The painful on hold music. The automated support that never points you in the right direction. The unhelpful person on the other end of the line. We’ve all been there.

Ever felt like you didn’t get the customer support you needed? These situations are all too common. It can be an inevitable cycle of needing a quick solution and businesses falling short to provide quality service.

Customer Support Is Everything

The other day I was in the process of setting up a router. Seemed like a pretty simple process, however, it posed some unforeseen challenges. Cue: Having to call the customer support number. ::  Sigh ::

After waiting on hold for give or take 15 seconds, I got a human. Whoa. I never even had to deal with the automated, “hit 1 for billing, 2 for support”? And I didn’t have to repeatedly hit “0” (pro-tip) until I got an actual person on the other end?  My initial thought was –  I’m impressed. After going through the router issues, the support member on the other end, we’ll call him ‘Joe’, followed along with my issues. Joe didn’t transfer me to a handful of different team members, he didn’t put me on hold for 20 minutes, but he did give me the support I expected. He was patient as I went through the troubleshooting process and he went out of his way to provide a solution to my issue. Initially, I was frustrated to have to call customer support, but by the end of my experience – the support exceeded my expectations. Points for Joe.

Customer Experience Makes A Difference

When it comes to changing the customer experience for the better, implementing a quality customer support team to cater to your audience’s needs is best. Think about it. A customer has an issue with your product, immediately they call the customer support number or reach out to the organization via social media. To their dismay, they’re given a run-a-round or placed on hold for 30 minutes. Game over. They’re already frustrated. They’re already over the entire experience. According to research, to get over the negative experience it takes 12 positive experiences. That means you need to quickly provide 12 more positive experiences to even get on your customer’s good side. That’s a lot.

“If you make customers unhappy in the physical world, they might each tell six friends. If you make customers unhappy on the Internet, they can each tell 6,000 friends,” said Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon.

It’s true. How many times have you or a friend resorted to social media to vent about a poor customer experience? Whether it was a Yelp review or a negative Facebook status, what your customers are saying about your brand via the Internet packs an incredible punch. Giving them a positive experience can make all the difference.

Let’s rewind. What if the situation went like this: a customer has an issue with your product and they call the customer support number. They’re prompted to select their language, then the number “2” for technical support, and they’re immediately connected to a customer support specialist. They’re connected with a human, their questions are getting solved, and they’re overall customer experience is positive. No issues, no problems – just quality service.

The Value In Continuous Customer Support

Customer experience is everything. For the transportation industry, it’s significant to gain and maintain relationships with clients, but one factor that stands true is providing continuous customer support. There’s a ton of mobile payment technology partners that could provide you with a mobile parking app. The real question is if they’re going to give you the product and leave you left in the dust or if they’ll supply you with continuous customer support. Investing in a product and feeling like you’re left to fend for yourself can be extremely disappointing. Anyone can provide a functioning mobile app, but not everyone can give you the support you need, when you need it. When it comes to mobile technology, Passport has a proven track record of success with 100% client retention. The numbers don’t lie. Finding value in customer support can set apart your business from your competitors.

“Looking back at why we chose Passport, it was really about the people. Your competitors had some of the same products, but none of the other companies had the people like Passport. It’s been that case ever since – it really starts with the people and the product is great too,” said Damon Kessler, President of Protection Tech.

As mobile payment technology gains momentum, the support makes all the difference. A quality product is good, but quality service has the ability to set your organization apart from your competitors. As you put yourself in your customer’s shoes, whether you’re troubleshooting a router or helping a client with their citation management platform, make sure your support efforts are top priority.