Writing How-To Guides For Customer Support

"Don’t teach so your customers can understand. Teach so they 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥." Early in my career, both in support and in Customer Success, I thought I was doing a great job teaching customers. My instructions were “clear.” My walkthroughs made “sense.” And yet… things still broke down. Tickets got reopened. Tasks didn’t get done. Important steps were skipped. That’s when I learned this simple principle: Clarity isn’t about what you think you said. It’s about what can’t be misheard, misread, or misinterpreted. Here’s how I changed my approach, and how you can too: 𝟭. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝘆 Before you teach anything, explain what it’s for. Why does this step matter? What does it unlock? Purpose gives context — and context prevents confusion. 𝟮. 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱-𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗽 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱 Say what you’re going to do. Show the customer how to do it. Then summarize what you just did. This tight loop reinforces understanding and makes room for correction in real time. 𝟯. 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗱 Whether it’s a written action item, a how-to guide, or a help center link to give your customer something to reference after the call. Don’t rely on memory. Rely on clarity. Great CSMs aren’t just helpful, they’re unmistakable. Because clarity isn’t just kind, it’s a growth lever. What do you do help improve your teaching with customers? #customersuccess

Found a weird 'hack' (I don't like that word...but it works kinda) early in October that I've been trying out and figured I'd share. While auditing a SaaS blog, I noticed their most neglected content type was their support documentation. At first, it didn't seem like a big deal until I dug deeper. Plot twist: That's where their best content ideas were hiding. So here's what most content teams do (myself included) - Chase trending topics - Copy competitor blogs - Pump out thought leadership - Ignore support tickets completely This feels more like writing for your competitors, not your customers. (I mean, look at all the AI think-pieces written in the last 6 months) But here's what I discovered in their support docs: - Real customer language (not the marketing fluff we love) - Actual pain points (not what we think they struggle with) - Specific use cases (not generic industry trends) - Product questions that never make it to content calendars (this was my biggest win tbh) Let me make this super practical: ❌ What I used to write: "The Future of [Industry] in 2024" ✅ What actually works: "[Specific Problem] in [Product]: A Step-by-Step Fix" ❌ My old approach: "10 Industry Trends to Watch" ✅ New approach: "How We Fixed Our Biggest Integration Challenge (And How You Can Too)" Here's the thing about support docs: • They're customer research in disguise. • The ticket queue? A content goldmine. • That boring FAQ page? Your next content strategy hiding in plain sight. I've started spending more time just reading support tickets. (It can get super boring at first, but you'll get used to it) Generated better content ideas than a month of competitor research. Maybe we should start writing more for our customers, and worry less about our competitors.

#sundaystorytelling THE SINGLE BIGGEST PROBLEM IN COMMUNICATION IS THE ILLUSION THAT IT HAS TAKEN PLACE Over the years I’ve realized firsthand, what significant impact communications can have on customer service, reputation, and trust building. Recent examples of real- life exchanges heard/overheard: - Passenger: “When do you expect to start boarding?” - Gate agent: “When the flight crew informs me” - Customer: "Do you have this shirt in a medium?" - Salesperson: "All the sizes are out on the floor." - Patient: "My tongue looks black. Could this be a side effect of the new medication that the doctor prescribed?" - Nurse: "All side effects are listed on the label." - Customer: "Why is my bill so high this month?" - Representative: "Details of billing are provided in the terms and conditions." - Customer: "My computer isn't connecting to the internet. What should I do?" - Technician: "It could be a DHCP lease time issue with your router. You might need to release and renew your IP address via your command prompt." The information shared in all the abovementioned instances were technically correct, but rather unhelpful As they do a poor job of interpreting/answering the question that the customer really asked No one enjoys exchanges like that They are a reminder to improve our own communications when we are in a position to serve our own customers. 1. Empathize with the Customer: - First and foremost, we need to empathize with the customer and make sure we truly understand their query. We must acknowledge their question and reassure them that we care, and are willing to help. 2. Be Specific and Detailed: - We need to ensure that our responses are clear and provide detailed information. Instead of generic advice, we need to offer specific, step-by-step solutions, or direct them to resources who can provide the necessary assistance. 3. Use Customer-Friendly Language: - We should remember to avoid jargon and technical terms that the customer may not understand. Instead, we must remember to use simple, step by step, easy-to-understand language, to explain and guide the customer to solutions. 4. Provide Complete Information: - It’s important to give comprehensive answers that address all aspects of the customer’s query. The last thing we should do is leave them guessing or having to ask follow-up questions. 5. Go the extra mile: - Even when the issue at hand is complicated or does not have an obvious solution, it is our responsibility to prioritize proper communications. We should try to find effective ways to communicate progress/updates, and solicit feedback from the customer. Communications are incomplete until we close the loop. GOOD COMMUNICATION IS A BRIDGE BETWEEN CONFUSION AND CLARITY #customersatisfaction #buildtrust Picture: A very good boy providing feedback in his unique language to convey that his longing to be taken out on a long walk, was well understood and responded to 😊