Discovery Callback Type Support Requests Trial
Request for comments
Approach
I have been considering trialing a "request a discovery call" type workflow for customer support issues in which customers could request a 15-30 minute call to be scheduled in order to demonstrate their issue, have an engineer help collect troubleshooting data, and then disconnect to take things back to the case async.
The flow would be to have a customer select an option like the following when opening a new support request case:
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I would like a 15-30 minute discovery call to help describe my issue and collect troubleshooting data
There would be an automation to send a reply with a calendly round robin link to the requestor to schedule that session. And the case would be routed to the engineer who was assigned the discovery session. Scrapping the automation idea based on feedback. Instead we'll make an internal note visible to the assignee and they would be responsible for sending the calendly link manually as part of their first response.
Needs
In many situations, customers often struggle to accurately describe their issues and collect the necessary and relevant troubleshooting information that is helpful to resolve those issues. This leads to confusion, delays, and in many cases, frustration with the support process.
We have also heard from customers that there is a lot of back and forth which could be negated by a simple and quick synchronous session.
Benefits
- Customers are able to have their issues accurately described and relevant data collected during the call which reduces back and forth emails/time
- Engineers would have a clearly scoped time window to gather info, understand the issue, and then disengage without pressure to resolve an issue in the call
- Customers would feel their issue is heard more effectively and be able to understand next steps
- Engineers are able to provide clear expectations right from the beginning of a case
Competition / Alternatives
- We continue to only provide calls at the discretion of a support engineer