A Startup Should Learn From Microsoft When It Comes To Customer Support

I never thought I’d be writing these words!

Long-story-short, I’m the frustrated customer of a prominent startup right now. They have smart people, but they have a culture problem and they have a process problem.

Culture problem: customer success using the product IS the product. This is missing.

Process problem: a customer problem isn’t resolved until it is resolved in the customer’s perspective. A basic customer support process:

• Ensures that the problem is understood from the customer’s perspective — including the requirements placed on a solution to the problem,
• Keeps problems from being dropped altogether,
• Keeps problems from being stalled (there is always a next step and a due date).

I can go on until we have a fine point here, but there is no need — the startup isn’t even getting these three right. Despite having some very bright and energetic people.

Enter Microsoft

I had a problem with Outlook (Office365). I call the support line, and I was able to get a human on the phone right away. The support engineer was NOT the sharpest tool in the shed. But Microsoft had a process.

It took an hour (not kidding) for me to communicate the problem. I had to try many times (see the bit about tool sharpness). When the support engineer couldn’t solve the problem, he initiated his internal escalation process. After he had a proposed solution, he called me back (repeatedly) until I (a) answered my phone, (b) tried his proposed solution, and (c) let him know that it was working for me.

The case was closed when I indicated that the problem was solved for me (the customer). After the case, Microsoft sent me an email asking how the case was handled.

The Net-Net

Yes, there had to be a smart person somewhere in Microsoft to actually solve the problem. However the technical solution is but one of the deliverables. You need to be sure that you’re solving my problem and that the solution is working for me. And that the ball doesn’t get dropped. Process, not genius, can get these last bits right.