Why We Support Our Users to the Max, and Why You Should Too…
At ArchiSnapper, awesome support is one of the key ingredients of our business.
Yes, of course… we have feature Y and Z and such and so. We have daily backups, a load balancer and yadda yadda yadda.
I could try and impress you with a list of hot features and graphs and facts and figures.
But the bottom line is, “having the most features” is not the root of our business. That’s not our goal. The reason why we exist as a company, is to help other business grow faster and solve their problems. By helping them automate their business, we create value.
In our case, those other businesses are mostly contractors, architects, and engineers. And the way we make them more efficient is related to field reports, punch lists, construction communication and administration.
So, given our goal is to help AEC businesses and solve their problems, wouldn’t it be very strange to answer things like:
- “The question you asked, is documented in our help docs on page 37, please read it there.“
- “I don’t know which mobile device you should buy, and I don’t care. We have built an app for field reports, and the device on which it runs is not our responsibility anymore.“
- “Our pricing is online, so if you have any doubts, I refer to our publicly available information.“
Are we solving problems like that?
Are we boosting our clients’ businesses like that?
Of course not.
Next to building an awesome product since 2013 (and polishing it on a daily basis ever since), we try to help (aka support) our clients to the max.
Clients have to feel welcome and appreciated.
People buy from and collaborate with humans.
Think about this when you run your own (contractor | architect | engineering | … ) business. Try to over-deliver when it comes to support. Try to do more than you are contractually obliged to do.
Clients will stay clients, and each client will bring on several other clients.
Your business will grow faster than ever.
There is nothing magic or special about this – just do it.
- Call clients one year after a project is finished, and ask how they are doing in their new building. Who do you think they will recommend?
- Recommend clients the best solution for their problems, always, even if it is against your own business and you will not close the deal today. The day they will need your service, you can be sure you are the first one they’ll call.
- Try to listen to their real problems and needs. Help them with questions they have, even if there is no direct monetary compensation right now. It will come, don’t worry.
This rule is so simple, yet so many businesses go for the enemy approach.
It’s you versus the client.
If it’s not in the contract, I won’t do it.
If my solution or service is not exactly what they need, I’ll silently try to close the deal anyhow.
Please call the support team and leave me alone.
It’s not a win-win, but a zero-sum game.
Yes, all of this might make you more money in the short term. In the long term, its a perfect recipe for complaints, court claims, late paid (or unpaid!) invoices, fewer referrals and a dying business.
Think about this: everything is support, and try to support your clients business in all ways. Build it in into our business, solve problems, be supportive of their business, and they’ll throw money at you.
PS… here are some real quotes from real ArchiSnapper users.
Have a nice day!
