| Getting that coveted 5-star review requires companies to be on top of their game. But customer service was pretty rough for consumers during the peak of the pandemic, from long lines at grocery stores to hours spent on hold with airlines. Now that we’re (hopefully, maybe?) pulling out of this whole thing—there’s a new business opportunity: customer service training. More businesses are putting an added focus on creating a solid customer experience. A new report by HubSpot reveals an influx of companies looking to up their customer support training. They found that investing in customer service is smart: around 50% of respondents saw exponential growth while simultaneously training their support agents several times a month. The two biggest customer service challenges for agent-level respondents at both high- and low-growth companies were not having enough time in the day to address problems and dealing with upset customers. Consumers also want a more personalized experience. You know, fewer chatbots and endlessly pressing “0” in a desperate attempt to talk with an actual human. What’s more, customers expect more: 93% of customer service teams say customers have higher expectations than ever before. They also expect a response in minutes, not days—no pressure. So our team asked Candice, AppSumo’s Director of Customer Experience, “What advice would you give to a company looking to improve their customer support?” The answer? Invest in customer experience professionals! Candice says: “I've seen quite a few companies address Customer Support as a humanized help center, but that is not where their value lies. Build a help center to address your most common questions and build a support team that is well-versed in the intricacies of your product and your audience! Most anyone can answer an email; support professionals can diagnose issues (often before they're even communicated!), quickly and effectively communicate solutions with your customers, and suggest high-leverage developments to your product based on customer feedback.” | 