Implementing Zendesk for On Target Romance - Empowering Support and Enhancing CX

Overview:

On Target Romance (OTR), a prominent platform catering to romance novel readers, authors, bloggers, and publishers, approached us to implement Zendesk and optimize their customer support operations. As a B2B and B2C company, OTR aimed to streamline their support processes, define their support tone, and develop self-service options through a comprehensive knowledge base. Our goal was to empower their support team and enhance the overall user experience.

Challenges:

1. Support Tone and Macros: Establishing a consistent support tone of voice across all interactions and creating over 80 macros to address common queries and requests posed a challenge for OTR.

2. Knowledge Base Development: Designing and populating a knowledge base with informative articles to provide self-service options and empower users required thorough understanding of OTR's business and customer needs.

3. Branding and Communication: Developing a custom email template that aligned with OTR's branding while ensuring simplicity and clarity in communication was crucial.

4. Automated Workflows: Implementing best practices in Zendesk for automated workflows, ticket routing, and prioritization to improve efficiency and response times.

5. Bug Reporting and SLAs: Collaborating with OTR's developers to set up an effective process for bug reporting, resolution, and defining Service Level Agreement (SLA) targets to meet user expectations.
   

Solution:

Our team of Zendesk experts collaborated closely with OTR to implement and optimize their Zendesk system. Here's an overview of the strategies implemented:

1. Support Tone and Macros: We worked closely with OTR to define their support tone of voice, ensuring consistent and empathetic interactions with their customers. Over 80 macros were created to address common inquiries and streamline response times.

2. Knowledge Base Development: We conducted in-depth discussions with OTR to understand their business, customer pain points, and frequently asked questions. Based on this knowledge, we developed a comprehensive knowledge base with informative articles, empowering users to find solutions independently.

3. Custom Email Template: By aligning with OTR's branding guidelines, we created a custom email template that presented a cohesive and visually appealing communication experience. The template emphasized simplicity while maintaining brand identity.

4. Automated Workflows: We implemented best practices in Zendesk for automated workflows, ticket routing, and prioritization. By setting up efficient rules and triggers, we streamlined the ticket management process, ensuring tickets reached the right teams and were addressed promptly.

5. Bug Reporting and SLAs: We collaborated with OTR's developers to establish a seamless process for bug reporting within Zendesk. This enabled efficient tracking, resolution, and feedback loops. We also worked together to define SLA targets that aligned with OTR's customer expectations.

6. Training and Hand-off: We conducted several one-on-one trainings with OTR's support team, ensuring they were equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to maintain their Zendesk account. By providing comprehensive training, we empowered their team to handle support requests effectively.
   

Results:

The collaboration between OTR and our Zendesk consultants yielded significant improvements in their customer support operations and user experience. The key outcomes achieved include:

Consistent Support Experience: The defined support tone and the extensive use of macros resulted in consistent and empathetic interactions with customers, enhancing customer satisfaction.

1. Empowered Users: The knowledge base articles provided self-service options, allowing users to find solutions independently and reducing ticket volume.

2. Brand Identity and Communication: The custom email template reflected OTR's brand identity while maintaining simplicity and clarity in communication, enhancing the overall user experience.

3. Enhanced Efficiency: Automated workflows and ticket routing improved response times, ensuring that support requests were promptly assigned to the appropriate teams for resolution.

4. Streamlined Bug Reporting: The established bug reporting process within Zendesk enabled efficient tracking, resolution, and effective communication between the support and development teams.

5. Self-sufficiency: Through comprehensive training, OTR's support team became proficient in maintaining their Zendesk account, allowing them to independently handle ongoing support operations.