In your quest to identify exactly what content your customers want, there’s no better place to go that your own support staff. Just spend a day on the phones, or answering email from the “support@” alias and you’ll have a very clear idea where the warts are on your product. If your support team is on the ball, they should be converting these questions into an “FAQ” already and posting it on the web. If not, get started right away.
But building out content based on issues that customers have with your product is more than just posting answers to “frequently asked questions”. There’s quite a bit you can do way, way before the sale to help set expectations, qualify customers, and make sure they’re purchasing the right product for the right job.
Start your work by looking through the logs specifically for customers who are upset by something that they product doesn’t do. That clues us in that somewhere in the process, we need to make sure that we more clearly describe to our potential client what the capabilities are:
- “The BoffoBuffer 2000 can polish wood, steel and plastic. But IN NO CASE should you attempt to shine up your rodents or farm animals with this device.”
- “We offer three versions of the MagicLintOff — the Mini, the Maxi, and the OMG You Have Llamas Living In Your Living Room. Please be sure to choose the appropriate model.”
- “Love is forever, but batteries are not. We expect that the Self-Buttering Toaster will give you many happy slices. But, eventually, after an average of 1000 crunchy pieces of heaven, you’re gonna need four new size D batteries.”
This information needs to be on your web site, in your promotional literature, your packaging, and possible even in a nice little removable label right on the toaster.
After you’ve cleared up the “upset” category, find out about the features people just don’t understand — what is it that your call center has to explain, over and over? Could you include a short description on the web site of how cleaning out the butter well in the toaster is a three-step process? Could you make a short video that shows how to change the lint paper roller in the MagicLintOff? How about some sample packets of polishing goo for the BoffoBuffer 2000, and a write-up to show people that good goo makes a difference in their buffing?
The last thing to troll for in your emails and phone calls for are the little nuggets that customers share with you. Ways to use your product that you never, ever thought of. And when you find them, trumpet them from the rooftop with a nice photo of the customer and their name. “Bob P. from Pittsburgh discovered that the BoffoBuffer 2000 would take that nasty white scum off his car headlights, and he didn’t have to pay $200 for a new set!”
You’ll open up all sorts of new areas for your product to be used, and the “personal touch” that this gives your company is great — it’s a trick that’s been used successfully for years.