Cost of Customer Service Support for Online Businesses: A Comprehensive Guide
Running a successful online business requires effective customer support. Whether you rely on emails, voice contact, or technical support, the cost can vary significantly. In this guide, we will explore the different aspects of customer service and provide insights into how much you might need to allocate for these services.
Understanding the Roles and Responsibilities of a Customer Support Specialist
Customer support specialists, like the one sharing their experience, play a crucial role in ensuring customer satisfaction and retaining clients. They deal with a wide range of tasks, including:
Email communications: Sending and responding to customer inquiries and issues. Voice contact: Handling phone calls for customer inquiries and support. Tech support: Providing assistance for technical issues related to the products or services. Writing manuals and specifications: Creating detailed guides and instructions for users. Translation and documentation: Translating documents and writing government tenders, if necessary. Technical coding: Assisting with code reviews or pair programming when dealing with technical issues.Role of a Customer Support Specialist
Based on the experience of a customer support specialist from a thermal printer company, here's a breakdown of their daily responsibilities:
Email Communication
Emails form the backbone of customer support. The average time invested each day is around 2 hours, with a productivity range of 5 to 15 emails per day. The language used may vary, with Spanish for customers and English for peers and hardware design engineers.
Voice Contact
Voice contact is less frequent but still important. The specialist does half a call a day, both in English and Spanish. This takes approximately 30 minutes of their workday, typically scheduled in the morning or late afternoon.
Tech Support
Tech support involves repairing equipment. The specialist repairs a couple of printers each week, which takes around 45 minutes per printer.
Writing Manuals and Specifications
On alternate days, the specialist writes comparison charts, specifications, translates manuals, or reviews government tenders. This task is time-consuming, consuming up to 2 hours daily depending on the workload.
Code Review and Pair Programming
One day a week, the specialist engages in code reviews or pair programming, which can take about 3 hours.
Determining the Cost of Customer Service Support
Costing customer service support accurately can be challenging. Here are some strategies and tools to help you:
Online Services for Salary Comparison: Utilize online services like Payscale and for comprehensive salary comparisons, salary surveys, and compensation data. These tools can provide valuable insights into the market rates for customer support specialists.
A Real-World Example
The customer support specialist shares that being based in Latin America, specifically Peru, allowed their employer to pay them half of what they would have to pay if they were located in the US. This example underscores the importance of considering employee location when budgeting for customer service support.
Conclusion
Effective customer service is essential for online businesses. By understanding the responsibilities and costs associated with customer support, businesses can ensure they are providing the best possible service while managing their budgets.