Since day one, we’ve always preached that our company’s bread-and-butter was our customer support. That sentiment holds true, nearly eight years later.

The evolution of our company’s support department has been one of the most challenging to execute, and the most rewarding. In a very competitive industry, one of the differentiating factors you can provide your clients is amazing customer service. If it’s relatively easy for clients to move to another provider, going above and beyond and providing that extra personal touch will make clients think twice before churning.

Throughout the years, we’ve tried and tested dozens of support desks, knowledgebases and live chats, in an effort to make our support process more efficient. I’m proud to say, that I think we’ve finally nailed our support process, which has resulted in a consistently near perfect CSAT, hundreds of organic reviews from happy clients on social media, and a steady stream of referrals.

Here are 5 tips that have worked for us to help maintain our near perfect CSAT:

1. Instant first-response times

On average, a client inquiry should be responded to in less than 30 minutes. Whether you have to compensate/reward your team for doing so, or hire more resources, instant responses should be a requisite in your support department. Given the efficiency in communication tools nowadays, there should be no reason why that can’t be achieved. In my opinion, first response times are the most important metric when measuring client satisfaction. It’s not very often that you get a personal response that quickly from a service provider. There’s a certain feeling of comfort when a client gets a real person responding to their inquiry in a matter of minutes. Even if they’re really upset, an instant response almost always helps ease any pain points.

2. When someone calls, make sure the phone is answered

If you have a phone number on your website, you should make sure someone is there to answer the call. The last thing you want is for your client to repeatedly get a voicemail. Whether you have dedicated support staff on the phone, or a call center taking messages, a live person should be on the other end. Like quick first response times, there’s an element of comfort when a client gets a live person on the other end of the line, every single time they call.

When a client receives an email response at 10pm on a weekend, they’re not only going to be shocked, but they’ll probably tell their friends and colleagues about it too.

3. Only scheduled phone calls for dedicated support

This is a controversial one, where not all clients will be happy with. In fact, we’ve even lost a few clients from implementing this. Dealing with customer support can be a very draining and stressful role at times. Support reps have to constantly be on their toes, multi-tasking, replying to emails, fixing client issues, reporting bugs to development, etc. Now, imagine doing that and then having the phone ring throughout the day and constantly interrupting your flow. This will not only cause physical burnout, but it also means tasks will get piled on, bottlenecked, and never finished. Furthermore, it will lead to many upset clients wondering why their inquiry hasn’t been dealt with.

A solution to this problem is simple. If a client wants to speak to a representative, they simply book a time that’s convenient for them on the support team’s calendar. This helps ensure the support team’s days are structured, organized and way more efficient. This method is also just as efficient for your clients, since they won’t have to hope someone picks up the phone when they call. If not, at least they’ll get an email response in a matter of minutes. If you can set this expectation early on, it’s great system. It’s truly a win-win for everyone involved.

4. Reply when they least expect it

Whether it be through your phone, tablet, or smart watch, we’re literally connected at all times. I’m not saying to work 24 hours a day, however it doesn’t hurt to peak at your inbox from time to time after working hours. When a client receives an email response at 10pm on a weekend, they’re not only going to be shocked, but they’ll probably tell their friends and colleagues about it too. It’s hard to forget when someone overdelivers, especially when it’s least expected.

5. The CEO should reply to emails

A CEO often wears multiple hats. One of those hats should unquestionably be customer support. When a client sees a co-founder or CEO reply to a support enquiry, it tells them that your company truly cares about its clients. It’s not too often, if ever, that a CEO helps with support. Not only will it help your client feel good because they’re getting help from the boss, but it also helps the CEO understand what clients are asking for and how to further improve the business.