"Hit It Twice" Customer Service
I recently learned a practice for customer communication that I’d like to document. It’s called “Hit It Twice.”
The quoted language in here is broad and should be adapted to the situation.
Why This Matters
Customer issues deserve prompt attention. And, we have to prioritize customer issues that matter. Customers responding to offers of help, or not, tells us how much they care about the issue.
“Hit It Twice”
Scenario: a customer opens a support ticket. We respond with a proposed solution or a clarifying question, ensuring they have the next step to move forward.
A day or two goes by, and they don’t respond. Here’s where the first “hit” happens. Follow up with the customer within the company’s prescribed SLA. “How did that suggestion work for you?” Or, “Any thoughts on my previous question?”
A day or two goes by, and they don’t respond. Here’s where the second “hit” happens. Follow up with the customer again within the prescribed SLA. “We hope the issue was resolved and are closing the ticket. Please reach out with any questions or concerns.” And close the ticket.
Further Applications
I’m experimenting with this internally. When software engineering gets a ticket from another internal team, that team is software engineering’s customer.
And so, the same timeline and scripts apply. If the requester doesn’t respond to two offers of help or clarifying questions, the ticket isn’t important to them and can be closed.