DEVELOPERS & SUPPORT: UNITE TO ACHIEVE CUSTOMER SUCCESS
Image source: Example customer support knowledge base from graphic design app Canva
A guest post by Syed Abdul Qadir Gilani,
Data Analyst, Data Science Enthusiast and Python Developer
Based in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan (Indian subcontinent)
SaaS organizations always start their journey with at least two teams. You’ll usually find a bunch of software developers and a ragtag bunch of customer support. These two “teams” are not as different as you might think.
In reality, uniting people always equates to customer success. This means you must develop your skills as a technical writer. This could be working on or supporting the code.
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When building software, development and support are crucial. Communication through technical writing means documenting your instructions and conveying your intentions.
That’s why the Agile software model dictates that you build software based on a continuous feedback loop. Customer support agents are your direct line to customers. Devs combined with support are your superpower.
I saw this model in action while working with the scrappy startup software business, KnowledgeOwl. I did everything, including blogging, copywriting, and technical writing. I can tell you that for a knowledge-based company, documentation is everything.
Great developers like the ones at KnowledgeOwl don’t distinguish between development and support. It’s all hands on deck when you ship the product. These combined development and support teams help customers smash those pesky bugs and hit their goals.
Often, however, these two separate departments can fail to communicate properly. This leads to problems. Here’s how to solve it.
COMMUNICATE CONSISTENTLY BETWEEN TEAMS
Developers and support teams should exchange consistently formatted documents regularly to understand customer needs and issues. This helps developers improve the product. Time can make your codebase seem like someone else wrote it. This happens even if you use proper development platforms like Git or GitHub to track your code.
Developers must be transparent about the limitations of their software system so support agents can adhere to guidelines like policies and procedures. This ensures that you avoid making promises to customers that you can’t keep.
QUICK TIPS:
- Use Customer Feedback
Example customer feedback form for Financial Institution
Customer feedback is valuable. Developers should use it to make the product better. The customer feedback loop is a huge part of scrum and the Agile methodology. Both developers and support work need to utilize feedback such as UX data, feedback forms, and heatmaps to understand how to fix bugs, streamline workflows and develop new features.
- Work Together on Difficult Issues
When tough problems arise, developers and support teams should collaborate on documentation. They can also design intuitive redirect pages in case users encounter broken links, combining development, design and documentation in one fell swoop.
Best Yoga Poses for Weight Loss 404 page
Instead of feeling frustrated, users may experience a moment of delight when they realize that your company has invested in documentation User Experience.
The lines of communication should be constantly open, whether you are an Agile software team using methodologies like Scrum. Tools such as JIRA, Document360, or adopting the waterfall approach in the enterprise can look quite different.
It’s about working together to solve customer problems, fix bugs, and prevent future frustration.
- Share Knowledge
Developers should share their expertise with customer support teams to help them assist customers better. Also, vice versa!
From the Keeping customer support blog
KnowledgeOwl is a growing software team, delivering best-in-class knowledge base software with unparalleled customer support.
The development team and support stars are so closely integrated that customer support evolves simultaneously with product releases. This means that KnowledgeOwl customer support is one step ahead whenever customers run into bugs or issues.
This kind of cooperation between developers and agents has resulted in KnowledgeOwl recently winning B Corp status, which was announced on their company blog in May 2024.
By Marybeth Alexander, CEO and Knowledge Goddess at KnowledgeOwl
- Build Products Customers Love
By working together, developers and support teams can create products that customers love. They can do this by understanding customer needs, using feedback, and collaborating on issues.
A tool like Canva is a collaboration between the developers who build the product and the team of agents who support the customers directly. When engineering and support work together, the result is a self-sustaining knowledge base and AI-driven UX that is completely consistent with the Canva business model. As a self-service SaaS app, it makes sense that customers can access beautifully designed documentation in the app itself.
Image source
Final remarks
Even financial services companies like Lemonade can entice and engage customers with powerful branding and unique selling points. Developers must clearly understand the company’s business model to build products that customers love.
This was a guest post by Syed Abdul Qadir Gilani. If you love software, fill out this Google Form application to register your interest in guest posting opportunities.
Edited by Catherine Heath
I’m a community advisor for creative and ethical companies. I offer freelancing services like blogging, documentation and copywriting.
