Call me a laggard, but I've never taken an UBER. But that's about to change especially after a near-perfect customer support experience:
I downloaded the UBER app to my iPhone, but I couldn't activate my account because I wasn't receiving the activation code UBER was sending. So, at 11:46am I sent an email describing my problem to .
Sam from UBER Support replied to my email with a solution at 2:54 pm - less than 3 hours later. A sub-3 hour for email support is superior in any industry. Forrester Research found that 41 percent of consumers expect an email response within six hours. Uber responded in half that time.
Step #2: Sam solved my problem on the first contact.
There was no research; no back-and-forth to further diagnose the issue; Sam went right to the root cause and corrected it immediately, on the first contact. As customers, that's what we want when we contact customer support: "Just solve my problem, please."
Step #3: Sam provided service beyond the solution.
Customer support is often delivered in a silo - the support rep solves the problem, and closes the case with little regard to the next experience the customer is likely to have in their journey with his/her company. Instead, Sam anticipated my next need, and gave me a list of tips to make it easy for me to request my first UBER ride, which would be the next step in my customer journey with UBER.
Strong customer support is an integral part of the overall customer experience, and if it follows these 3 steps, it can make the experience shine: Respond in a timely manner to exceed expectations, deliver the solution as quickly and directly as possible, and serve beyond the solution by giving the customer something of value for their next likely step in their journey with your company.
I still haven't taken my first UBER ride, but when I do, I expect it will be an easy one.