How can you use customer support to identify systemic issues in your organization?

1 What are systemic issues?

Systemic issues are problems that are not isolated or random, but rather stem from the way your organization operates. They can affect multiple aspects of your business, such as quality, efficiency, innovation, or reputation. Systemic issues can be caused by various factors, such as poor design, outdated technology, unclear policies, ineffective communication, or misaligned incentives. Systemic issues can have negative impacts on your customer satisfaction, retention, loyalty, and advocacy.

2 How to identify systemic issues from customer support data?

Customer support data can be used to uncover patterns and trends that point to systemic issues in your organization. Different methods and tools, such as surveys, feedback forms, reviews, ratings, tickets, chats, calls, emails, or social media can be employed to collect and analyze customer support data. Examining metrics and indicators like customer satisfaction (CSAT) scores, net promoter score (NPS), customer effort score (CES), customer churn rate, customer complaints, and customer feedback can help identify systemic issues. Low or declining CSAT scores could mean customers are not happy with products/services/support. Negative NPS could reveal customers are not likely to recommend the brand. High or increasing CES could indicate customers find it hard to use products/services/support. High or rising churn rate could show customers are leaving for competitors. Frequent or recurring complaints may signify customers are facing the same/similar problems that have not been resolved effectively or permanently. Positive or negative feedback can provide insights into what customers like/dislike about products/services/support and what they expect or suggest from the organization.

3 How to address systemic issues based on customer support data?

Once you have identified systemic issues from customer support data, it is important to take action to resolve them and prevent them from happening again. To do so, you should prioritize the most urgent and important issues that affect your customer satisfaction and retention, and that align with your business goals and values. After that, investigate the root causes and consequences of the issues by involving the relevant stakeholders and departments in your organization. Then, implement solutions that address the issues at their source, and measure their effectiveness and efficiency. Lastly, communicate the solutions and their benefits to your customers, thanking them for their feedback and loyalty.