How working customer service makes you a better UX designer
Let me start off with a bit of background first. I work at DashTag, a startup focused on getting soccer players (in the U.S.A.) outfitted with a tracker. With this sensor they can measure their performance and get the stats only the pros have at this moment.
We’re a pretty small company. At the time of writing, only 6 people in full time service. That means, even though my function title says UX designer, I’m wearing way more hats than that. I’m also a marketeer, promotor, facilitator, interviewer, visual designer, assembly line worker, office manager, project manager, debugger, networker and much, much more.
All of these are fun to do (for an amount of time) and give you a lot of insights on all the forces at motion. But the one that stood out for me was helping out with customer service.
Try, fail and adapt
The app we launched is in private beta right now. That means that players get assigned a number and they are put on a waiting list. But, to get early access to the app, they can engage in a conversation with us to show they are dedicated players. This whole conversation takes place in Intercom.
The first few conversations are a bit awkward. You’re searching for the right tone and there’s a lot details about the user you don’t have when you start the conversation. You don’t know exactly where they come from. You don’t know who they are. And you don’t know why they’re here.
Diving in is the best way to learn it, but you’ll make some mistakes. And that’s okay. Users are pretty forgiving if you are transparent and responsive.
One problem we had was that the scenarios were not clear for the entire team. There are players we’ve been into contact with before, there are new players, access codes are given away to a select few of them. All sorts of well-thought out scenarios to make sure the conversation we had with them on the playing field can smoothly continue in the app. But we did not know the rules of engagement. So that’s one lesson.
Another one is that canned (pre-configured) responses only work to a certain extent. Users expect to be speaking to a real person, so act like a real person.
We also noticed that the message we used to start a conversation was way to long for them to understand. Keep sentences short and the message and call-to-action super clear.
Try out one of voice
Figuring out how to speak to players (and especially 13 -20 years old soccer players) is something that‘s best to just ease into.
So, in my experience, starting a little bit more formal is not a bad approach. You’re introducing yourselves. They are not sure what’s expected of them. And, you’re not speaking in person. So there’s too much distance to start off amicable right off the bat.
“there’s too much distance to start off amicable right off the bat”
One of the first things we want to do is ask for some personal details. It has a practical purpose (finding out if they fit the profile for our beta acces program) but it also breaks the ice. Because from now on your can address them by their first name. Which makes the talking to someone feel less distant or even personal.
Also, GIFs and emoji’s. When used sparingly, they’re awesome. The rule I usually adhere to is to post a GIF after an intensive dialog (meaning multiple answers back and forth) and ending in a positive outcome. Or when there is a conversation that ends in a ‘to be continued’ state. GIFs tend to ease the mood in a conversation and are an subtle invitation to engage in a more informal manner.
Same goes for emoji’s, don’t flood the conversation with them (you’re not in highschool anymore), but use them to bring a little lightness 🌟 to the meaning of your words.
Another thing: swearing. Don’t do it. There’s too much risk you might step on someone’s toes if you don’t watch out. My rule here is; only swear back when sworn to. When they are talking loosely and feel that it’s appropriate to reply in a similar manner; please do so but try to keep it respectful. Just remember that you’re talking to a customer, not your friends.
One last tip, keep the tone of voice close to your normal way of talking . Don’t say stuff you wouldn’t normally say. You don’t want to talk like a teenager if you are not one yourself. It’ll backfire. Trust me, we know.
How the hell does this make me a better UX designer?
Getting behind the wheel of customer service is a humbling experience. It’s also a shit-ton of work to keep up with it. So respect to people who do this all day.
But, for a designer it’s such a great opportunity to talk to the people that actually take the time to use your product. So here’s what I’m taking with me after that experience:
Getting to know the target audience. Their thoughts, their responsiveness, attention span and retention rate. Their tone of voice. Their willingness and last but not least; their enthusiasm. All these lessons you can incorporate when you go back to Sketch and work on new designs.
Getting to know your product. Seriously, to man customer service you need to know all the nooks and crannies of your product. Even when users are being really vague about the problems they run into, you’ll have to figure out what they mean and how they can solve it. And, apart from troubleshooting, you also need to get really good at selling the product. When you talk to potential customers, you need to be able to tell them what’s in it for them.
Harvesting test users. Users that give you elaborate and well thought out feedback in the app are often the ones that are willing to really help you make your product better. So why not invite them to do more extensive research? You’d be surprised how easy it is to set up a testing community like that. And — sorry to state the obvious — having great test users is priceless for UX design.
Showing them around. You get to be the tour guide in the app you designed. How cool is that? You can give the tips and tricks. Show them where to click or tap. Tell that what you’re working on next. Show them hidden features. It’s your playground and you can show them what you created.
Be their emergency line. When stuff goes wrong you are the one that can help them. When you know something is going to be broken in the future you can prepare them for it. Nothing feels better than getting back to a user and telling them you’ve solved the problem. Okay, having no problems at all probably feels even better…
One last tip: don’t try it once and then totally forget about it. Even when you’re really busy, take at least an hour a week to see what’s going on in customer service. See what the conversations are about. Feel the atmosphere and know what the mood of the majority of the conversations is. It will definitely help you to see if you are on the right path and can also help you set a direction for the way you want to go forward.
