Phone support vs. email support in your college business
Sometimes, your customers will have comments and complaints: their product doesn’t work the way it says in the manual, or they’re missing a piece. They may also have questions: what is that pretty red button for? Do you have phone or email support?
You have to ask yourself: will my business be better off with email support, phone support, or a mixture of both?
Think of affordability. Quality service means that you get it done at an affordable price. If you only sell in the state of California and you don’t have to take international orders, then it would reasonable for you to provide phone support. If, on the other hand, you’re a blogger working for sites in Europe or Asia, you may want to stick to email support instead of taking and making long distance phone calls to your clients.
Think of how much any of these services can help. Are you customers having complicated, technical problems that cannot easily be answered via email? Is anybody actually asking to call you regarding their problems? You have to consider all these into the equation. You may want to offer phone support as a last resort, especially if 90% or more of all your issues are resolved via email.
Think of your competition. Unfortunately, some people trust certain kinds of businesses more when they see a number they can easily call for inquiries and troubleshooting. They may have certain expectations –especially if you’re involved in a business where phone support is the norm.
Think of your business’ competence in handling either service. Do you have the time, staff, and money to answer phone calls? The advantage of email is that it is cheap and convenient. You can answer customer’s questions between classes or after football practice. You can also easily filter out what is important (the root of the issue) from what is not (cussing and unnecessary bull).
Your college business needs happy customers to stay afloat. Though it may have been grown inside your dorm room, you will notice that you have to provide some form of support to answer your customers’ immediate needs. Technology provides you with choices that you have to tailor-fit to your business: phone, email or a mixture of both.
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