronym for SERVICE:
Satisfaction
A satisfied customer is a happy customer. You will get a higher percentage of long-term customers from referrals rather than from anywhere else. If you can keep them happy, you can keep them forever. Take care of their support needs and they are yours forever.
Engagement
The greatest danger to the growth of your business is previous customers who forget about you. If you can stay engaged with your customers on a regular basis, they will remain yours. But if you ignore them, they can drift away and be snatched up by the competition. So if they are contacting you and complaining about something, while not ideal, that is actually better than totally ignoring you. So keep them engaged and meet their needs.
Revenue
There are many times that although service and support for previous work may be pro bono, or free, it can lead to new work. And new work means new revenue.
Value
The value of your product is not just the cost of the software or service or product the first time they make payment. But value comes from everything associated with your product or service. So when you provide good service and support, you are improving the perceived value of that product or service in their eyes. This increases their willingness to continue to work with you in the future.
Insight
One thing which you can never get on your own is insight into what it is like for a first-time customer to use your product. When you begin to see the world and your application through their eyes, you are on your way to making a fabulous product which is loved by all. This aspect of UX is tremendously important. So when a customer contacts you about your FileMaker application and explains why this or that doesn’t quite work the way it should, that is pure gold for you! Listen and learn, because they are giving you Insight which you otherwise would not have.
Customers
Good service leads to long-term customers. Don’t ever forget that truth. Service is not a drain; it is an investment in the future.
Excellence
Excellence is its own reward. But if you need additional reasons why you shouldn’t do a half-hearted job, just realize that you like excellent service, and so do your customers. They are just like you. If you like to see things done with excellence, know that so do they. Plus when you pursue something with excellence, you feel better about yourself.
So there you have it; seven reasons why S.E.R.V.I.C.E. is the name of the game for having an excellent FileMaker application which you can sell to many more customers than you otherwise would have done. SERVICE is what can separate you from the competition. SERVICE helps your customers to love you and stay with you forever. Good SERVICE means a good product, and a good product will keep your customers with you for life.