Internet connectivity is nothing short of a necessity, these days. You need to have smooth and solid web access to complete your day-to-day tasks on time, no matter which field of life you belong to. Given the presence of multiple internet providers in the market, choosing the perfect service for your home sounds impossible, especially for someone who is not particularly tech-savvy. The factors, which usually help you distinguish between internet companies, include pricing, plan structure, connection type, and speeds offered, etc. Some providers deliver up to 15 Mbps, while others go as high as 2 Gig.
It depends on your location and the availability of ISPs in your area. But, that’s not it. Another comparative factor, which has a huge impact on your eventual buying decision, is the credibility of the providers that stems from their customer support unit.
Customer support can turn the tables around for an internet company. It can either boost customer satisfaction or destroy the brand’s reputation, making it lose its edge in the market. Customer support refers to the assistance given to the users at the time of product or service subscription, installation, troubleshooting, upgrading, and maintenance, etc. A customer support team is in direct contact with the customers throughout their journey, and if the support is lacking, it can make the experience unappetizing for the user, who might never return to the company, as a result.
So, when you’re comparing different providers in your neighborhood, it is wise to check out their customer support platform, too. Here are some of the important factors that you can keep in mind to evaluate internet customer support. You can visit this link to have a better understanding of how internet customer service and tech support can stand out from the rest, so you have a set benchmark to look up to. Without further ado, let’s check out the factors one by one.
Timeliness
Timeliness is vital for an internet customer support team. In an ideal situation, the agents should be actively available for the users around the clock and respond to their comments immediately. Online users hate to wait. They have so many options and so little time. If a company doesn’t answer their queries quickly and makes them wait indefinitely, they tend to lose what little patience they have and feel no remorse in moving on to the next provider. Good internet customer support understands this user behavior and tries to offer assistance 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year.
Besides being there for customers, it resolves their issues, fulfills their requests, and forwards their complaints in the shortest time possible. This kind of support satisfies customers to the core, who leave positive feedback for the ISP on the online discussion forums and sends new leads its way. Timeliness also includes technician visits for repair. If your internet service is down, the company should send over the tech guys within a two-hour appointment window at least, so you can get back online in no time. Keep the timeliness of internet customer support in mind when you’re comparing ISPs.
Moving Assistance
Attitude matters. I remember calling up an internet customer support representative a few years ago with a problem. I had to move to another state with my family, so I told them that I needed to cancel my internet subscription. Instead of giving me an “I don’t care” attitude and forwarding my cancellation request nonchalantly, the representative surprised me with a quick solution. He listened to my woes with patience and suggested another way I could continue using the same service and the same plan even after moving to another state, since looking up providers from scratch is nothing short of a hassle. Here’s what he did:
- Contacted the customer support representatives in my new area of residence,
- Gave them my internet account and current subscription details,
- Told them to set up my connection line before I got settled in,
- Insisted on my behalf for promotions and discounts, including a free modem for a year, etc.
I was super-impressed with the moving assistance and support I had during that turbulent time. This is how proactive an internet customer support team is supposed to be. They should make customers their #1 priority.
Knowledgeability
Customers need information ASAP when they are making split-second buying decisions. What are the features of the new Fiber Optic plan? How is it different from other plans in the same category? What kind of speeds does it offer? Is the speed delivered the same as the one promised? Does the service give free installation when you sign up online? Is the modem on monthly rental or included in the plan? How many devices does the bandwidth support simultaneously? Why does the price exceed the market offers in the same speed range?
Does the rate go down when you bundle the internet with TV and/or phone? How often does the internet outage happen and what should a customer do in that case? What are the troubleshooting tips for a non-tech-savvy person? Are the phone lines, live chat, service stores, social media DMs, and email tickets open around the clock? Is remote assistance available or are technician visits mandatory? Questions like these flood internet customer support all the time.
They should have complete knowledge of the plans and pricing to answer these queries in the calmest way possible. When customers see that the support representatives know what they are talking about, they are more inclined to trust them and trust the process.
Ownership
Mistakes happen. How a company responds to these mistakes makes the real difference. Some companies deny any claims or charges that are leveled their way, while others start ghosting angry customers, worsening the situation. Both of them fail to see the outcome of their actions and suffer harsh consequences. The best internet customer support agents are the ones that take responsibility for their mistakes and do the necessary preparations for maximum damage control.
It is these types of internet providers that enjoy lasting popularity among the subscribers. Another feature of empathic customer support representatives is that they follow-up with subscribers after the crisis has been averted to see how the users are doing, apologize for the drop in connectivity, and offer salve in the form of delectable discounts and more.
Wrapping Up
Keep the aforementioned evaluative factors in mind the next time you go shopping for internet service. The ISP you choose should have a customer support team that shows timeliness, knowledgeability, proactivity, dependability, and ownership, as discussed in this post.
