Understand the characteristics of a support community, the difference from traditional customer support channels, and how to integrate everything to reduce overall support costs and improve user experience with community-led efforts.

In research by Aberdeen, organizations with customer support communities reduced support costs by 32.9% year-on-year. On the other hand, costs increased by 2.7% for businesses that didn’t have communities.

These numbers are proof of the transformative power communities hold for a business. Increased revenues are great but cost reduction is an efficient albeit less glamorous way of improving overall profitability. One effective strategy for cost reduction is - creating support communities. These platforms not only foster customer engagement but also significantly diminish support expenses.

In this blog we will take a deeper dive to understand customer support communities, how they can boost the existing channels while reducing redundancy, and how to identify and assign monetary value to community efforts. Let’s go!

What Exactly Is a Support Community?

A support community is an online platform where customers can interact with each other, share experiences, and solve problems related to products or services. This platform can take various forms, such as forums, Q&A sites or feeds, chat applications, and more, where users can post questions, provide answers, and engage in discussions.

How is It Different From Traditional Customer Support Channels?

Traditional customer support channels typically involve direct interactions between customers and support agents via phone, email, or live chat. These are often costly and require significant manpower to manage.

In contrast, customer support communities are primarily user-driven, where members can independently search for information or seek assistance from peers who might have encountered similar issues.

‍

Here’s a deeper look at how support communities differ from traditional customer support channels:

Nature of Interaction

Traditional Channels: These typically include phone support, email, and live chat, where interactions are predominantly one-on-one between the customer and the service agent. This setup can be highly resource-intensive as each customer requires individual attention from a trained professional.

Support Communities: In contrast, the interaction within support communities is many-to-many. Customers post their issues in a public or semi-public forum, and multiple individuals, including peers or company experts, can contribute to the resolution. This setup not only diversifies the pool of knowledge but also allows for a richer, more varied problem-solving approach.

Scalability and Efficiency

Traditional Channels: Scalability is often a challenge with traditional support channels as they require a proportional increase in resources (more agents) to handle an increase in volume. This linear scalability can lead to increased costs and potential delays in response times during peak periods.

Support Communities: Communities inherently scale more efficiently. As the community grows, so does the knowledge base and the number of users capable of providing support. This means that more customer issues can be addressed simultaneously without a corresponding increase in direct company support resources.

Customer Empowerment and Engagement

Traditional Channels: Customer engagement is generally limited to the duration of the interaction with the support agent. There is minimal opportunity for customers to engage with the brand or with each other, which can limit the depth of customer relationships and brand loyalty.

Support Communities: They foster a greater sense of customer empowerment and engagement. Users can take initiative, help others, and share their knowledge and experiences. This not only enhances their satisfaction but also builds a community around the brand, deepening customer loyalty and creating advocates.

Real-Time Data and Feedback

Traditional Channels: Feedback mechanisms are often formal and may not provide real-time insights into customer issues or sentiments.

Support Communities: These platforms offer real-time feedback on customer issues, preferences, and trends. This immediate visibility can help companies quickly adapt to customer needs and improve products and services.

Other Benefits:

There are other benefits w.r.t. reduced costs and better knowledge management that we will discuss in a later segment when we talk about the benefits of building a customer support community.

Strategies to Build a Great Customer Support Community

Building a great customer support community involves thoughtful strategies that encourage user participation, ensure the availability of quality content, and maintain an environment that fosters positive interactions. Here are some effective strategies for developing a thriving support community:

Foster a Welcoming Environment

Clear Community Guidelines: Set clear, enforceable guidelines that dictate acceptable behavior within the community. This helps maintain a respectful and positive atmosphere where members feel safe to ask questions and share knowledge. 

Active Moderation: Employ a team of moderators who are not only responsible for enforcing guidelines but also for engaging with the community, stimulating discussions, and helping to resolve conflicts. Effective moderation is key to a healthy, productive community.

Encourage Engagement and Participation

Gamification: Introduce elements of gamification such as badges, points, or levels to reward active participants. This can motivate members to contribute more frequently by answering questions, providing solutions, or sharing experiences.

Recognition Programs: Recognize top contributors in the community through 'Member of the Month' features or special access to events and beta testing. Recognition serves as a powerful incentive for continued participation and contribution.

Provide Quality Content and Resources

Expert Contributions: Regularly involve product experts or seasoned customers to contribute insights, write articles, or participate in Q&A sessions. Their deep knowledge adds significant value to the community and helps in building credibility.

Resource Library: Develop a comprehensive library of resources such as how-to guides, video tutorials, and FAQs. Ensure these resources are easily accessible and regularly updated to reflect new information and solutions.

Utilize Technology Effectively

User-Friendly Platform: Choose a community platform that is intuitive and easy to navigate. The platform should support various content formats (text, video, images) and be accessible on multiple devices.

Search Functionality: Implement robust search functionality that allows users to easily find relevant information within the community. A good search tool enhances the user experience by reducing frustration and time spent finding answers.

Also read: Community Platform Migration: Reasons, Challenges, and Best Practices For Easy Transition

Integrate with Existing Support Channels

Seamless Integration: Ensure that the community platform is well integrated with existing support channels. For example, if an issue cannot be resolved within the community, there should be an easy way for users to escalate it to formal support channels without needing to repeat all the details.

Feedback Loop: Use the community as a feedback loop for improving products and services. Gather insights from community discussions to inform support strategies and product development.

Monitor and Measure Community Health

Analytics and Reporting: Use analytics tools to track engagement metrics such as active users, post frequency, and issue resolution rates. This data can help identify the health of the community and areas for improvement.

Community Surveys: Periodically survey community members to gather feedback on their experience and suggestions for improvement. This can provide valuable insights into user satisfaction and community effectiveness.

Encourage Continuous Improvement

Ongoing Training for Moderators: Provide continuous training and support for community moderators to ensure they are equipped to handle new challenges as the community grows and evolves.

Iterative Development: Regularly review the community's structure, policies, and features. Be open to making changes based on member feedback and evolving needs.

Also read: Designing Community Use Cases For Better Business Impact

Benefits of Integrating Community with Existing Support Channels

Integrating a support community with existing, traditional support channels can create a more robust and responsive customer support system. This hybrid approach leverages the strengths of both community-based support and direct assistance from customer service professionals, offering multiple benefits:

Enhanced Customer Experience

Immediate and Varied Support Options: By integrating a community with traditional support channels, customers gain access to a wider range of support channels. They can choose to search the community for answers, post their questions for peer advice, or reach out directly to support agents if their needs are more urgent or complex. This flexibility enhances the customer experience by providing the right level of help at the right time.

Seamless Transition Between Channels: When community platforms are integrated with traditional support, customers can easily transition between finding answers independently and seeking help from a support agent. For instance, if a solution provided in the community does not resolve an issue, the system can escalate the problem to a support agent without requiring the customer to repeat the information. This continuity saves time and reduces frustration.

Increased Operational Efficiency

Reduced Ticket Volume: Community forums can significantly reduce the number of support tickets generated because many common questions and issues can be resolved through peer-to-peer support. This reduction in ticket volume allows support agents to focus on more complex or critical issues, thereby improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the support team.

Faster Resolution Times: With users helping each other in the community, many problems can be solved faster than through traditional channels. This is particularly true for common or well-documented issues where community members can quickly provide effective solutions based on past experiences.

Cost Reduction

Lower Support Costs: Integrating a support community can directly reduce costs associated with customer support operations. Fewer support tickets mean that fewer agents are needed, which can lead to significant savings on labor costs. Additionally, operational costs like training, infrastructure, and technology support can be optimized as the demand for these resources is reduced.

Scalability Without Proportional Cost Increase: Communities allow companies to scale their support capabilities without a corresponding increase in support costs. As the community grows, so does the collective knowledge and the ability to handle more customer inquiries simultaneously.

Knowledge Management and Continuous Improvement

Dynamic Knowledge Base: Community interactions provide a rich source of information that can be used to continuously update FAQs and support resources. Common issues and solutions identified in community discussions can be formalized into official documentation, ensuring that the knowledge base remains current and relevant.

Product and Service Feedback: Community forums are a goldmine for feedback on products and services. Companies can monitor discussions to gain insights into customer needs, preferences, and dissatisfaction points. This feedback can drive product improvements, influence new features, and inform service enhancements.

Marketing and Relationship Building

Enhanced Customer Loyalty and Advocacy: Customers who participate in support communities often develop a deeper connection to the brand. Their engagement can transform them into brand advocates who not only promote the company's products but also contribute to its reputation as a customer-centric organization.

Cross-Selling and Upselling Opportunities: With a more engaged customer base, companies can strategically introduce products and services directly within the community. This targeted approach can lead to effective cross-selling and upselling opportunities within a receptive audience.

Measuring the ROI of the Community as a Support Channel

Measuring the benefits of the community can be a little tricky since there are direct as well as indirect benefits that the community has for improving the overall efficiency of the customer support system while also feeding into other aspects of customer success.  Richard Millington created an excellent report along on calculating RoI of community and there is a whole chapter dedicated to calculating the reduction in customer service cost.

Let’s briefly understand some of the ways community enables cost reduction directly or indirectly:

Ticket Deflection

Ticket deflection occurs when customers find answers in the community, thus avoiding the need to contact customer support directly. Measure this by tracking the number of resolved issues within the community versus the number that escalates to formal support channels.

Time to Resolution (TTR)

Comparing the average time to resolution for issues handled through or with the help of community versus traditional support channels can give the number of hours saved w.r.t. TTR. Faster resolutions can significantly enhance customer satisfaction.

Assign a monetary value to the reduced turnaround time by estimating the cost of delayed resolutions in terms of customer satisfaction and potential revenue impact.

Cost Savings

Direct Cost Reductions: These include savings from hiring fewer support agents as the community offloads their workload. Assess the reduction in expenses related to staffing, training, and infrastructure.

One of the case studies of their client, Richard Millington, highlighted with data, how it was 72% cheaper to answer a query through the community than through support channels.

Indirect Cost Benefits: Consider savings from reduced churn (as happier customers are more likely to stay), and lower costs associated with customer acquisition (as satisfied community members may help attract new customers through word-of-mouth).

Creation of Self-Help Resources

Document common issues discussed in the community to update FAQs and knowledge bases. Measure how these resources reduce incoming queries about similar topics. 

Evaluate the reduction in inquiries after updating self-help resources, and calculate the savings in support costs associated with these reductions.

Other Ways a Community Can Lead to a Reduction in Customer Support Cost and Other Business Costs

Even if the primary use case for the community is to be a hub for customer support, it can reduce costs to the company in other ways such as:

Product Improvements

Community feedback reduces the need for engaging with costly 3rd party research which may or may not result in honest feedback. To measure the cost/revenue benefit, track product or service improvements that stem from community feedback. Assess the economic impact of these enhancements, such as increased sales or reduced product returns to assign a monetary value for the RoI of the community.

Co-Creation Initiatives

If applicable, measure the contribution of the community towards co-creation efforts, such as beta testing new products or crowdsourcing ideas, which can reduce R&D costs and enhance product-market fit.

Examples of Companies That Utilized Community for Reducing Customer Support Cost Successfully

Many companies across different industries have successfully utilized support communities to reduce their customer support costs, improve customer satisfaction, and create more scalable support systems. Here are a few notable examples that demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach:

Apple Support Community

Apple's Support Community allows users to seek help from other Apple users regarding various product-related issues. The platform is well-organized into product categories and features a user-friendly interface that facilitates easy navigation and information retrieval.

The community has significantly reduced the number of inquiries directed to Apple's official support team by allowing users to find answers quickly and independently. Apple promotes active participation by recognizing contributors with points and special statuses, which motivates more users to engage and assist others.

Microsoft Support Community

Microsoft offers a comprehensive support forum where users can post questions about any Microsoft product and receive answers from community experts or other users. The community also integrates AI tools to suggest existing answers to new queries, enhancing the efficiency of solutions provided.

This community has been instrumental in deflecting tickets that would otherwise require direct interaction with Microsoft’s support agents. By providing a platform where common issues are publicly resolved, Microsoft reduces repetitive query handling and improves customer satisfaction through faster resolutions.

In this talk (actual talk starting at the 7-minute mark), the Microsoft team talks about how they were able to increase satisfaction despite budget cuts thanks to the community.

Adobe Support Community

Adobe's Support Community is focused on creative professionals and enthusiasts using Adobe products. It features detailed discussions, tutorials, and troubleshooting tips contributed by community experts and fellow users.

Adobe’s community helps users solve complex software issues that can often be unique to the type of creative work being done, reducing the need for specialized support. The community also acts as a continuous feedback mechanism for Adobe, helping them identify bugs and improvements for user experience even more rapidly.

SAP Community

The SAP Community is a global network of SAP users, developers, and partners who share insights, best practices, and real-world tips and tricks. It also serves as a platform for users to engage in problem-solving related to highly specific business software issues.

SAP’s community helps reduce the complexity of supporting a vast array of enterprise software products and solutions. By leveraging community expertise, SAP decreases direct support costs and enhances user capability to handle complex scenarios without needing professional consultation.

In conclusion, building a support community is a strategic approach that not only reduces support costs but also enhances customer satisfaction and loyalty. By fostering a collaborative environment where customers can help each other, companies can optimize their support operations and drive continuous business improvement.

About LikeMinds:

LikeMinds elevates businesses in unlocking the true potential of their users through their in-app community and social network. Using LikeMinds, businesses achieve higher conversion and retention, by building custom community experiences in their existing platform unlocking community-led growth.

With LikeMinds, businesses get an easy-to-implement and highly scalable infrastructure with a fully customizable UI. All of this with a customization time of 3 days and a deployment time of 15 minutes.

Our Chat and Feed infra have pre-built widgets such as image carousels, PDF slides, short videos, polls, quizzes, events, forms, and more for user engagement and retention along with moderation capabilities to ensure frictionless community operations.