What Is SaaS Customer Service? (With Examples and Best Practices)
SaaS companies have complex product offerings, so when it comes to delivering customer service, you’re playing on expert mode. To meet customers’ sky-high expectations, your team needs to deliver reliable guidance with lightning-fast response times and in-product support.
In this in-depth guide, I will help you define a rock-solid SaaS customer service strategy to lead your team to victory.
What Is SaaS Customer Service?
SaaS customer service involves helping customers understand and make the most of your software. This includes everything from pre-sales support, onboarding, and assistance in navigating your software, to troubleshooting and beyond. Gone are the days of calling the toll-free number on the back of the box—SaaS customer service needs to be built for digital channels and ideally embedded within the product.
Unlike traditional customer service which often takes a one-and-done approach, you’ll need to deliver an ongoing service. This consists of several moving parts all working together within the system. We’re talking 24/7 in-app support, proactive alerts, real-time onboarding, and more.
For example, HubSpot has a round-the-clock live chat built into the platform, along with a knowledge base of self-help resources at the customers’ disposal. This helps customers quickly get the answers they need and resolve simpler issues.
Why Is SaaS Customer Service So Important?
SaaS customer service is important because a truly successful software needs consistently active users. A signup is just the beginning of an ongoing customer relationship—and like any relationship, it requires some nurturing. Here’s why your SaaS product can’t (or at least, shouldn’t) be without adequate customer service:
- Your users need reliable, accessible guidance that doesn’t waste time. Customer support teams with excellent responsiveness typically experience lower churn rates. Things like 24/7 support and automated in-app service tools offer a powerful boost in long-term customer satisfaction.
- When people feel stuck, they’ll “nope” right outta there. Customer churn is always a real threat in the SaaS space. A frustrated user can effortlessly smash that “cancel subscription” button when they hit a roadblock. When it’s easy to leave, you need to make it just as easy to seek help.
- Every user stage and challenge is an opportunity for a value-add. On-demand support offers infinite opportunities to reinforce a customer’s brand loyalty. For instance, you can set up proactive alerts or send push notifications when a new feature is launched or build how-to videos for common use cases. If customers can confidently navigate your software and rely on you for support and guidance, they’ll happily stick around, renew those accounts, and opt for shiny new add-ons.
In SaaS, you don’t call it a day once you’ve sold your product. You’re growing a community of dedicated users. Comprehensive customer service is the secret sauce that will keep them connected.
Best Practices to Improve SaaS Customer Service
There are plenty of ways to improve customer service, but when it comes to SaaS, you’ll want to aim for resource-efficient and adaptable strategies. Here are some best practices to get you started:
- Humans and machines are better together. Don’t rely on just one or the other. Automated tools like chatbots can save your team loads of time by dealing with the simple stuff, while your in-house experts can offer gold-standard personalized service and address more complex queries. Nobody likes jumping through unnecessary hoops, so make sure the bot-to-agent hand-off is smooth and simple.
- Offer omnichannel service to tailor customers’ experiences to their needs. Some end users may not be particularly tech-savvy and need a bit more handholding. Others might breeze through the basics but will come at you with complex questions requiring expert guidance. A one-size-fits-all approach isn’t gonna fly here. Consider mapping your customer journeys so you can establish a few different customer service action plans that meet the diverse needs of your clients.
- Anticipate user needs to provide proactive solutions. If you give people the answers to a problem before they encounter it, voilà—you’ve transformed a potential problem into a win, before it even happens. Strategic notifications and in-app messaging are a few ways to make that customer journey as smooth as silk.
- Approach all customer interactions with empathy. If you’ve ever tried to teach your grandma how to use the universal remote control, you’re probably aware that adopting new technology doesn’t come easily for everyone. Tensions can run high, and your clients might feel embarrassed or frustrated if they’re struggling. Give them all the patience and grace you give your dear nana, and try to keep the mood light!
Elements of a Good SaaS CS Strategy
Sorry to report, but “the customer is always right” isn’t going to cut it as an SaaS CS strategy. You’ll have to dig deeper than that. Here are the foundational elements to a winning CS strategy that covers all the bases.
- Automation: Customer service automation tools can handle simple support tasks and allow your SaaS support team to focus on the juicier stuff. Automation can significantly improve productivity and reduce Time to Resolution (TTR). But automation doesn’t necessarily have to be AI chatbots, in-app messaging, and other customer-facing tasks, it should also include internal tools to assign tickets, route calls, and keep your agents organized.
- Trained Staff: To build a customer service team that offers the gold standard of personalized support, they need to understand your software inside and out. On top of their IT and troubleshooting skills, they’ll also need a solid set of customer service skills. If you’ve got folks on your team who could use a little upskilling, consider enrolling them in a customer service course.
- Omnichannel Support: Email, phone, live chat, social media, video calls—there are many ways customers can reach out for help. Integrating these communication channels makes matters simpler for your users and staff. For example, your support team can access customer data from prior interactions, and your customers can switch contact methods without starting over.
- Data Integration: The best customer support software features integration tools that connect your relevant apps, channels, CRM systems, and data all in one place. Instead of frantically switching between browser tabs, it’s available within one easy-to-navigate platform.
- Data Quality: When a customer contacts you with a problem, the absolute last thing you want to do is address them by the wrong name or not know what services they’ve signed up for. For SaaS companies, personalized support is the baseline, and you cannot deliver personalization unless you fully trust your data.
- Self-Service: Self-service tools are the perfect solution for customers who would rather fly solo as they navigate your software. Bonus points if your self-service knowledge base offers a mix of formats, like video, FAQs, in-depth guides, and webinars.
- Personalization: AI has incredible value when it comes to customizing your service! Using real-time data and predictive analytics, AI customer service tools can churn out recommendations for products or upgrades, craft messages, or develop custom content based on each customer.
- Community: Fostering connectedness between your customers can help them help each other! Take, for example, a moderated online forum like Apple Support Community, where customers can ask questions, and users and staff can chime in with recommendations.
SaaS Customer Service Examples: Learn From the Pros
When you combine a top-notch strategy with bold creativity, you can make some serious customer service magic. These SaaS companies went the extra mile to create customer experiences that go beyond efficiency—they’re actually pretty fun.
Salesforce Turns Software Training Into a Gaming Platform
Learning new tech isn’t always easy. For users who find it hard to commit to the bit, Salesforce’s new platform, Trailhead, provides a steady source of sweet, sweet dopamine. Their interactive learning modules allow users to earn points and badges, share progress, and engage with and support other community members.
Canva Connects Community In Both the Digital and Real Worlds
This popular graphic design software has seriously raised the bar for community engagement. Their platform connects folks from all backgrounds—the noobs, experts, and everything in between—and encourages them to share their art, inspiration, and suggestions.
Canva also delivers webinars and digital events, many of which are industry-specific. Educators, marketing executives, entrepreneurs, project managers—Canva connects them with like-minded peers as they learn valuable insights to revolutionize their work.
Never ones to rest on their laurels, Canva is going one step further by providing funding for community events in the real world. By fostering genuine camaraderie and a sense of belonging between creatives, Canva is seeing massive returns in customer loyalty and engagement.
The Finch App Cares About Your Self-Care
Finch has tapped into some serious Millennial nostalgia by creating an app that incentivizes self care with the help of an extremely cute, digital pet bird. By completing chores, breathing exercises, random acts of kindness, and more, users can collect outfits and furniture for their pet. Their free version offers more than enough content to make it worthwhile, but the paid subscription is stacked with bonus features.
Now, the developers were smart enough to recognize that folks who rely on a cartoon bird app to support their self-care might be forgetful or overwhelmed with responsibilities. To avoid users getting hit with a credit card charge at the end of their free trial, Finch sends several notifications and in-app messages leading up to the cutoff date.
Interestingly, they also encourage premium members to pay it forward if they’d like to sponsor membership for someone in need, complete with a lottery system users enter for a chance to win. Going the extra mile by anticipating customers’ needs and showing they truly care has catapulted this app to legend status.
Benefits of SaaS Customer Service: Help Your Business Strike Gold
Supercharging your customer support should be at the forefront of your SaaS business goals. If you’re asking “but why?”, here are some stats to rest our case.
Better Onboarding Means Fewer Tickets
If you set your customers up for success right from the get-go, it makes sense that they’ll encounter fewer issues down the road. Comprehensive onboarding is key, and plenty of real-life case studies prove it. Take Jungle Scout, for example—they adopted a software to deliver personalized onboarding for Amazon retailers. The result? They reduced support tickets by 60 percent in under six months.
You’ll Build a Loyal Community That Sticks Around
Positivity goes a long way when it comes to customer retention—like, a really long way. And in SaaS, retention means dollars spent. According to a Qualtrics study, users who have positive customer service experience tend to be 3.5 times more likely to purchase more. How’s that for a good first impression?
Customers Recognize Your Value Faster
The faster your users can learn the ins and outs of your software, the sooner they’ll recognize its value. That’s worth its weight in gold, because you want users to view your service as the ultimate solution to their problems. If onboarding and troubleshooting are lengthy and cumbersome, your solutions will feel more like broken promises. The fix? An intuitive interface, a hands-on learning process, easy-to-navigate FAQs, and always-on support are a good place to start.
Your Expenses Don’t Have To Grow With Your Business
Automation and omnichannel support will allow you to do way more with less. That’s called scalable growth without linear hiring. Why hire ten more people to answer phones and emails when you can get a chatbot to share the load? Research shows you can save up to 30 percent in customer support costs upon implementing chatbot software (and that is just one type of tool available).
You’ll Offer Solutions Faster
If you’re solving customer issues at record speeds with stunning accuracy, everybody wins. You’re saving precious time and resources—not just your own, but the customers’ too. One study reported that customer service agents with access to generative AI tools saw a 15 percent increase in ticket resolutions per hour.
Types of SaaS Customer Support
SaaS customer service comes in many forms—combine them, and their powers are off the charts. Here are the types of support users like to see when it comes to SaaS products.
Self-Service Support
As the name suggests, self-service customer support allows users to seek help independently without contacting a representative. Examples include FAQ pages, digital kiosks, knowledge bases, and video tutorials.
Proactive Customer Service
You can effectively solve problems before they occur, by anticipating customers’ needs and offering the required information at the right time. If an app gives you a notification that your free trial is about to expire, that’s proactive customer service in action.
Reactive Customer Support
No matter how hard you try, you cannot always predict the future. And that’s okay. Reactive customer support is a response to an issue or event requiring solutions. If a user struggles to navigate your software and contacts you for assistance, it’s time to do some damage control and help them out. Think of it this way: If it is proactive, you’re offering a service. If it is reactive, it’s much-needed support.
Omnichannel Support
Phone, email, chatbot, text message, video chat, social media—with all the ways a customer can contact your business, you need an interface that keeps all these channels connected. Enter omnichannel support: a solution to integrating all channels of customer communication, so you can unify your customer data and ensure your support agents have a clear view of each customer’s relationship with the business.
Community Support
Users can support each other in community forums with the help of company moderators who can confirm or dispel information. Social media networks and real-life events are also modes of community support that SaaS businesses can cultivate.
SaaS Customer Support Tools That Make an Impact
Developing a SaaS CS strategy is much less daunting when you have access to the best customer service tools to keep things seamlessly integrated. Here are examples of platforms that give your CS a competitive edge.
- Ticketing Systems and Help Desks: Customer issue management is made easy with centralized platforms to receive, assign, and track help requests. These tools are also crucial for customer service analytics, specifically to identify reoccurring issues that may warrant a closer look.
- AI Assistants and Messaging: Digital communication tools are invaluable for service teams. Internal messaging tools are particularly useful when working through complex issues with multiple steps. Bonus: no awkward silences on the phone while your team members search for solutions.
- Live Chat and Chatbots: Simple problems require simple solutions. Live chat tools allow customers to get their queries addressed as and when they arise, typically within your website, app, or user portal. Many live chat tools have integrated conversational AI chatbots to handle run-of-the-mill customer inquiries, freeing up your team to work on the meatier issues.
- Self-Service Tools and Knowledge Bases: Expertly organized, user-friendly databases that enable users to independently access product tutorials and troubleshooting advice. Introverts, rejoice!
- Customer Support Analytics Software: Crunch numbers and analyze performance data to improve efficiency, identify trends, and find ingenious new ways to keep customers happy.
Other customer service tools commonly used in SaaS companies include call center software, surveys and customer feedback tools, scheduling and workflow automation solutions.
How to Measure SaaS Customer Service Metrics
Improving your customer service department’s performance requires valuable, measurable data that offers real insight into performance. Here are some ways to filter and organize information so you can ignore the irrelevant stuff and get to the root of the issue.
- Feedback and Surveys: Get your info straight from the folks whose opinions matter most: your customers! Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT) and Net Promoter Score (NPS) surveys give you a sense of how happy or willing to refer your customers are, while post-call questionnaires can help you identify gaps in your service quality.
- Help Desk Analytics: Most help desk tools have built-in features that filter and analyze data like average response and resolution times, employee performance, ticket volume, and reopen rates.
- Effectiveness Metrics for Self Service: You’ve built those FAQs and plugged some templated responses into a brand-new chatbot, but is it working? Self-service effectiveness metrics offer insights into how helpful your resources are, whether they are sufficient, and whether customers opt to seek additional help after using a self-service resource.
- Call Center Metrics: Measure things like hold times, dropped or abandoned calls, call length, and how often you resolve issues on the first call.
- Behavioral Analytics: Find correlations and links between your customer service and key customer behaviors like churn, engagement, and activation.
- Business Intelligence Tools: If you need advanced insights that combine customer service KPIs and trends across several sources, a BI tool can work some serious magic.
- Quality Assurance: Score interactions between agents and customers using manual or semi-automatic rubrics that rate accuracy, tone, completeness, and empathy.
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