Imagine you need to get your engine fixed (which is easy if you sell VSCs or use VSC management software to fulfill claims).
Who would you want to do the repairs: A mechanic fresh out of trade school or the person who designed the engine itself?
The answer is obvious. Then why does practically every industry — from e-commerce to telecom to insurance — use a CRM technical support process that looks like this?
It’s a logical process… if it works. The problem word there is “if.” The more people who get involved, the more likely the issue gets lost in a technological game of telephone.
Or worse, lost in general.
Inline CRM Uses Developer-First Support
There’s a big difference between reading from a script to resolve an issue (no, not a script to sell extended warranties) and writing the code needed to solve it.
“We put each team member on the frontlines to solve client issues faster and more effectively.”
Marcy Johnson – Vice President of Operations and Client Management
That’s why we designed our service protocol to not only look different but operate better.
Not only does our process cut the number of people involved by 33%, it subtracts 40% of the steps needed for a resolution.
Most importantly:
Developer-led tickets are typically resolved within 39 hours after assignment.
But what does “resolved” mean, exactly?
“We only close tickets if our clients say they’re happy with the outcome.”
Justin Wilkerson – Principal & Sole Proprietor Inline Data Systems
As a result, only 5% of tickets are ever reopened — an incredibly low rate for the CRM industry.
All Hands, All The Time
Before he was buying a yacht to store his other yacht, Jeff Bezos — yes, that Jeff Bezos — personally handled customer issues. Not only that, but he’d also email or hop on the phone with them.
While it may not carry quite the same prestige, we employ the same mentality. Depending on the issue, anyone and everyone is expected to fulfill a ticket that’s within their skill set, from configuring API connections to customizing a new sales or retention report.
At any given time (including weekends!) our Client Support Specialist or Senior Systems Engineer will reach out to clients to gather more specifics or walk through the solution.
And that same hands-on approach extends to our Owner.
“I don’t understand why clients are surprised I answer technical calls. I wrote a lot of Inline CRM’s code myself. I just want to do everything I can to make them happy.”
Justin Wilkerson
But there’s another reason for involving our higher-ups: constant improvement. When our engineers, developers and leadership hear from (and speak to) customers firsthand, they tighten their grip on what to improve.
“When I’m assigned a ticket, I feel personally responsible to take care of it. If multiple clients are submitting tickets for the same issue, that means there’s a root issue I need to find and solve.”
Ismail Akcaoglu – Senior Systems Engineer
Beyond fixing lags and debugging, our engineers can also recommend solutions that don’t require changing our code so much as refining your workflow.
When one of our clients was experiencing difficulties with a report, our Senior Software Developer explained that a quick call with our Software Training Specialist would be a better (not to mention permanent) solution for their goals.
Not only did our client hear directly from two of our team members, but we also taught them how to get the data they wanted while giving other impromptu suggestions — an outcome made possible by working 1:1 with our development team.
Not Your Average Customer Experience
When you have an issue, that affects your relationship with us. Because we take an engineer-led philosophy to technical support, you’ll notice:
- Faster resolutions
- Fixes that stick
- A rapidly updated extended warranty CRM
And we’ll treat you right before you become a client with a free 30-day, no obligation extended warranty CRM demo.
