At Didacte, customer relations are at the center of our concerns. Many are often surprised by this because not all online applications have the same attention for their users!
To maintain this relationship, we are actively involved in customer service and the creation of educational content.
Why put so much energy into customer service? How do we do it?
Martin and Marie-Hélène share with us their opinion and their experience concerning the success of our clients!
Martin Busuttil is responsible for the customer experience and is on the front line in welcoming and supporting our clients. He is also responsible for providing and updating the Help Center to simplify the user experience on Didacte.
Marie-Hélène Couette is a digital strategist and marketing manager at Didacte. She is also responsible for creating and distributing educational content to maximize the success of our clients and ensure that the level of satisfaction with the application remains high.
What is the place of customer service in Didacte’s sales process?
(Martin) It's an integral part of how we operate, and we base our approach directly on that. We want to reflect that we are a small, accessible team and always “talkable.”
Our first contacts are never really staged. We don't have an ultra-precise roadmap that we must follow at all costs. We always want to start discussions by learning as much as possible about the company approaching us, its situation, its concerns, its context, etc.
From the outset, we want to position ourselves as potential partners. It is, therefore, crucial to have context and a little background around our interlocutor. In the end, that will help us give him a hand later in the process.
The more we know our people, the easier it is for us to be helpful for the future!
(Marie-Hélène) I also think that being accessible to our leads in their purchasing process is a strength of Didacte. We have to qualify them because of the growing demand, but generally, we have good support upstream.
It’s an element that, in my opinion, sets us apart the most from our competition, especially in the Quebec market!
When you think about it, there are so many apps online where it's pretty much impossible to talk to a human... It's a selling point that works in our favour when developing a customer relationship.
Access to help and advice from qualified people can also make all the difference when you embark on a project. It creates a feeling of protection, a safety net before taking the plunge!
How do we build trust with our customers as an online business?
(Martin) Our strength lies precisely in not having a classic sales department where we put pressure on potential customers. When I shop for something, I find that there is nothing worse than feeling that the person who advises me absolutely needs to sell if they want to get paid...
From the first contact with a potential customer, we want to focus our discussions on problem-solving and how the tool can make their daily lives easier. By showing that we want to play on the same team as the client, it's easier to trust us quickly.
It's also super important to be 110% transparent about what you can and cannot do from the start and upfront. Frankness and transparency are undoubtedly the best ways to build trust.
We're avoiding people who shop for a web application the way they shop for a car. We rarely rely on a list of features required to initiate discussions, as someone would walk into a dealership with a list of options they want on their car.
In other words, we always want to focus on solutions that will meet the client’s challenges. It's not how you do it that matters, but the result. For us, the purpose is to say that we have solved problems with our tool, no matter the name of the features used to achieve it.
Our goal is to make it clear that we are not trying to sell something at all costs. When someone asks me: "does the platform do X or Y?" I always answer backwards by asking the need behind the question.
What matters is not whether the platform can do X or Y; it is instead to know whether or not there is a way to respond to the evoked need. It's completely different.
In short, the best way to build a bond of trust with your clients is to push in the same direction as them!
How do we measure the success of a Didacte client?
(Martin) There are a bunch of indicators and statistics that can give us this kind of measurement. However, since each client has different goals, I don't think there is a one-size-fits-all way to measure success.
The success of our clients is a bit like what I said earlier. Have they improved their position since using the tool? Did Didacte resolve their previous problems?
Success is not always quantitative. It is often qualitative.
The amount of activity on a platform doesn’t necessarily imply a successful customer experience!
A successful client with Didacte is a client who considers the platform par of his essential tools for his business’ general functioning. A successful client uses the platform as one of the main elements of their employee experience.
A platform with 50 users and 7 courses can be just as successful as a platform with 1000 users and 100 courses. Numbers can indeed be good indicators, but very often, they don't mean much when taken out of context!
(Marie-Hélène) Another good way to measure our client’s success is to know their level of satisfaction. It's an approach that detaches us a little more from their project - over which we ultimately have little or no control!
At Didacte, we started to put more and more ways of listening and receiving feedback as organically as possible. So we do it at different times and in different contexts to get a more precise image.
Among the initiatives we use, here are a few that work well:
- Ask to rate the service when the issue we resolved their issue.
- Leave a link in Intercom to give a recommendation score of 0-10.
- Display an in-app banner to collect feedback.
- Add a link in our emails to leave a review on Capterra.
This makes us more aware of which parts of the app and the service are appreciated. Then we can work on what needs to be improved.
And when we improve, we are in a better position to serve our customers and increase their chances of success!
What initiatives can be put in place to ensure the success of our clients?
(Marie-Hélène) There are two angles in our case to answer this question: customer support (for which Martin is responsible) and content creation.
We often underestimate the value of educational content, both to our clients and to our leads. This is a component that is particularly close to my heart because it is the one that has a broader scope.
When we talk about content, I think of courses on our resource platform, blog posts, events, frequently asked questions, etc. The goal is always to equip customers better or suggest lines of thought relevant to their project!
In addition to adding value to our service offering, online content makes our clients more independent and committed to their own success!
(Martin) The important thing is that they feel that we are never far away. Whether through our Help Center (updated as constantly as possible), live chat, or email, the goal is to always have a nearby resource when needed.
As we always give a free 14-day trial on all projects, we make sure that the client who engages with us also has all their questions answered. Most of the time, there is already work done on the platform, and they know exactly what to expect.
The first weeks on the platform are crucial. During these, I will offer a little time to go around their tool and optimize its use. When the foundation is done right, the house built on it will always be more robust!
After 14 days, customers who switch to a paid plan already have a working tool and a game plan in hand. These elements are essential for starting on the right foot and allowing the project to take off.
Therefore, a customer who engages with us has the time to check if he likes the tool and if it meets his needs. Already there, we meet as many winning conditions as possible to make the project sustainable.
What is the impact of customer service on marketing?
(Marie-Hélène) From a marketing point of view, customer service is a cornerstone of our growth strategy. The relationship we develop and maintain with our customers is one of the main reasons for our success.
Almost all of our traffic comes from organic referrals and visits. It would not have been possible to be where we are in 5 years without the trust of our customers!
Putting a lot of energy on the Quebec market indeed allows us to offer a local service. The francophone side plays for a lot, but also the fact that we treat customers as partners.
We invest in their success, and they know it.
Finally, marketing is as much about acquiring markets as it is about retaining your customers. And if you take care of them, they become your best ambassadors!
Believe me; there is no one better qualified than a satisfied customer to sell your product or service.
Check out the other articles of this serie in the Team section of the blog.
