Customer Support Is a People Business

Making a meaningful connection matters most, even in the world of high tech.

The SSCS Support Department surrounds our customers with the most reliable support framework in the industry. Many factors play a role in what we’ve constructed, but one of the most important is creating a sense of trust among our users. They need to know, and even more importantly, feel, that they are connecting with someone that—in addition to having expertise in SSCS Technology and the c-store industry—really cares about their issues. In a world where customer service is becoming more automated, less human, and potentially more frustrating, SSCS has created market distinction and helped define its identity as a company by emphasizing a personal touch. When all is said and done customer support is, at its heart, a people business, even in the high-tech world.

We try to impart this culture upon new support technicians from the start, as their training growth curve is fueled by interpersonal interaction, if not with customers at first, then with mentors and peers in their own department. “Effective support technicians aren’t born out of isolation,” explains SSCS Vice President of Sales Shawn Herrick. “At SSCS we emphasize the value of teamwork from the first day, and our support department is a reflection of this philosophy.”

Once new support techs step out of the SSCS classroom after a week of formal training, they find themselves surrounded by a network of insightful, knowledgeable senior support pros to help them get up to speed with hands-on exercises that simulate real life scenarios before they go “live” with customers. It’s the team approach applied to new call training.

“SSCS has been integral in my development as a support professional in large part because our department emphasizes collaboration,” says one of our newest technicians. “Being able to walk up to any of the experienced techs with a question and get solid guidance delivered with a helpful attitude has been invaluable in my learning process. Not only does this yield useful information, but it also serves as cursory training for interacting with customers. Even though we’re a tech company, It’s all about the operators, managers, and clerks we’re here to help.”

New support technicians engage on a regular basis with senior support staff in Q&A sessions, adding clarity and insight to what a novice might experience in their first few weeks. “The training process really is continuous,” states another recent hire. “Sometimes, as in the case of a department meeting, it’s formal. Often it’s more informal, like a discussion between techs on the front lines. The back and forth is great; we collaborate on solutions constantly. I think it fosters rapid professional development and builds confidence. We also benefit from an extensive collection of videos, instructional documentation, and other tools that help us get a handle on the features of SSCS technology.”

In a day and age where it’s becoming harder for customers to get a live, responsive voice when they need a complicated question answered, SSCS continues to make a concerted effort to ensure no customer is left behind to rely on an automated response. “You can’t take a one-size-fits-all approach to support and expect your customer to come away satisfied,” adds Herrick. “Getting to the bottom of a problem takes meaningful human interaction, and that’s what we strive for at SSCS.”

If you would like to read more about the SSCS support department and get a sense of the advantage it brings to our customers, you may be interested in these past blog posts:

• More on our personal approach to support.
• A post on how our sales team functions within SSCS’s customer support initiative.
• How SSCS support functions during a new customer installation.
• An earlier interview with a new support technician.