Help Scout

AI is not new. It's also not a strategy. It's one tool to get a job done — and it may or may not be the right one, depending on the job. As Nick Francis says here: especially as we get excited about all that's possible with AI, it's important to keep in mind that our goals are, and always have been, to solve problems and build better software. And if AI isn't contributing to both of those goals, it may not be worth all the hype (yet).

Quick tips for building a contact page for your business site: 🧹 Keep the design clean and user-friendly Your contact page design should be clutter-free with ample white space. Make sure the contact form is easy to navigate and the fields are clearly labeled. ☎️ Include essential information In addition to a contact form with custom fields, provide additional contact information such as your phone number, email address, and physical location. 📸 Add a personal touch A short introduction or a friendly message from your team can help make your contact page more inviting and approachable. Consider adding a photo or video to showcase your team's personality. 🔍 Make it easy to find Ensure your contact page is easily accessible from your website's main navigation menu or footer. You can also include a prominent CTA on your homepage or other key pages. 📨 Use a shared Inbox for managing customer inquiries While there are a lot of options when it comes to customer service software, shared Inbox tools allow your team to collaborate on requests, ensuring timely and consistent responses. More tips and examples 👉 https://lnkd.in/gUf5wRwm

If you subscribe to get email notifications for new episodes of The Supportive Podcast (https://lnkd.in/gaXwf53A), you also receive some bonus content. For example, in the email for this month’s episode (about how support teams can better work with product managers), subscribers also heard from: Irene Liakos Phil Gilmore Sara G. Phil Oye They each answered the question: “What’s one thing you’d tell support leaders to help them get their ideas/fixes/features onto product roadmaps? ” Here’s what Irene said: "I’d ask them to find out: * What is the problem that feature/idea solves? * For who - who is the customer and how many are there (impact)? * Is there any evidence that the customer will stay, pay, or bring their friends because of this feature/idea (impact)? * Does the feature/idea align with company strategy/product strategy?"

If there’s one thing Help Scout has, it’s class(es) 💅🏻 Live ones, hosted each week by amazing members of our support team! 💁♀️ Register for one (or two) today: https://lnkd.in/gzUiGcUx

It’s not unusual for business leaders to overlook the importance of customer service. They know the business needs it, but they still might not see why going above and beyond is worth the investment. If you’re struggling to convey the value of support to your senior leadership team, check out this post from Stephanie Lundberg for ideas on how to make your case. https://lnkd.in/g9htv8sG

Ben Henderson wasn’t always a leader of product teams. There was a time when his competing career choices were drumming and DJ-ing. In this month’s episode of The Supportive, he stubbornly refuses to provide the LinkedIn bait every SaaS thought leader is surely required to provide. Instead, we must make do with his thoughts on product management and how support teams can better influence the product roadmap. To listen to the full episode and for transcript, show notes, and further reading: https://lnkd.in/gR7A6Btz

Help Scout’s leader, Nick Francis, gets a shout-out from our former Director of Product, Ben Henderson, in this episode of The Supportive. Ben believes that understanding who your customers are and what problem they are solving is the job of everyone in the business, not just product teams. He goes on to explore the ways Support leaders can play a more effective role in steering product roadmaps through their relationship with product managers. To listen to the whole interview, search for The Supportive in your preferred podcast player, or visit the show notes for this episode at https://lnkd.in/gR7A6Btz

Ben Henderson has 99 answers, and “yes” ain’t one. At least, not right now. In the latest episode of The Supportive (available now in Apple podcasts, on Spotify, and basically everywhere), Ben talks with Mathew Patterson about the role of the product manager, how prioritization works, and how Support leaders can improve their chances of seeing their requests and fixes get built. To listen to the full episode and for transcript, show notes, and further reading: https://lnkd.in/gR7A6Btz

To Customer Support teams, Product Managers can feel like nightclub bouncers, blocking the path between customer-generated feature requests and the designers and engineers who could deliver them. You could bribe them with a discreetly palmed $20 bill (does that still work, or is it all contactless payments now?), but a better option would be to understand the job of the Product Manager, so you can work with them to get your fixes and features prioritized. In this episode of The Supportive, Mat speaks to Help Scout’s former Director of Product, Ben Henderson, about product management, DJ-ing, and how Support leaders can improve their chances of being heard and listened to. To listen to the full episode and for a transcript, show notes, and further reading: https://lnkd.in/gR7A6Btz

In this clip from a live discussion with members of our support team, Alison Groves talked about how, as “the holders of all of the knowledge”, support pros are uniquely empowered to turn their knowledge and experience into proactive self-service content for customers. And that content can take a variety of forms: knowledge base articles, live or recorded classes, blog posts, and more. Speaking of knowledge content, our Customers Team is now offering a new live class on “AI in Help Scout” every Wednesday at 3pm EDT. Sign up here → https://lnkd.in/gzUiGcUx