The only constant is change. We know the saying, but more than that, we live the saying. LIKE.TG has consistently seen changes over the past 12 months, and our very own product roadmap has been a part of that journey. We’ve seen a little bit of everything, and the customer-facing roadmap has been critical during these changes. As annual planning took shape, it became clear the 2022 customer-facing roadmap needed to evolve. Our audience has expectations and we need to meet them (if not exceed them). “Why” and “how” are the main questions we want to cover in the roadmap’s pivot to its current iteration. Five questions to answer For this exercise, we go all the way back to square one. It’s almost (almost) as if the 2022 roadmap doesn’t exist. Thankfully, we have it as a baseline! The product team began by conducting a few internal and customer interviews to gather feedback on the 2022 roadmap. We wanted to know what worked and what could be improved. As we chatted with our respective audiences, the team came up with a framework for how to evolve the roadmap. As shaping continued, the product team revisited the five questions to keep in mind before roadmapping. The first one to discuss focuses on the roadmap’s intended audience. As we keep these questions in mind, we’re also going to look at this evolution through the lens of LIKE.TG features. The overall taxonomy of the roadmap informs and complements these questions. With that said, we’ll focus on lanes, legend, tags and even custom views. When I write the 2024 version of this article, I have a feeling custom dropdown fields will play a major role. Stay tuned until then! Who is our intended audience? Let’s start with the intended audience for the 2023 roadmap. Who was this in 2022, and has it changed for the year ahead? These roadmaps have both primary and secondary audiences. Starting with an external need for our customers and then looking to the internal LIKE.TG team, the roadmap must provide value for people with varying degrees of product familiarity. While there might be new members of the LIKE.TG team and new customers, the overall audience remained consistent from 2022 to 2023. Ultimately, this is a customer-facing product roadmap. The secondary use would come for the product team as we organize our workload and present to the internal LIKE.TG community. With the primary audience, the lanes and legend saw an evolution from 2022 to 2023. We’ll dig into this soon. How will we be sharing our roadmap? Now that we know the audience, how will the roadmaps be shared with these groups? When it comes to the externally-shared roadmap, we exclusively share via video calls. As much as we want the roadmap to speak for itself, we still need to ensure the LIKE.TG team is able to share context as to what’s being worked on and any changes ahead. As for the secondary audience, reviewing the roadmap has become more ad hoc for the internal LIKE.TG team. Meetings are less frequent as we’ve found ways to better document necessary information. Everyone in the company has viewer access, but only the product team has editor access. In monthly roadmap update meetings, the product team presents product updates via the roadmap. These are less frequent than in past years. In addition to the monthly cadence, videos are shared on a more ongoing basis (thanks Vimeo integration)! I review the roadmap at the end of every week. This gives me the ability to track what’s currently being worked on and coming soon. I know things will change as the team and roadmap are dynamic! What are we trying to communicate and answer with the roadmap? Having defined the audience for the year ahead, we then focus on what the roadmap is meant to communicate (and consider whether this changed over the past year)? While the actual features on the roadmap may have changed from 2022 to 2023, the way they are communicated has remained fairly consistent. As the audience for the roadmap, we are presented with a list view by tag. Those tags are “Recently Launched,” “Now,” “Next” and “Future.” This custom view gives us (the audience) a streamlined, simple draft that’s easy to understand. It reduces any extra noise and communicates the broad plan without getting too specific with dates and intricacies. Continuing along this path, what questions do we want the roadmap to answer for the audience? The roadmap remains a high-level, strategic tool. The audience doesn’t need to know exactly how the sausage is made. We just want to know why and when the sausage is going to be delivered! The use of containers became necessary in 2023 as more development and overall work was scheduled to occur. The product team grew and thus the workload expanded. There were more intricacies to manage. The team began employing both bars and containers rather than simply containers as was the practice in 2022. Hierarchy of the customer-facing roadmap The lanes and legend are the two most important elements of the roadmap. Ideally the legend will answer the audience’s most pressing question. Both the 2022 and 2023 roadmaps have LIKE.TG objectives at their core, but there’s an evolution to these objectives. For 2022, the objectives focused more on product development and features. We saw the 2023 evolution take on broader brushstrokes. The prior was focused on Launch Management while early 2023 has seen a focus on Idea and Opportunity Management. Major projects related to integrations and new modules take centerstage. Of course, roadmaps are dynamic and we know this will continue to evolve. Sharing it with customers has been a beneficial way to get feedback and influence that evolution! Lanes underwent a similar transformation. The 2022 lanes were centered on LIKE.TG competencies with the core product, integrations and platform enhancements. As planning was underway, the addition of new product managers meant more content on the roadmap. Lanes were going to be more important than ever. It’s important to note that our customer-facing “roadmap” is a Portfolio made up of each product manager’s roadmap. Their underlying roadmaps are represented as lanes in the Portfolio. This makes it easy for each PM to edit, but also get a consolidated view. It also added an extra layer of organization as we planned for resources and development. Does each product manager have the same workload and resources? The 2023 roadmap gives a better answer to these questions. The 2023 roadmap also saw the addition of more tags. The only tags for 2022 provided the Kanban style view. The tags for 2023 give us more about departments, company goals and product stages. We’re able to drill down into specifics and what each audience member (internal and external) truly wants to see. How far out are we planning? Finally, we ask ourselves how far out are we planning? The roadmap remains consistent with the now, next and future presentation. We know the current quarter has around 80 percent accuracy. As we move further out to the future status, we’re aware the roadmap is going to lose a bit of that specificity and integrity. The way our product team releases their work also changed from 2022 to 2023. In 2022, we released on a two week sprint cycle. That evolved to weekly sprints in early 2023 and now dynamic, potentially daily releases. We’ll see if that brings any additional updates to the roadmap! Stay tuned for whatever changes occur next…we know they’re coming! If you want to take a look at the 2023 roadmap with your customer success manager, please reach out, and we can get that scheduled. We’re also hosting an office hour to chat about the roadmap evolution and answer any questions you may have. If you want to pop by, please reach out to [email protected].

I know what you’re thinking. Oh no, not another blog about ChatGPT. However, even if you’re sick of hearing about this already notorious artificial intelligence tool’s strange adventures, it’s likely here to stay, and we’re only scratching the surface of the impact of this cutting-edge technology. There have been countless stories, tests, and experiments using this fascinating chatbot. One that caught my attention is the bizarre conversations a New York Times reporter had with Microsoft’s new A.I.-powered Bing search engine. Awkward confessions of love aside, there is no doubt that ChatGPT and other AI tools like it are poised to impact every aspect of our lives. And product management is not immune to this new era of artificial intelligence. Many product professionals have started tinkering with ChatGPT to understand its impact on product management. The emergence of AI in product management is simultaneously being welcomed with a red carpet, ignored as nothing more than a fad, and outright shunned as death, a destroyer of worlds. We’re no different at ProductPlan. Our research and development department is constantly evaluating technological innovations and enhancements to better understand the future of our end-to-end product management platform. So without further ado, I am excited to share our recent ChatGPT experiment. The premise: How can we use ChatGPT in the LIKE.TG platform? The premise is simple. Can we use a tool like ChatGPT in our product management platform? What types of tasks or ceremonies in the platform would benefit from artificial intelligence? Our goal is to support the creative and intelligent product professionals that use our platform—not replace them with AI. The point is to make these product folks more efficient so they can focus on more high-value tasks like strategy and launching innovative products and features. With this in mind, we turned our focus toward shaping our hypothesis. Our hypothesis: An AI tool like ChatGPT can help product managers save time when setting up a roadmap. A common question we hear from customers who are newer to roadmapping, in general, is, “Where do I start?” Anyone who has sat down the night before an essay is due in school can relate to that daunting feeling of staring at a blank page. And roadmapping is no different. The beauty of LIKE.TG is our ease of use and the way our platform gives product managers ultimate control over how they want to build their roadmap. Yet, we understand that total freedom can be paralyzing, so we heavily invest in implementation and customer support to set our customers up for success in our platform. So, we thought—what if we could build a brainstorming tool to assist a Product Manager in creating an Agile roadmap in a few minutes? The challenge is figuring out how ChatGPT can be implemented into our existing roadmap functionality in our platform. Our goal was to create a seamless experience where artificial intelligence works directly with a roadmap. hbspt.cta.load(3434168, '59077c2b-9f35-4763-9d85-1ccddfadf1db', {"useNewLoader":"true","region":"na1"}); The experiment: Building an Agile roadmap using artificial intelligence in the LIKE.TG app. We started with the concept of an Assistant Planner. Imagine you’ve sat down on an empty roadmap and pulled open the Table Layout to seed Parked Items. You have a feature in mind, but the details needed to plan it escape you. This is where the Assistant Planner comes in: “Tell us about the feature that you plan to work on?” You type… “Plan a marketing campaign for a new Tesla pickup truck with a focus age group of 25 to 35.” This sends a request to OpenAI, integrating with GPT-3 to return a list of sequenced tasks, separated into necessary phases to launch the campaign, all ready to be imported into your roadmap: Phase 1: Research – Research target audience and competitors to understand the market and create a plan for the campaign. Research target audience (age group 25 to 25) Research competitors Analyze market trends Create a plan for the campaign Phase 2: Design – Design the campaign materials, including visuals, copy, and other elements. Create visuals for the campaign Write copy for the campaign Design other elements (e.g. landing page, email template, etc) Phase 3: Launch – Launch the campaign and track results. Launch campaign Track results (e.g. impressions, clicks, conversations, etc.) The results: ChatGPT successfully built an Agile roadmap in just a few minutes with a simple prompt. Well, it worked! Our engineer demoed the prototype of the ChatGPT functionality for the research and development team during a recent all-hands meeting. It was incredibly impressive what our engineer was able to accomplish during their dedicated passion project time. In Conclusion: The future of AI looks bright, and we’re excited to continue researching and experimenting to build our end-to-end product management platform. I hope you enjoyed reading through our AI experiment. For now, we have no formal plans to sell a ChatGPT-powered roadmap builder. We believe there’s much to learn about artificial intelligence’s role in product management. And we’re in no hurry to implement a tool that still gives funny yet strange results. More importantly, I hope you liked this brief snapshot of some of the incredible work our research and development teams do behind the scenes. We’re excited to share that we have launched our very own LIKE.TG Engineering blog, chronicling our journey, lessons learned and sharing more exciting experiments. Make sure to bookmark it so you can check in on us as we share new stories from the engineering front! Download How to Transform Your IT Department with Strategic Roadmaps➜ hbspt.cta.load(3434168, '141f0d0c-4d85-4ec0-8517-7c23ca4ed402', {"useNewLoader":"true","region":"na1"});

At LIKE.TG, we treat product design with intention. From inception to delivery, we follow a rigorous process that ensures our customers get the best possible user experience. Transparency is a key cornerstone of that process. By hosting design sessions with engineers, PMs, and product designers, we gain different perspectives on a single problem. This helps shape our solution and brings the entire organization into alignment before the designs are seen by customers. Interested in learning more? We thought so. We’ll share our entire process below from start to finish. Let’s get to designing better products! Triple Diamond Approach The overarching methodology we follow at LIKE.TG is the Triple Diamond Approach created by Zendesk. For those unfamiliar, it’s a way to attack any design problem using four distinct segments: Discovery, Development, Validation, and Rollout. Before we break the approach down, why do we use it? Primarily for its ease of use. With Triple Diamond, we start simple and expand from there. There’s no need to gather a ton of feedback upfront. Instead, we collect feedback from users over time and learn how they use the product live. It also provides a stop-gap to prevent any designer, engineer, PM, or stakeholder from trying to solve every problem. Over-designing a feature, especially an MVP, can lead to unnecessary overhead and customer support once the feature is released. Sure, delighters are nice to have and add depth to the product, but they must be planned meaningfully. Now, let’s dive a little deeper into the activities in each ” segment” in the triple diamond. Discovery The Discovery segment has four main activities: Problem Discovery, Problem Validation, Solution Discovery, and Concept Validation. First, product designers should seek an understanding of the problem space and the customer’s needs. Second, they formulate a clear and concise statement of the problem that needs to be solved from the user’s POV. Then they begin researching potential solutions to solve the problem. Finally, designers can start creating early mockups and prototypes to be put in front of customers. Development With a potential solution to the problem, the development of prototypes can be tested both internally and externally. Cross-discipline teams work closely with one another during this phase and work through found UI and UX. Validation Validation is the Early Access Program with customers to gain more insights. Typically, a select beta user group is invited to test the new feature/product. This beta group allows for more feedback from real customers as they incorporate the new feature or functionality into their normal flow. Rollout Once enough data has been acquired and provides the necessary confidence in delivering a feature or functionality, general availability (GA) is ready for all customers. Product Design Breakdown With the Triple Diamond Approach out of the way, let’s break down exactly how we approach product design at ProductPlan. We’ll go through our entire product design process and focus on what works for us. Let’s start at the beginning with the Inception phase. Inception Working alongside our product managers and reviewing customers’ feedback typically reveals a new user experience pain point that possibly needs to be addressed. Before we begin our exploration, we constantly tie any problem hypotheses to our company objective(s) that directly refer to the product objectives. The customer’s needs are super important at this stage. Hosting user interviews with current or potential customers gives us a foundation to start designing and working through hypotheses. From there, we categorize the needs to create a proper solution, which leads us to the next step, Research. Research Next comes one of the most important steps in our process: Research. Here, we employ three pillars of product design research: competitive analysis, user testing, and user interviews. Competitive analysis is our very simple starting point within our research methodology. What our competitors or someone similar in our industry are doing provides us with many insights into our design principles. Here we ask the following questions: What seems to be working? What can we glean from that work to help kick-start our Exploration phase? What are some things we can avoid? Are certain tools too complicated? Can they be reduced to a more basic form so that we can build upon and grow the feature or tool? The next steps involve user interviews followed up by user testing. For user interviews, we rely on our amazing Customer Success Managers and Product Managers to set up customer calls with users that we feel may benefit from a feature we are working on. After compiling feedback and input from these interviews, we can pose very early exploratory plans, protocols, and further questions to our users through user testing. From there, we take the valuable feedback from our customers and begin to iterate in the Exploration phase. Exploration Once we have a rough idea of the customers’ needs, we can begin exploring potential solutions. This is where our initial drawings are created. Something we like to emphasize during this phase is to make these early drawings outside of a design tool such as Figma. Instead, pen and paper or a drawing app are employed. We do this instead of working directly in Figma as we feel it does not limit ourselves creatively. Working within a design tool immediately may hinder the exploration process as you feel you must adhere to certain designs or guidelines. The most important thing during this phase is to get any raw idea out there, even if it’s far-fetched. During this design phase, we also hold blue sky sessions with our PM, QA, and engineering teams. At the end of the day, as a design team, we need to both diverge and converge. All designers participate in blue sky sessions to provide more insights and context since there may be something another team/designer is working on similar to our efforts. These sessions help us ensure we are all in alignment between product, product design, and engineering. Design system Here’s where the actual heads-down design work begins. The designs might change from feature to feature, but we keep a few tenets in mind during this phase: accessibility, reusability, and brand consistency. This is achieved with confidence through our design system: Atlas. In Atlas, accessibility is near and dear to our hearts. The web should be built for all, and while we are still working towards making our site more and more accessible, there are a couple of rules we have in place for anything we build. First, colors always meet 4.5:1 to achieve AA standards. Second, any new UI component built or expanded upon has native keyboard navigation functionality. In this way, we make sure that as our product grows and changes, we are still designing in a way that keeps access to our tool in the hands of everyone. We strongly emphasize reusable components, which refer to building blocks used in design and code. These components include buttons, various selection inputs, page layouts, and other user interface elements. We do this for two reasons. Not having to redesign a certain component saves time and gives our designers more confidence in what they are building. And two, not having to restyle or rebuild functionality gives our engineers the freedom to focus on tests and enhancements. Finally, since we don’t want our customers to have a disjointed experience, we maintain consistency across our global styles and brand. This makes for a better-unified experience from end to end. It also prevents confusion from an incongruous design to the rest of the platform. Design review After a design is complete, it’s time for review within our team and cross-functionally with engineering. This is accomplished through two syncs: one with just the design team and the other with design plus key engineering stakeholders. Our weekly design team sync is a free space to share what we’ve been working on and explain user needs and design decisions. The feedback from other design members is vital as it keeps us all in lockstep. It’s also important to emphasize providing psychological safety during this sync. This creates an environment where we can share openly without judgment. Our engineering syncs allow us to meet with key engineering individuals to help align the design direction. From here, engineering can share with the larger team to keep everyone aligned. We can also gather feedback from the engineering team here if dev work is found. From here, we fine-tune designs accordingly. From these conversations, PMs and Design can better understand the project’s scope from an engineering perspective and the time allotted to the problem and solution. Full designs from here can be broken down into snack-able items that allow us to release an MVP while having a list of enhancements to chip away at in parallel with other work. Delivery Delivery is the final step in our product design process at ProductPlan. Here we conduct our handoff ceremony with engineering. What do we hand off? Annotated Figma files with prototypes to provide engineers with proper expectations of flows. Importantly, this is also when we work with sales and marketing to ensure deliverables are known and understood. We then deliver marketing materials for landing pages, email campaigns, social media content, and more. Tools used I’d be remiss not to mention the tools we use during the product design process at ProductPlan. We employ the following: Figma for design and prototypes Miro for cross-team collaboration Dovetail for research aggregation Adobe for animation references for our engineering team Metabase and Google Analytics for statistics around usage Pendo for first time user experiences and new feature onboarding Final thoughts At LIKE.TG, we are deeply committed to providing the best possible user experience. Our approach involves transparency, collaboration, and a systematic design methodology. We create a safe space for exploration and conversations, allowing each team member to contribute genuinely and perform their best. While we strive for continuous improvement, we owe much of our progress to the consistently insightful feedback from our customers. Together, we are building better features and enhancing our product!

Product professionals spend countless hours researching, prioritizing, and planning, all in the name of creating a successful product launch. And while they may know the problem space like the back of their hand, what we’ve heard time and time again when speaking with product folks is that no stakeholders involved have great visibility into what happens during a launch. And that is true for the product professionals themselves! In fact, a significant number of go-to-market efforts are entirely coordinated by a separate team without the direct involvement of the product organization. To add more complexity to this issue, these teams handling the launch processes typically coordinate their efforts in a tool that is entirely separate from the product roadmap. Therefore, it is no surprise that these teams have information gaps. Communication silos in the product launch process are a recipe for disaster It can feel worrisome to spend all this time developing a product based on a strategic vision and then have to turn the launch of your precious product or feature to a separate team to bring it to market. However, product professionals care deeply about the success of their product. And the product launch remains a crucial factor in determining overall success. You may solve the customer’s most significant pain point with a feature you just released, but how will the customer know about it? It doesn’t make much sense for the product team to own the research and strategy, disappear during the launch phase and come back to analyze the success. As a result, launch coordinators may have to create time-consuming reports to give updates on the launch. For instance, they have to repeatedly answer which upcoming items have launch plans, when the launch is happening, and if it’s on track. In addition, the siloed launch contributors often have to ask for updates on a release so they can adjust their launch plans and dates accordingly. In short, it becomes one big tangled mess of communication. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be this way. Putting all the pieces together: Your roadmap strategy and a successful product launch What if your launches were all in one place, and they tied directly into your roadmap strategy? With LIKE.TG, this is a reality! We wanted to create a deeper connection with your launch planning and roadmap strategy so that your teams have all the information they need in one place. hbspt.cta.load(3434168, '842368a9-af78-421f-a3cb-4da00ad39f75', {"useNewLoader":"true","region":"na1"}); Our product and engineering teams have been hard at work enhancing our Launch Management solution with additional functionality for our customers. As you add bars and containers to the “Included in the Launch” section of your Launch Checklist, it will trigger the launch name to display on your Roadmap and Portfolio, reducing the need for you to have to update stakeholders on which items have planned launches and how they’re going. The information is front and center for all who need it. Keep reading for a quick recap of recent enhancements and capabilities to our Launch Management solution. 1. See associated launches in the Table View for roadmaps and portfolios On the table view, a new column displays associated launches. Here, your product leaders and stakeholders can easily look at all items on a roadmap or portfolio and understand which have an associated launch and which don’t. They can dig a little deeper by clicking on each Launch to find the status updates. 2. Launch information can also be accessed in the Timeline View for roadmaps and portfolios This concept extends to the timeline view for roadmaps by connecting associated launch information on hover and showcasing upcoming launches as milestone-like flags at the top of your timeline. These flags are designed a little differently to stand out but can be turned off via a toggle at the bottom of your roadmap if you need a more focused view. All of this happens when you connect a bar or container to a launch. You can now focus your time on more pressing needs. 3. Target dates for bars and containers display within the launch checklist Lastly, we know that coordinating launch tasks is a feat in itself. Your team must complete all the tasks in time for the launch. If you’re not involved in the day-to-day development, this may mean following up with a product manager or engineer to ensure that the item is still on track and adjusting your plans accordingly. By displaying target dates for bars and containers within your launch checklist, you eliminate the status updates and follow-ups. If you have your roadmap integrated with JIRA or ADO, this may be even easier as the dates now pass through from your development tool to your roadmap items, and finally, to your launch. Try Launch Management today! Launch Management is available as a part of our Enterprise plan and our two-week free trial. If you’d like to learn more, schedule 45 minutes with us, and we’ll tailor a demo to your unique launch goals and challenges. We’re looking forward to turning your next product launch into a success! hbspt.cta.load(3434168, 'd4bd00d0-70a8-4c3e-8784-09d1cafeb2f8', {"useNewLoader":"true","region":"na1"});

Today, LIKE.TG is officially launching a brand new Product Discovery tool available exclusively to our Enterprise customers. With Product Discovery, you can capture ideas, organize them in a central repository, and validate the right opportunities that will drive your strategy. For Enterprise customers looking for more detailed information on how to get started, check out our support documentation. And for those not on a LIKE.TG Enterprise plan, we’d love to show you how Product Discovery can help you make better product decisions with a quick demo. You can schedule that here. Finally, let’s spend some time walking through why we invested in solving challenges around capturing ideas and validating opportunities. We’ll also show off what you can expect to find in Product Discovery with a quick tour of the platform provided below. Let’s get started. Why We Built It Product teams have long needed an easy way to organize all of their product ideas. Feedback can come from anywhere. An idea might come from the company strategy that asks the product team to deliver on a particular objective. Or an idea might come directly from your customers who ask for specific improvements to your product. But ideas alone don’t make a product strategy. Adding every feature request or new idea from a vocal stakeholder onto your roadmap is a quick way to become a feature factory. So while capturing and organizing ideas is certainly step one, it can’t end there. We wrote more about our approach to helping you turn feedback into strategic product decisions late last year. The takeaway being that there needs to be an established process that helps you decide whether possible solutions will drive desired company outcomes. This is the Product Discovery process in a nutshell. Develop a profound understanding of your customers, then use that knowledge to build vital products. Without a way to capture and compare possible solutions for the same opportunity, product teams are unable to make prioritization decisions confidently. Everything becomes a priority. And when everything is a priority, nothing is. Sound familiar? How LIKE.TG Helps LIKE.TG’s Product Discovery tool has two main spaces. The first is a dedicated Ideas space for you to capture and manage customer feedback, feature requests, and more. Ideas can be submitted directly by internal stakeholders with the right permissions, or by customers via private intake form. This helps you control the influx of ideas, focusing on quality over quantity. The second is an Opportunities space designed to help you uncover the work that will make the biggest impact on your business. Opportunities help you bridge the gap between your strategy and the ideas you collect. Use opportunities to outline possible strategic priorities for your team. Then, assign the ideas that could help you accomplish each priority you identify. With opportunities, you finally have a place to document your strategy, compare opportunities, and define what success looks like. Opportunities are also a great way to keep your ideas organized. Finally, we want to make sure you can easily move validated priorities from your Discovery space over to your LIKE.TG roadmaps. In a few clicks, you can connect opportunities to relevant bars and containers in your roadmap. Getting Started Enterprise plan customers can get started today by logging into LIKE.TG and heading over to the new Discovery space by clicking on the ‘lightbulb’ icon in the top right menu. For non-Enterprise customers, request a demo by clicking on the button below.

Few advancements have sparked as much excitement and potential as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML). These groundbreaking technologies are reshaping industries and revolutionizing the way we approach product management. As companies continue to integrate the capabilities of AI and ML into their software, they are reaping substantial rewards. Consequently, how will AI and ML transform the product management space? Let’s take a closer look at how the usage of AI is expected to evolve over time. Furthermore, we’ll dive into the possible consequences for companies that are slow to adopt it or overlook its potential. The Current Impact of AI and ML on Product Management The impact of AI and ML on product management is already yielding remarkable benefits for companies that have embraced their capabilities. For example, these technologies empower product managers to gain valuable insights into customer needs, drive product development, and elevate user experiences. With the aid of AI, product managers can tap into advanced data analytics, enabling them to better understand consumer behavior, preferences, and market trends. Furthermore, this wealth of information empowers them to make informed decisions about product features, pricing strategies, and impactful marketing campaigns. ML algorithms analyze vast datasets, unveiling patterns and predicting future trends, thereby enabling product managers to proactively respond to market demands. Moreover, AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants have revolutionized customer support, offering personalized recommendations and real-time assistance. These intelligent systems streamline interactions, freeing up valuable time for product managers to focus on strategic initiatives. The Evolving Landscape of AI in Product Management As AI and ML continue to evolve, their impact on product management is poised to reach new heights. Here are a few exciting areas where AI is expected to create transformative change: Enhanced Customer Insights: AI algorithms will become even more adept at analyzing complex datasets, granting product managers deeper customer insights and an unprecedented ability to anticipate their needs. This will result in the development of highly tailored products and services that resonate with target audiences. Automated Product Development: AI and ML will facilitate the automation of various aspects of product development, including idea generation, prototyping, and testing. Intelligent algorithms will leverage historical data and user feedback to generate innovative product ideas and optimize design, significantly reducing time-to-market. Hyper-Personalization: With AI, product managers can create hyper-personalized experiences by leveraging individual customer data. By understanding each user’s preferences, behaviors, and context, AI-powered systems can deliver customized product recommendations, personalized marketing messages, and tailored user interfaces. Consequences for Companies Slow to Adopt In this era of rapid technological advancement, companies that hesitate to embrace AI and ML technologies in their product management processes risk falling behind their competitors and missing out on numerous growth opportunities. Here are some potential consequences to consider: Missed Competitive Advantage: AI-driven insights and automation provide a significant competitive advantage in today’s fast-paced business landscape. Companies that fail to adopt these technologies may struggle to meet customer expectations, leading to a loss of market share. Inefficiency in Operations: Without AI-powered automation, product management processes may become inefficient and resource-intensive. Manual data analysis and decision-making can result in delays, errors, and suboptimal outcomes. Overlooking Growth Opportunities: AI and ML uncover hidden market trends, identify untapped customer segments, and generate innovative product ideas. Companies that do not leverage them may miss out on valuable growth opportunities and fail to meet evolving customer demands. Diminished Customer Satisfaction: AI-driven personalization and intelligent support systems enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty. Companies that do not embrace these capabilities may struggle to deliver seamless user experiences, leading to customer dissatisfaction and churn. The Immense Potential AI and ML Product management is undergoing a remarkable transformation, and AI and ML technologies are at the heart of this revolution. This article highlights the immense potential of these technologies to empower companies, drive innovation, and create exceptional user experiences. Embracing AI and ML as integral components of product management strategies will enable businesses to stay at the forefront of innovation and meet the ever-changing needs of their customers. So, let’s embrace the warmth of these technologies and embark on a journey of growth and success together.

Finally, a place for strategy in ProductPlan. LIKE.TG has long been your single source of truth for the what, when, and how behind your product. We’ve helped you map out your major initiatives and prioritize what to build next. More recently, we’ve helped you crowdsource new ideas from customers and stakeholders alike, and create a consistent GTM process for every new launch. Now, we want to help you capture your product strategy. Today, we are launching the Open Beta for a new strategy space in LIKE.TG. It is designed to help you capture and communicate your organization’s major objectives, track OKRs, and visualize how planned work maps to the big picture. Many of our customers are candid about their struggles to connect initiatives planned in their roadmaps to the broader goals they support. We want to build a world where both the product strategy and its execution can exist in the same platform, where: A product leader can quickly create a big picture view of progress made towards major goals. A product manager can make smarter decisions faster and justify those decisions by connecting them to the overarching “why.” It’s easy for anyone in the organization to see how the product strategy drills down into every roadmap. Strategy at LIKE.TG is the first step towards building a better way to align your teams. The Open Beta for Strategy will last through the end of August. We’ll use the beta to fine-tune functionality, add new enhancements, and, most importantly, hear directly from you about what’s working and what isn’t. But first, let’s take a quick tour of how strategy works in ProductPlan. Request a Demo > A clearly defined space for strategy Roadmaps serve as a great plan of action. They detail the major initiatives planned over a given amount of time. They visualize what you’re building next. They map how different projects support each other. However, as a tool for communicating product plans, a roadmap often isn’t the right place to summarize high-level goals. We’ve spoken with many customers who have a separate document for their product strategy. It lives in a PowerPoint or spreadsheet, untethered from the work happening across the roadmap. Our first step in supporting strategy within LIKE.TG was to create a designated space for it. You no longer have to cobble together a view of your strategic priorities by utilizing your Lanes or Legend. These features are now free to help you visualize other important information on your roadmap, like team ownership or status. Instead, we now have a new space in LIKE.TG to capture your product organization’s major objectives. These can be measurable outcomes you’re hoping to achieve, broader themes or areas of focus, and other product-specific goals. Give your team easy access to the product strategy at any time. This allows the strategy to stay front and center whenever your team needs to plan new initiatives or prioritize what to focus on. Request a Demo > A straightforward way to map strategy to execution “Why are you doing what you’re doing?” is a question product people get time and time again. It’s a complicated request. It requires a product manager to account for a variety of determining factors, from resource capacities to customer feedback. But at the heart of every new product, release, or initiative has to be a thread connecting it to the organization’s goals. The best way to justify work is to show how it supports the product strategy. You can now easily map initiatives represented as your roadmap bars or containers to company objectives. With this ability, you can give each initiative a true north star that guides decision-making. You can also create a roadmap view by company objective in seconds, making it easy to present how you plan to execute your strategy. Show progress toward goal completion at a glance Finally, we want to help you report on progress. Any good product OKR has a series of key results that help you quantify the success or failure of a particular objective. We first want to help you answer the questions, “How close are we to reaching our goals, and what’s left to do?” LIKE.TG can now show you how many of the initiatives mapped to your objectives are complete out of the total. This can be great for ‘at a glance’ assessments of progress. See which objectives are falling behind and which are ahead of schedule. Then drill into your roadmaps to understand what’s left to do. While this is where we’re starting, it’s not where we want to end. There’s more to measuring success than reporting on completed outputs. As we develop Strategy further, we look forward to building out our reporting capabilities. What would it look like to track the cost of investment, for example? As you use the new tool, you’ll see an option to provide feedback on what other kinds of reporting you’d like to see. We’d love to hear from you. Request a Demo > Available now in Open Beta If you’re a current LIKE.TG customer on either a Professional or Enterprise plan, you can try Strategy in LIKE.TG today for free—no need to switch anything on. Simply log in and head to the new Strategy space in the left-hand sidebar. If you’re not a LIKE.TG customer but would like a tour, request a demo. Our team will be in touch shortly to walk you through our platform. Bonus: navigate LIKE.TG with ease Speaking of the left-hand sidebar, you’ll likely notice a completely revamped navigation system in ProductPlan. We want to help you easily discover new features (like Strategy) and quickly traverse familiar territory (like Roadmaps) within the LIKE.TG platform. So we’ve added enhancements like bread crumbing to help you better keep track of where you’ve been and make it easy to go back. Looking forward As an Open Beta feature set, Strategy in LIKE.TG is just the beginning. As we move through the beta period, we’ll continue to refine and add new functionality rooted in your feedback. Looking forward, we want to focus on connecting strategy to more than just roadmaps in ProductPlan. We want to see it cascade to the discovery process, prioritization, and launch. We also want to build more robust key results capabilities. So stay tuned.

As the Head of Product at LIKE.TG, I spend a lot of time talking to product teams and learning about their experiences throughout the product development process. I am deeply familiar with their common refrains of endless roadmap review meetings, repetitive PowerPoint presentations, and the strain of constant context shifting. Sometimes, it’s helpful to get out of the day-to-day and see things from a different lens. I loved that stepping into ProductWorld’s Developer Week 2024 in San Francisco a few weeks ago reminded me of the other side of the product development experience. Engineers and development teams surrounded us—the people who collaborate with product teams daily—the often unsung heroes of building truly impactful products that solve real problems for real people. It was a terrific experience hearing from my peers, mingling with fresh faces, and participating in great conversations about nurturing the coexistence of product and engineering with empathy, respect, and mutual accountability. I came out of Developer Week with three key takeaways about how we can work together in their quests to design, build, test, and ultimately ship great products. Keep reading to learn more about my experience at the event! #1 – The best product and engineering teams create shared accountability Collaboration is the cornerstone of successful product and engineering teams, starting with effective communication. By working together and being transparent, product and engineering will see each other as partners seeking to achieve the same goals. Product teams are responsible for creating a strategy and explaining the “why” behind the product. Their importance shouldn’t be overlooked or dismissed as not technical enough. Product’s role is crucial to the development of effective product strategy and stakeholder buy-in. On the other hand, engineering must stay informed throughout the product development lifecycle and closely involved in problem-solving processes. They should not be dismissed as “ticket-takers” and can provide insightful guidance to the product. Speakers and attendees alike emphasized the importance of utilizing robust communication tools, like our product management platform, to facilitate seamless collaboration and encourage shared accountability. A collaborative mindset enhances teamwork and amplifies the overall impact of the product organization. In short, product teams should own outcomes while developers own the outputs. Together, they own the impact. #2 – Successful execution requires a thoughtful strategy Product management and project management are often confused with one another, but they are two distinct roles that serve different purposes. Project managers should work closely with product teams to create thoughtful and realistic plans, similar to how engineering teams rely on product expertise for strategy. Successful product execution requires a thoughtful balance between ambition and probabilistic planning from product and project managers. Justin Meyer, CEO of Bitovi, shared valuable insights and practical strategies during his presentation “Building and Maintaining Actionable Multi-team Plans.” At Bitovi, they help product teams strengthen confidence in their estimates by taking a data-driven approach to planning. They build formulas with standard deviations around confidence in effort estimates to ensure realistic forecasts. This approach helps stakeholders identify critical paths and dependencies and promotes communication and shared accountability for the teams that are working together. Product should also be prepared with thoughtful problem statements and have clear recommendations for an effective sequence of tasks. Each step is interdependent, underscoring the importance of creating mutual buy-in early in the product development lifecycle. To manage effective sequencing, Meyer suggested reducing scope, adjusting resources, and addressing confidence issues promptly. The overarching goal of probabilistic planning is to expedite tasks with heightened confidence. All things considered, Product has a crucial role in the planning process. When alignment on the “what” and “why” is established, uncertainty about the “how” becomes secondary, fostering a conducive environment for successful execution. #3 – Expect the unexpected and learn to adapt In an era of rapid technological advancements, it’s not just about having great ideas but mastering the art of embracing change and adapting swiftly to unforeseen challenges. Learning to pivot is not just a skill but a survival necessity. The conference drove home the importance of acknowledging this reality early on, urging product leaders to embrace agility to succeed. Although some things are out of your control, even the most minor expected setbacks can become opportunities for success. Lindsay Harman, Senior Product Manager at Sirius XM, elaborated on ways to pivot and innovate in her presentation “Making the Most of Failed Products: Pivoting Your Roadmap and Goals When Things Don’t Go as Planned.” In one exercise, she had the audience imagine that they worked at a medical device company that recently released a wearable product to improve memory. But after going to market and finding early success, the FDA shuts them down for a side effect that increases the length of customers’ limbs… how should they pivot when confronted with this unforeseen obstacle? This creative thinking exercise encouraged everyone to consider a new market. Is the “limb-lengthening” side effect desirable for some people? Is there an opportunity to sell to them and consider a new market? Although it was just an example, it was a fun and playful way to show the importance of adopting a mindset that welcomes unexpected change and adapts to survive. How I’m bringing these insights into my work as a product leader After attending the conference, I felt inspired by the valuable insights I could bring back to ProductPlan. The most important takeaway was that shared accountability is essential for collaborative success. Firstly, shared accountability emerges as the foundation for collective success, reminding us that effective communication is the bridge that connects teams. The importance of a thoughtful strategy resonates clearly, urging leaders to find the right balance between ambition and probabilistic planning. And, of course, embracing change ensures survival and becomes the catalyst for innovation, setting our product teams up to be resilient. Together, these key learnings form a compass guiding us toward sustained success and excellence in the ever-evolving world of product leadership. Where is LIKE.TG heading next? LIKE.TG will also attend the Product-Led Summit hosted by the Product-Led Alliance in New York on March 20-21. Our team is looking forward to continuing our development as product leaders and would love the opportunity to connect while we’re in town. Contact our team at [email protected] to connect with us.

When plotting out our product’s trajectory, there’s a constant tension between two competing mindsets. On the one hand, there’s the “go-big-or-go-home” moonshot approach. Where charismatic leaders rally the troops around an ambitious vision with a massive potential payoff. These high-risk gambits get praised when they succeed and pilloried when they fail. Meanwhile, the slow, steady drumbeat of cautious experimentation and incremental enhancements always makes the product better. However, they don’t fundamentally shake things up much. It’s not sexy and won’t land the leadership team any TED Talks. Yet the customer experience continually improves while KPI targets come into view. Some might think an organization must be all-in on one of these philosophies. How can you justify redirecting resources to tweaking the UX or integrating an API when they could spend time building the next big thing? Alternatively, how can we let our current customers suffer and miss out on easy wins just to chase after something that might not even work and won’t generate meaningful revenue for years? Big bets have big payoffs, but there’s a reason it’s called gambling In the venture capital world, the prevailing strategy is to invest in multiple companies knowing that many will fail. But when one of them hits it big, it makes up for the 75% that fail to deliver a return. This portfolio approach is baked into everything VCs do. They raise enough capital to spread their cash across a diverse enough collection of businesses. This way, they can weather the risk and wait around for their eventual payday. But your company isn’t a VC, even if some back it. You don’t have the cash to take so many risks or the runway to see which might eventually pan out. This means you’ve only got so many swings at the plate to get a big bet right. So you want to make those chances count. That means doing your homework regarding market intelligence, product-market fit, technical feasibility, and the like. But it also sets the stage for a parallel strategy that doesn’t sacrifice short-term wins. The team can still make minor changes and improvements that boost adoption, revenue, and retention while still pursuing big bets. How can these things happen in parallel without chaos ensuing? Here are the four ingredients you need. A clear product vision Every business and product needs a vision to guide everything that follows, from strategy to staffing to roadmaps. Taking a bifurcated approach to product development and innovation is more vital than ever. The product vision defines where the business wants the product to be. The planning and tactics are set against that vision. This maintains focus and prevents shiny objects of all shapes and sizes from stealing the stoplight. A shared vision ensures that every project aligns with the vision. Whenever prioritization occurs, the prevailing vision provides only relevant, contributing items that rank highly. Connect Product Strategy to Execution in LIKE.TG > Stakeholder alignment Stakeholders must buy into this strategy to push incremental value while working on more extensive initiatives. Inevitably, some influential voices will want to reach for the stars and not worry about the short-term—founders and CEOs often fall into this bucket—while others will lobby for projects that solve immediate pain points for current and prospective customers in the interest of keeping those folks happy, closing deals, and easing pressure on customer service. Both sides have valid arguments for why the company should focus on its primary areas of concern. But instead of picking one path or another, organizations can take a “yes, and” approach by working on both initiatives. This means you can’t chase as many big bets simultaneously nor knock out short-term wins as quickly as possible if the team was 100% focused on one or the other. But this strategy still addresses the here and now while working toward future growth and expansion. Explaining the benefits of this parallel approach and winning over holdouts is critical to establishing and maintaining stakeholder support, which trickles down to the rest of the staff. You can even work to get broad-based commitment to spending a specific percentage of product development resources on big bets, which should comprise at least 20% of the overall budget. But beyond resource allocation, stakeholders must also embrace this approach’s inevitable risks and failures. Not all those big bets will work out, and those failures should be commended as learning opportunities rather than blame sessions. Idea management Since your business worries about the short-term and the big picture, there are more ideas than ever to consider. Keeping track of them all, ensuring they’re given proper consideration, and closing the feedback loop with the folks who make suggestions is essential and falls on the product team to manage. As ideas come in and are periodically reviewed, they should be slotted into the appropriate track (big bet or short-term win) and then prioritized against currently ranked projects and other potential candidates. Once an idea gets rejected, put in the backlog, or slotted into a roadmap, whoever suggested it should be informed so they know their idea was taken seriously and followed up on. And remember, today’s bad idea might not look so terrible next month or next year, so don’t be too quick to dismiss them immediately out of hand. Building up a deep backlog of quality ideas that could be pursued under the right conditions is never a thing. An end-to-end product management platform When an organization adopts a balanced product development approach, roadmapping, resource management, and launch planning get more complicated, and each phase requires something different from product management. But, with the right processes and tools in place, a lot of the heavy lifting and finicky fussing gets handled for you for every stage of the product management process. Take a tour of LIKE.TG’s end-to-end product management platform > Prioritization There’s no shortage of frameworks to help you and your colleagues sort, rank, and evaluate potential projects, but with an end-to-end product management platform, you can do it all right in one place. From capturing ideas to deciding which ones make the cut for the next release, you can tame your backlog and elevate winning ideas before slotting them into your product roadmaps. Be sure to evaluate and prioritize big bets separately from more incremental enhancements. You want an apples-to-apples ranking process that clearly delineates selecting a risky moonshot from debating which minor UX improvements to take on next. Roadmapping When adopting a balanced product strategy, product roadmaps are more crucial than ever to communicate essential information to stakeholders, colleagues, external partners, and customers. Given these roadmaps’ complex and interdependent nature, trying to manage them in a spreadsheet or slide deck is a disaster. You need visual, theme-based roadmaps that convey the big ideas with the option to drill down into the details. With customized views, portfolio rollups, and a cloud-based viewer, you’ll always know everyone’s looking at the most accurate version. And each audience will get the specific level of detail and granularity they need. It also provides more visual ways to ensure your roadmap has the right balance between big bets and incremental gains and differentiates between the lengthier timelines big bets demand and the rapid-fire short-term wins that get cranked out on the regular. With a purpose-built product management solution, the product team can spend less time futzing around with formatting and version control. Instead, they can focus on understanding their market and talking with customers to turn feedback and findings into actionable insights. And the audience for these roadmaps gets consistent output across the product portfolio. Launch Management Executing a successful product launch requires a ton of collaboration and coordination to ensure all the messaging, deliverables, and events convey the appropriate talking points and value propositions for the product. And since different releases will have different goals—short-term win messaging will focus on current users and prospects, while big bets require much more fanfare and a broader push to attract new audiences. Much of the planning, tracking, and communication around a launch can be streamlined and centralized with the right product management tool. Deadlines and progress are visible to everyone. Status reports are handled by the software, freeing up launch team members to spend more time actually doing the work. Best of all, because everything’s on the same platform, the launch plan and roadmap are connected and integrated. So you can pull elements out of the roadmap and directly into launch planning. Keep your balancing act in balance Most businesses that achieve sustained success pursue both paths simultaneously. They navigate the tricky terrain to keep adding value bit by bit while also chasing more elusive and substantial objectives. They can keep the lights on while still dreaming big by finding a formula that works for them. Each business has a unique situation. Funding, cash management, customer and contractual obligations, and the risk appetite of investors, the board, and senior leadership. Adopting this strategy might also be the winning formula for your product. But attempting to orchestrate all those moving pieces without the right tools in your product stack will be difficult.

Sticking to inflexible annual planning cycles can introduce significant challenges in the era of rapid technological advancements. The static nature of traditional product planning cycles fails to consider quickly-improving technologies and unforeseen changes in the market. This approach can be a significant pitfall in today’s fast-paced environment, making your organization vulnerable to missed opportunities and increased risks. Iterative planning enables product management teams to respond quickly to changes in the market and emerging trends. The ability to adapt and adjust to changing product strategies positions companies for continuous improvement and sustained success. Ongoing planning is crucial for staying ahead in a competitive landscape. The Case for Embracing Agility Companies that have successfully embraced continuous planning showcase the benefits of staying nimble. From pivoting strategies based on user feedback to quickly adapting to market shifts, many organizations have embraced the competitive advantage that year-round planning brings. For one, product teams can go to market faster and more cost-effectively. Product managers can streamline decision-making, identify efficiencies, and reduce time-to-market by consistently reassessing and refining their strategies. Year-round planning can also help product teams improve their chances of success. Continuous planning helps product teams understand market dynamics and customer feedback while remaining competitive and making informed decisions. Implementing this proactive approach maximizes the chances of a successful product. Finally, an iterative planning process can help enhance your credibility and product leadership. Year-round planning demonstrates adaptability, strategic foresight, and a commitment to meeting customer needs. You can improve your company’s reputation by delivering quality products and showcasing yourself as a leader in innovation. Setting your annual planning processes to support year-round planning Before diving into best practices for year-round planning, product leaders should start by evaluating their current annual planning objectives. Yearly planning should not be discarded when shifting to an iterative approach. Instead, it should be reviewed and adjusted to support the flexibility and strategy of the team’s goals. Firstly, you want to review your product vision. When setting strategic corporate goals, your team should have actionable and aspirational goals aligned with the company’s overall strategy. Your organization can then leverage these strategic objectives to drive yearly prioritization decisions. Frequent reviews will set your team up for strategic reflection on progress and future change. Then, set the expectation that change is inevitable and some unknowns will be discovered later. Assuming that things will go according to plan leaves little room for innovation and adapting to new trends. Establishing a culture of continuous improvement and learning from unexpected changes is crucial. Lastly, invite your key stakeholders to provide feedback throughout the process. You want to create room for multiple perspectives and diversify ways to achieve desired outcomes. Based on the findings of our 2024 State of Product Management Report, 76% of product teams are using live meetings to communicate product strategy. Still, opportunities exist to encourage your stakeholders to observe changes and provide feedback asynchronously, like utilizing a product management platform. This can open up doors for product teams to make decisions faster and to feel empowered knowing their stakeholders are aligned with their product strategy. At the end of an annual planning process, the team should have a clear vision for the year: collective goals and how new ideas in the future will tie back to the outcomes that the company has set to achieve as a whole. Annual planning doesn’t have to be the perfect solution to your year, but you can set your team up for success by building in space to pivot. What should year-round planning look like? When implementing year-round planning practices, taking time on a regular cadence outside of annual planning is vital to evaluate outcomes and feedback and adapt where necessary. When your team checks in on your goals more frequently, it is recommended to set quarterly planning objectives aligning with the company’s overall goals during annual planning. These quarterly planning objectives can be broken down into four steps: In addition to following these key steps, there are several best practices that you should follow throughout the year to ensure you are being efficient in your product-planning processes. Best Practices of Year-Round Product Planning Maintain an open line of communication with your customers and end users throughout the entire product lifecycle. Ongoing dialogue fosters a deeper understanding of customers’ evolving needs and provides insights that guide the creation of the most effective product strategy. Talking with end users ensures that your product aligns with user expectations, resulting in a more resonant and successful end product. Stay informed on market trends. This step is essential for product management leaders. Regular market assessments give product teams insights into changing customer needs and preferences. Keep a pulse on what your competitors are taking on as their latest strategies, too. Rely on data to support your decision-making. Data and analytics can help your team get a clear understanding of feature performance and customer needs. Challenge your team’s ways of working by asking questions like, “Are we measuring the right things?” and “Are there other metrics we should be measuring?” Collaborate and communicate with your key stakeholders. The alignment between product, executives, engineering, operations/support, sales, and marketing functions is crucial for product success. Having a representative from the various departments will allow you to create a product strategy that supports other teams at the company while bringing in the best ideas. Regularly check in with your stakeholders and be transparent throughout the planning process. Conclusion The term “annual planning” alone can put a lot of pressure on product teams. But learning more about untraditional ways to set team- and organization-wide goals can alleviate some of that pressure and help product leaders embrace change and innovation. Understanding that there will need to be necessary adjustments outside the standard once-a-year planning process empowers teams to bake in flexibility and work with changing times rather than staying stagnant in a changing market. Curious to learn more? Check out our annual 2024 State of Product Management Report! We’re sharing data-packed insights into how product teams support the entire product lifecycle, from idea to launch and beyond. Download your copy of the report today!

As a product manager, attending conferences is not just a part of professional development but an invaluable source of inspiration and learning. Recently, I had the opportunity to attend the Product-Led Summit hosted by the Product-Led Alliance in New York. During the conference, I immersed myself in the world of product and attended various sessions that provided me with unique perspectives. The learnings from the presentations were applicable to my role and relevant to the problems and themes that our users face on a daily basis. Amidst the excitement of innovative ideas and networking, I returned with invaluable insights that I’m eager to pass on to my fellow product enthusiasts and aspiring product professionals. There were many enlightening sessions throughout the event, but here are some takeaways from three that really resonated with me. 1. Understand how you are generating trust with your audience. Sam Bradley, Director of Product Management at PayPal, presented on “The Trust Factor” in Product. He shared that trust has four core drivers: security, reliability, benevolence, and connections. Security focuses on whether the product is safe and reliable to interact with. Customers want to know: is this brand safe? A lack of security is considered a severe detractor of trust and should be taken seriously. Reliability focuses on the integrity of the product. Many customers will consider whether the brand has integrity before making a purchasing decision. In Sam’s experience, customers consider PayPal secure and reliable, making purchasing decisions more straightforward when they see a “Checkout with PayPal” option when shopping online. Benevolence represents whether the product appears to put the customer’s interests first. Is the product created with the well-meaning intent to solve a problem for its customers? Connection signals whether the audience feels a bond with the product or brand. Appealing to the customer’s emotions can be a powerful driving force. Customers may look at a brand’s image and community before purchasing. Identifying which drivers your product uses to build trust with your customers is crucial. Product teams must be able to successfully measure how they signal to customers that it is clearly understood and feel that the product is trustworthy. It is easy to break trust with a customer base and can be very difficult to repair. However, it is essential to note that if something goes wrong, controlling your reaction to that moment and rebuilding well can build an even stronger bond between you and your audience. 2. Create collaborative rituals to ensure internal alignment early and frequently. Teresa de Figueiredo, Product Manager at Coda, presented “Rituals for Effective Planning and Collaboration.” As with any product development process, it can take time to ensure internal alignment between many different layers of teams. Teresa’s top three collaboration rituals are early alignment, transparently sharing project updates, and easily interpreting feedback. One way that Teresa practices driving early alignment from leadership is by using proactive prompts in the design phase. To foster productive discussion, ask questions like: What are you excited about? What are you feeling uneasy about? These clearly defined discussion points help gain alignment with stakeholders and leadership by making entry to discussion easier. The discussion is also a great time to clarify how involved stakeholders want to be. Do they want to be involved in each step or just to be brought in for significant milestones? During the execution phase, Teresa recommends having a single source of truth for status updates on any project activity. Ideally, this solution is accessible and user-friendly so that team members can easily see the status of tasks and if a blocker has appeared. A solution, like a product management platform, streamlines communication by preventing unnecessary update notifications and emails. Of course, we recommend LIKE.TG as your single source of truth! Now, your team has reached the retrospective phase. Interpreting and acting on feedback is critical, but this doesn’t always happen as smoothly as you may like. Someone may leave a vague comment on a retrospective board that a feature “felt awkward,” but what does this mean? Do other people agree? Controlling volume is a way to ensure people understand feedback and to reduce noise. As a product manager, your role is to digest feedback and synthesize comments into broader statements with which other team members can quickly agree or disagree. Team members are likely saying the same thing, and it’s your role to help clarify these comments. Photo Source: Product-Led Alliance 3. Use psychology to help your audience understand the value you bring to their life. Karapet Gyumjibashyan, Senior Director of Product at Krisp, discussed “Communicating Value to Voice AI Products.” His session focused on how Krisp, a company that provides an AI meeting assistant to cancel noise and summarize meetings, used psychology and data to increase retention. Retention is a value game, and there are three ways to convey this to customers: Show the value Make the engagement valuable Provide value over time In Karapet’s example, Krisp faced a challenge where although customers were getting their noise reduced, only the people on the other end of the call were experiencing the benefits and hearing the filtered sound. The product team realized they had to find a way to make the customer understand the value they got from the product. To solve this problem, they implemented their version of a “habit loop”–a way to encourage improved daily use of the product and reward the user for using it. The habit loop includes three components: Trigger Action Reward Their trigger became an on-screen pop-up display announcing that Krisp was not set up properly and needed activation. Their action was another display that indicated that the product was active–allowing users to feel like they were interacting with the product along with the person on the other side of the call. For their reward, they created a display that shared statistics about performance: how many minutes required noise filtering, how loud or moderate the sound was, and how long the user talked. After implementing this habit loop tool, Krisp saw a 43% increase in D14 retention. This framework is clearly helpful in communicating a product’s value to customers and encouraging them to return more regularly. Looking ahead: The lasting impact of the Product-Led Summit. Hearing from Product leaders across a wide range of industries was an exceptional opportunity that I don’t take for granted. I came back to LIKE.TG better understanding the importance of customer trust, best practices for cross-departmental collaboration, and how psychology can play a role in product strategy. Most importantly, the conference awakened a sense of community in me, as I realized that we, as product professionals, are all working towards a shared goal of personal growth and the success of our products. Our team would love to connect and see how LIKE.TG can also help you and your organization’s goal of launching a successful product. Contact us to learn more.

Calling busy product professionals! We get it–your days are packed with roadmap review meetings, brainstorming sessions, and making (what sometimes feels like) too many PowerPoint presentations. That’s why we’re here to lend a helping hand. At LIKE.TG, we’re committed to empowering product leaders and teams with everything they need to navigate the complexities of the product development lifecycle and ensure they make the right decisions and deliver on strategic initiatives. And guess what? We’ve been crunching the numbers, analyzing the trends, and distilling them into bite-sized insights so that you can have the tools you need to thrive as a product leader. For the ninth edition of our State of Product Management Report this year, we asked product professionals to share their experiences with adapting to uncertainty, how they imagine the future of their solutions with their product vision, and how they are delivering on their vision despite budget constraints and smaller teams. We compiled insightful responses from over 1400 product professionals worldwide and analyzed them to spot the latest trends. So sit back, grab a cup of your favorite brew, and let us give you a sneak peek into this year’s latest product trends and uncover game-changing insights! 3 Key Findings from Our Study 1. Despite some significant challenges, 2024 is the year of product It’s official, 2024 is shaping up to be the year of product. Product leaders focus cross-functional teams on the right priorities by creating a concise product strategy that can quickly adapt to changing circumstances and deliver products customers want and need despite limited internal resources. It’s important to note that this doesn’t come without challenges. We asked what people considered their product organization’s biggest challenge, and 38% of organizations identified economic uncertainty as the most significant challenge. Changing market conditions has been just one of the many challenges product organizations have faced in recent years. Global economic uncertainty, changing consumer habits, and artificial intelligence significantly influence how product managers function and their work. As a product leader, staying knowledgeable about potential challenges is pivotal. By adapting swiftly to evolving consumer needs and making strategic decisions, you’re setting yourself up to thrive in the year of product. 2. There’s a desire for standardization that drives tool consolidation As product organizations scale, teams are more actively looking for a standard way of tracking product activities and their related outcomes. This is most immediately observable in the trend toward consolidated product management platforms. When we asked what jobs-to-be-done people believed were essential for product management tools to perform, three-fourths of respondents (76%) said product strategy, and over half (58%) said roadmapping was an essential investment for the team to make. Product teams shared that live meetings, product management platforms, and slide decks were among some of their top techniques to communicate product strategy. As product organizations expand and teams grow, the need for standardization becomes paramount. Streamlining product activities and outcomes through consolidated product management platforms isn’t just a convenience – it’s a strategic necessity for sustainable success. 3. AI impacts products and how product managers work During 2023, Artificial Intelligence became a must-have technology for businesses, leading some organizations to adopt AI so they didn’t miss out. In 2024, product leaders are taking a sober look at AI and taking a more reasoned approach to embracing it. They’re including AI in their product in a way that solves customer problems. They’re also using AI with their product management tools to make their lives easier. Unsurprisingly, over 50% of respondents have identified their first AI use case, and 19% already use it in multiple places. The integration of AI into product management platforms is becoming essential. Embracing AI streamlines product management processes and empowers product managers to dedicate more time to crucial tasks like research validation and strategy development, ultimately driving greater value for both customers and businesses alike. We’ve only scratched the surface on the latest product management trends. You now know a little about the challenges product organizations face, the desire for tool consolidation, and how AI has influenced product management. It’s clear that several factors are working together to make 2024 the year of product. Product has moved front and center and has assumed its role as the strategic nerve center of the business… And there’s still so much more to uncover! This is just a glimpse of the data-backed enlightenment from our 2024 State of Product Management Report. If our findings resonate with you and spark your curiosity, don’t think twice. Download our complete, data-backed, comprehensive report today and learn what other product professionals say about strategy, outcomes, customer feedback, and more!

Let’s jump in and check out the latest and greatest updates from the past few months, brought to you by LIKE.TG’s product team!At the heart of these updates is our unwavering commitment to elevating your experience with ProductPlan. We’re diligently prioritizing key areas to deliver the most impactful improvements for our users.Launch Management EnhancementsWith our most recent release, you can easily attach and access any deliverables associated with tasks via a URL link. Accompanying this enhancement, the UI for tasks has been upgraded to include a “drawer” element that opens upon clicking the task row.Together, these changes help ensure that all users engaging with launches cross-functionally know where to find important assets relating to each launch.SSO User Provisioning for Editors and ViewersWe are excited to announce that the auto-provisioning options for accounts utilizing Single Sign-On have expanded to include editors. With this delivery, accounts have the option to auto-provision new users as editors via SSO, saving time and effort previously spent waiting for manually assigned access.Teams for Discovery, Launch and RoadmappingIn alignment with our plans to reduce noise and ensure that you can focus on what really matters to you, we have applied team associations and filtering across all product areas. Now, you can easily identify and find the information most relevant to you throughout the full product development life cycle.Platform Level API ExtensionTo connect your favorite external tools with your work in LIKE.TG, we have officially extended the API coverage to all product areas in the platform.Sneak peek: Upcoming enhancements to the LIKE.TG platformSince we’re looking back at the recent releases, why not give you a glimpse of what’s on the horizon!? As you know, the product and timelines are constantly evolving, so please take this with a grain of salt (or a healthy pinch)! At the core of our upcoming releases is a commitment to improving your experience within our platform. While we understand that we can’t tackle every challenge at once, we’re focusing on key areas.Establishing ConsistencyConsistency breeds familiarity and efficiency. With this in mind, we’re committed to creating a uniform experience across all product areas. Whether you’re navigating through different product areas, features beyond teams will be able to pull that narrative together.Seamless Workflow ConnectivityOur commitment to seamless connectivity extends far beyond individual product teams. We’re embarking on a journey to support end-to-end workflows by establishing a seamless connection across all product areas. This holistic approach ensures that your workflow integrates more into the platform to facilitate more collaboration and efficiency.Integration of LIKE.TG APIs into iPaas SolutionWe’re just getting underway building out an IPaaS offering connecting to our LIKE.TG APIs. This will open up a world of possibilities. The goal here is to allow custom integrations and workflow automation between LIKE.TG and other applications within your ecosystem.As we look ahead, our focus remains squarely on delivering an unparalleled experience for our customers. We continue to lay the foundation for a platform that meets your needs today and anticipates and adapts to your evolving requirements tomorrow. Stay tuned for what’s next!If this quarter recap has piqued your interest and you’d like to learn more about how your team can use a product management platform, please request a demo with our sales team.

If you’re like me, you’re a product champion who loves to chat about integrations and gets excited at the prospect of teaching your cohort about different integration strategies or thinking through how to automate an annoying task. You can only imagine what an exciting moment it was when LIKE.TG, with your valuable input, released our new API v2. I’ll admit I may be a little biased… But even if you aren’t, that’s okay! I’m happy to fill you in on why we’re so excited about this major expansion to our API offerings. The LIKE.TG API provides a powerful tool for accessing and modifying your LIKE.TG data. We’ve designed it to be as user-friendly as possible, empowering you to make LIKE.TG the home for your entire product development lifecycle. Keep reading to learn more about our recent API-related updates. Why did LIKE.TG make this change? We spent a lot of time doing what we love—talking with our customers. Our goal was to fully understand the value a robust API brings to their organizations. It was no surprise to us that our customers are interested in using the API, which needs to help them save time and effort in their work—especially when it comes to repetitive processes and activities. We realize that it can be exhausting to copy and paste material from tool to tool or repeatedly log in on that tab you just closed because you need to cross-reference something. We’re hoping our APIs can help you center the information that matters to you in LIKE.TG so you can focus on making the decisions that count. Our new set of endpoints has created a framework for you to synchronize LIKE.TG with other tools. You can automate tasks, center data, and ensure the accuracy of your key ideas between tools. You could take customer feedback from Salesforce and programmatically create Ideas, sync launch checklist tasks with Asana, or keep the progress on your OKRs up to date. What’s included as a part of the API expansion? Our new API v2 includes endpoints that touch on every major feature section within the LIKE.TG platform, including an updated version of our preexisting Roadmaps and Bars endpoints. A high-level overview of what you can do with our API is as follows: Roadmaps: List your roadmaps Synchronize percentage complete, title, description, and other fields Create, update, or delete bars Strategy: List your objectives and key results Synchronize title, description, other fields, and key result progress Create, update, or delete objectives and key results Connect Opportunities and Objectives Discovery List your ideas and opportunities Synchronize title, description, tags and other fields Create, update, or delete ideas and opportunities Launches List your launches and tasks Organize tasks by sections and update status Create, update, or delete launches, sections, and tasks Other List your teams and users Check application status You can find the complete list of endpoints and official documentation here. What’s next? Our APIs are readily available to build custom integrations. They seamlessly connect to every part of our platform, making accessing and modifying information simple. And our customer success team is ready and excited to help! Coming soon, LIKE.TG will also offer a tool to help create custom integrations based in the cloud. This means if you don’t have the resources today to devote development time to connecting with our APIs, you can still integrate your tools with ProductPlan. Our goal is to empower your team to own your product success, which includes cutting down on time spent on tasks that can be automated, allowing you to focus on what matters most—building better products. If you’re a current LIKE.TG customer on our Professional or Enterprise plan and your team is interested in joining us for beta testing of our new integration capabilities, please contact [email protected] to connect with our product team.

At LIKE.TG, we’re constantly striving to improve our products and services to better meet user needs. That’s why we were so excited to release our first-ever customer survey last month. Our customer survey was a pivotal step in our journey to thoroughly understand our customers’ challenges when using our platform. By focusing on these areas, we can ensure that our product strategy is not only customer-centric but also aligned with our users’ needs and expectations. In our customer survey, we asked users about: Areas of LIKE.TG that work well for them Areas of improvement for LIKE.TG Usage of currently available integrations Which integrations they want to see in the future Our product team cares deeply about building a product that exceeds expectations. We want to lead by example and ensure we put our customers first with a customer-led product strategy. Our commitment to continuous improvement is unwavering, and we are dedicated to making the changes that matter most to you. While our product team is working hard behind the scenes to implement what we’ve learned, we wanted to share some of our key findings and takeaways from the survey. What we learned from the customer survey results The survey revealed invaluable insights into how people use our product management software and what value it provides to product teams across various industries. Most importantly, our product team wanted to know what areas of LIKE.TG met user expectations and where we needed to improve. When we probed what was working well, customers shared that the best parts of our platform include the ability to visualize and communicate work, ease of use, and planning and prioritization. On the other hand, when asked where LIKE.TG could be improved, customers shared that Product Strategy OKRs, planning and prioritization, and visualizing and communicating work were the most critical areas. In the past few months, we focused on developing many areas of our product management platform, including our Strategy, Teams, and API features. However, our survey results tell us that there is still room for improvement. While our team has put in a lot of work to go beyond roadmapping, we plan on revisiting the heart of our software and prioritizing efforts to improve the functionalities that customers value most. The feedback shared in this customer survey was consistent, leading our team to invest in the problems we aim to help our users solve. We hear all of our customer feedback, and we remain committed to empowering organizations to effortlessly craft, communicate, and prioritize strategic roadmaps with confidence. Our ongoing commitment to solving customer problems Our customers’ honest insights about their experience using our platform will have a lasting impact on our roadmap and the direction of our products. While our team continues to do what we do best—work hard to provide the most value to our users—we welcome all of our customers’ feedback and hope you’ll stay tuned to see what changes we’ll announce in our major Fall Release. As a result of your feedback, there are some exciting improvements coming soon. We value your feedback and believe continuous improvement is a powerful way for product leaders to embrace change and innovation. If you’re a current LIKE.TG customer and have insights to share, we encourage you to contact our Product Team at [email protected]. Let’s keep the conversation going!

Excellent customer service interactions have a significant impact on repeat customers, referrals, and overall customer loyalty.It directly affects revenue and is essential to retaining customers, so you shouldn’t underestimate the importance of offering great customer service.Steps taken to acquire a new customer are more expensive than to retain an existing one. Good customer service will make customers feel satisfied and improve your company’s reputation.In this blog, we will go over some of the important aspects of good customer service. What is good customer service?Good customer service entails offering support that meets and exceeds customer expectations whenever they raise questions or issues with your product. Great customer service helps you retain customers and reduces your churn rate significantly. It is also one of the main avenues for building a brand’s reputation.Benefits of good customer serviceCustomer service has evolved beyond its traditional role of simply addressing concerns. It now serves as a strategic tool and a crucial differentiator that allows companies to thrive. However, what exactly are the benefits of good customer service?Here are some advantages of providing great customer service.Helps retain customersSuccess in business depends on how well you retain your existing customers. A study by Salesforce revealed that 89% of clients are more likely to make another purchase from a brand that offers a good customer service experience.Most customers evaluate a product when they first start using it and consume more later if they are pleased. This hits a hiccup if they encounter problems with the product and require assistance.Show your dedication both to your customers and the success of what you sell by providing this assistance in the best way possible.Customers who are satisfied with your good customer service will be eager to purchase from your brand because they know you will guide them well whenever they run into an issue.Enhances positive feedbackFeedback from customers can make or break your business. Customers frequently share their experience with a company’s support services online, and they also frequently check previous customers’ experiences before choosing to patronize that company.Talking with a support agent may be the only interaction a customer has with your company, and so it comprises their whole impression of how you do business.Excellent customer support will lead to excellent reviews, giving potential customers confidence in you, which shows you the importance of offering the best customer service.Gives a competitive advantagePart of the way a brand withstands competition is by offering good customer service. Agents who interact with customers are the company’s public face and are accountable for its reputation.They set the tone for the entire brand. Their helpful attitude shapes the overall brand image, which helps to create a positive impression.You are most likely not the only company marketing particular products. Even if you are, it will not last forever. One way to differentiate your brand from competitors and become the preferred choice is to provide excellent customer service.Identify the issues customers face with both your products and your competitors and become known for solving their problems with a good attitude.Moreover, meet their needs before your competitors do. If you do this and build a reputation for it, customers will switch to your brand.Increases profitsBesides, new customers are more eager to do business with a company that has a solid reputation.With good customer service, you can ensure that all customers receive prompt and clear resolutions.Satisfied customers become loyal, and they recommend your product to others, which is a free product promotion. All these things result in more customers and, therefore, more revenue.Builds belief in your product and brandGreat customer service plays a prominent role in building trust in your brand, product, and services. An excellent and transparent support team leaves a customer feeling like they matter at every point.Acknowledging customers’ inquiries, even by automated acknowledgment, reduces their anxiety. Regular communication with customers while resolving issues reassures them that you’re listening. Promptly providing answers and solutions gives customers confidence in your expertise and proves that they’re valued.Offering the best customer service proves that you back your product and brand.Therefore, customers are more likely to be invested in your company. The importance of offering excellent customer service is not limited only to the benefits mentioned above. There’s a lot more to it.Effective ways you can deliver the best customer serviceTo reap the benefits of customer service, it’s essential to implement effective strategies to not just meet but exceed your customers’ expectations. Here are some useful tips for providing top-notch customer service to propel your business growth.12 ways you can deliver the best customer serviceProvide proactive customer supportPersonalize your customer experienceDeliver fast responses and resolutionsProvide multichannel supportEmpower your customer service teamRegularly collect feedback from customersProvide self-service optionsBe accessibleUnderstand customer needsDeliver consistent serviceCreate a customer-centric cultureShow empathy1. Provide proactive customer supportForesee potential issues and resolve them before they become a problem for the customer. Understand a customer’s needs, track their usage and behavior, and use this data to identify trends, patterns, or issues that may arise.2. Personalize your customer experienceTailor your customer interactions and offerings to suit individual customer preferences. This will cultivate a deeper connection with customers, ensuring they feel appreciated and understood.3. Deliver fast responses and resolutionsEfficient and fast responses are a key component of good customer service. Utilize tools such as canned responses and knowledge bases to significantly speed up the resolution process. Implement service-level agreements and ticket escalation procedures to swiftly deal with complex issues.4. Provide multichannel supportEnhance your customers’ overall experience with your company by accommodating their unique communication preferences. Offer various channels for them to raise issues and address these concerns through the medium they find most convenient.5. Empower your customer service teamInvest in your customer-facing team to enable them to deliver excellent customer service. Schedule regular training to equip them with great customer service skills and keep them updated on the latest product features and services.Additionally, provide resources like help desk software, a comprehensive knowledge base, and access to customer data to enable them to offer quick, accurate, and personalized solutions.6. Regularly collect feedback from customersContinuously solicit feedback from customers to understand their specific needs and preferences. Encourage customers to share feedback to empower you to elevate your standards and deliver exceptional solutions.7. Provide self-service optionsSelf-service options provide readily available solutions to common issues around the clock. Provide your customers with ready access to information to reduce the need for contacting customer support.8. Be accessibleDelivering good customer service begins with being accessible to your customers. It’s important to cater to various preferences by offering a range of contact methods, like phone, email, social media, live chat, and face-to-face interactions.The contact system should be straightforward, easy to find, and user-friendly. Ensure that your customer service is available at times that suit your clients’ schedules.9. Understand customer needsWhen interacting with customers, it’s important to pay close attention to their concerns and preferences, which can often be unique and specific. By doing so, you can tailor your service to meet their individual requirements, making them feel valued and understood.To achieve this level of understanding, train customer service representatives to recognize the signs of customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction and equip them with the tools and authority to address issues proactively.10. Deliver consistent serviceDelivering consistent service is essential for fostering a positive reputation and ensuring customer loyalty. To achieve this, businesses must establish clear and attainable service standards that align with their brand promise.Streamlining processes and utilizing technology can also aid in maintaining consistency, as it reduces the likelihood of human error and ensures that customers have a uniform experience across various touchpoints.11. Create a customer-centric cultureDelivering exceptional customer service requires fostering a customer-centric culture within an organization. This culture is rooted in the belief that the customers’ needs and satisfaction should be the driving force behind the majority of business decisions and actions.To create such an environment, it’s necessary to ensure that every employee, from the top executives to the frontline staff, understands the importance of the customer experience and is committed to enhancing it.12. Show empathyUse empathetic expressions such as “I understand how frustrating that is” to acknowledge and affirm customers’ emotions. Maintain a patient and compassionate attitude, especially when dealing with challenging customers.Approach each interaction with kindness and a readiness to help, as this can help diffuse any tension and build a positive connection. Always empathize by considering the customer’s position and provide the level of assistance you would expect if you were in their situation.Great customer service examples from real brandsThe following brands distinguish themselves by placing customer service at the forefront, centering on meeting their customer’s needs and ensuring their satisfaction.ZapposZappos is an online retail store that is recognized for going out of its way to ensure customer satisfaction. The company offers free shipping for an unlimited number of transactions and a 365-day return policy in the event a customer is unsatisfied with a product.But what truly makes Zappos stand out is its customer service team, that is trained to engage with customers on a personal level. They are encouraged to spend as much time on a call as needed, with the aim of making the customers feel valued and appreciated.AmazonAmazon is an online retail platform that sells a vast range of products and services. Amazon’s approach to customer service is exceptional, with a standout “A-to-Z Guarantee” feature for goods sold by third-party sellers. This offers buyers security that they will receive their product in a timely manner and in the condition promised, or they will receive a refund or replacement in case the product falls short of the customer’s expectations.Trader Joe’sTrader Joe’s is a popular grocery store chain that is well known for its friendly, helpful employees. Trader Joe’s staff are always ready to assist customers, whether by answering questions about products or helping them find items. They even go above and beyond by opening products for customers to try before buying, creating a unique and personalized shopping experience.Ritz-CarltonRitz-Carlton hotels are famous for their excellent customer service, often referred to as the “Gold Standard.” The hotels permit their employees to spend up to $2,000 to solve any guest issue without requiring managerial approval. This level of empowerment not only quickly resolves issues but also makes guests feel valued and taken care of.AppleApple is renowned for its excellent customer service, maintaining a consistent focus on ensuring customer satisfaction and offering personalized assistance. Their customer service is facilitated through multiple channels, including in-store Genius Bars, online support, telephone services, and social media platforms.A key element of Apple’s customer service is its highly trained staff, who are knowledgeable about the products, demonstrate patience, and are adept at resolving customer issues efficiently.Embrace good customer service today!The primary goal in most successful businesses is to provide the best customer service. They understand that this is crucial for maintaining loyal customers and attracting new ones.Choose the right help desk software to complement your customer support team, who are the backbone of delivering good customer service.Sign up for an account withLIKE.TGto provide excellent customer care to your clients every time they reach out to you. Contact our customer service team to schedule a live demo. Or sign up for a 15-day free trial.

We are pleased to announce the official launch of LIKE.TG, our new help-desk ticketing software. LIKE.TG is cloud-based, modern ticketing software for managing support email, collaborating with teammates, automating repetitive tasks, and improving customer experience.We have been internally using LIKE.TG over the past months and deploying all the support portals for our products (Syncfusion, Bold BI, Bold Reports, and BoldSign) using it. We will share more details about this product in upcoming blogs, but for now, here are some feature highlights: TicketingOrganize all support-related queries in one place and assign them to the appropriate agents. Also, customize support-creation forms and collaborate with your teammates. In addition, LIKE.TG sets up your SLA and business hours and increases agent productivity. For more details, visit the LIKE.TG site.Email-based ticketingConvert all incoming customer support emails into tickets and respond to them via email. Automatically forward all incoming emails in one account to another account through email-based ticketing.Powerful automationAutomate ticket processing with no-code automation to create customized workflows that perform periodic tasks at each stage of the ticket life cycle. Further, auto-assign tickets to the appropriate agent and set response and resolution due dates based on business hours in the SLA. Moreover, create and update triggers to perform correct actions on tickets. To explore more about automation, refer to the automation page.CustomizationCustomize your support software to update the logo, login options, ticket layout preferences, and password policies in the agent portal. You can also customize and rebrand the customer portal using the customer portal settings in the customization page.Contact managementManage contacts and contact groups to enhance customer interaction in order to provide better customer service. In contact management, tag contacts and contact groups based on their business, revenue, and other characteristics to filter them easily in the future.Reports and analyticsSeveral pre-built reports and dashboards are available in the reporting and analytics feature—useful for analytics and making informed decisions based on data.IntegrationsIntegrations such as Jira and Zapier allow you to integrate tickets with various apps and services in less time to induce workflow and execute actions with triggers. Jira templates for tickets can further streamline this process. Therefore, this helps your support team stay updated on the progress of customer-reported issues.LIKE.TG APIsWith a flexible REST API, pull data and integrate it into your internal apps. The REST API helps third-party applications interact with LIKE.TG programmatically. Accordingly, it supports read, create, edit, and delete operations, which are usually in JSON format. For more information, refer to LIKE.TG APIs.ConclusionWe hope you enjoyed this blog and got a clear idea about LIKE.TG and its features. Be sure to explore our full set of features.Once again, we are glad to announce this new help desk software, LIKE.TG, which offers a15-day free trialthat does not require a credit card. We invite you to sign up and experienceLIKE.TG for yourself. Give it a try and let us know what you think!If you have any problems, please contact our support team.

In this competitive world, it is essential to attract customers to grow a business successfully.Customer service is one of the major parts of charming the customers, and it is necessary to deliver the services customers expect as soon as possible.It gives them a good impression of your company, which they’ll share with potential customers.Slow customer service response times will definitely impact business growth in the other direction.So, reducing customer support response time is one of the major aspects we have to consider.Customer response time is a metric that customer service leads closely monitor. In this blog, we’ll see some ways to improve the customer service response time of a customer service department. What is customer service response time?Customer service response time is the time it takes a support team to send replies to customers who have created tickets.Average response times vary according to the nature of your business and the channels your customers use to contact you.Average response time is the total time taken to respond to tickets over a given time, divided by the total number of responses over a given time.Benefits of improving customer response timeA poll conducted by Netomi indicates that 30% of consumers will only wait two minutes for responses on a web chat, highlighting the importance of improving customer response time.Doing so can bring various benefits to businesses, contributing to customer satisfaction and overall operational efficiency.Enhanced customer satisfactionFaster response times generally improve the customer experience. Waiting for a reply can be frustrating, especially if the matter is urgent.Quick responses help alleviate this frustration. Prompt replies also give customers the feeling that their concerns are important and that the company is eager to assist them.Sending an initial reply helps maintain customer satisfaction and patience as your team prepares a more detailed response. A canned response with an estimated wait time can help.Competitive advantageIn a market where consumers have many choices, the speed of a response can be a key differentiator.A company that responds quickly to customer queries can stand out from competitors and attract more customers.This can be especially important in industries where products and services are similar and there are a lot of choices.Increased loyalty and reduced customer churnQuick responses build trust and foster a positive relationship with customers.When clients feel valued by receiving timely support, they are more likely to remain loyal to a brand. This can translate to repeat business and a higher customer lifetime value.Customers who experience slow response times may become frustrated and switch to a competitor.By improving response times, companies can reduce the rate at which they lose customers. Thus, quick response times can contribute to a lower customer churn rate.Positive brand perceptionA commitment to fast response times reflects positively on the brand, signaling professionalism and customer-centricity.Improving response times can lead to better reviews and acknowledgements, which can be powerful marketing tools. Overall, it can improve the public’s view of your brand.Increased salesPrompt responses to inquiries about products or services can lead to quicker purchasing decisions, potentially boosting sales.Customers who might otherwise abandon their shopping due to unanswered questions can be converted into sales with timely assistance.Better crisis managementIn times of a crisis or when dealing with complaints, a swift response is critical.It can help to mitigate damage to the company’s reputation and show customers that the business is proactive in addressing issues.Effective ways to reduce customer service response timeHere are some techniques to help your support team to improve their customer service response time:Analyze your support team workflow and performance.Set up an automatic response to customers.Create canned responses.Deploy integrations.Categorize issues created in tickets based on priority.Use a self-service knowledge base and FAQs.Track customer service response time.Analyze your support team workflow and performanceIf you find that your average response time is longer than your expectations, analyze your support team performance and workflow structure.In addition, detect the commonalities in tickets that take a long time to resolve to find the causes for delay.The dashboards and reports in help desk software can make this easier by visualizing the team performance data.Dashboards allow you to track the current status of support tickets and provide a summarized view of the activities you want to analyze.Through these reports, support leads are able to gauge the customer response time for each agent individually and know the steps to take to boost their productivity.Set up an automatic response to customersSending automatic email responses acknowledges that you have received your customers’ queries.These email responses are common email templates that do not provide any specific information regarding tickets. Also, it is not considered a first response.It’s a good idea to link to FAQ pages and knowledge bases in the automatic email responses to educate customers about your self-service tools.This will help them to solve some issues by themselves, taking up less of your support team’s time.You can include your typical email response time in your automated responses to give customers a realistic idea of when their issues will be resolved.Here’s a guide on how to link related solution articles to ticket issues in the automated responses.Create canned responsesCanned responses are a prewritten set of response templates or messages for frequently asked questions in your support tickets.Agents can create and use canned responses to reduce the customer support response time for common questions.Moreover, they can utilize their time fixing less common issues.Deploy integrationsIf you employ a help desk software solution, which already puts you at an advantage, you can use it to integrate the third-party apps you use.You can integrate help desk tickets with various apps and services, like Jira and Zapier, in order to improve workflow, execute actions with triggers, and keep your support team up to date on the status of customer-reported issues.Integration helps to reduce the response time for help desk tickets.Prioritizing the issues in ticketsWe can label the tickets as critical, high, normal, and low while creating or assigning them, based on their issue type, urgency of the resolution and the impact of the ticket resolution.Therefore, the support team fixes the most important issues reliably.Handling tickets in the order they arrive is not a good method. Each customer’s ticket is important to resolve, but every ticket is not urgent.By prioritizing the tickets, the agents can see which client issues should be resolved first and send a quicker response for the tickets with critical and high priorities.Using a self-service knowledge base and FAQsMost customers prefer consulting a knowledge base or FAQs compared to contacting the customer service team.You should have the FAQs and knowledge base pages available and prominently visible in the help section of your website, so customers can find the solutions by themselves.Thereby, this reduces the incoming ticket volume and improves time management, leading to quick responses to customers with less common issues.Support agents have more time to focus on responding and resolving the urgent issues that require their attention.Track customer service response timesThe average response time varies for each company based on its size and business type.Sending a first response is important, but resolving the ticket in timely fashion will also improve your customers’ satisfaction.You can track the KPIs for your average first response time and final resolution time.With an eye on these, you can get insight into your service team’s performance and where agents or the process in general may need improvement.Based on current averages, you can set realistic goals to achieve and display them to your agents so they know what’s expected of them.Being able to pinpoint areas for improvement will give your agents clearer paths to achieve those goals.ConclusionGood communication with your customers is essential both for retention and the reputation of your company.LIKE.TG provides awesome features to reduce your customer support response time and improve the productivity of your support team.Try a live demo to see how LIKE.TG could help your support team be more successful.Begin a 15-day free trial to discover its numerous features.For any questions, please post them in the comments section. You can also contact us through our support system.Related blogsMost essential customer service skillsGuidelines for customer service for any businessStrategies to Provide Efficient Customer Service10 Creative Ways to Avoid Common Customer Service Mistakes Automated Customer Service: Examples and Benefits

You probably spend much time in customer service answering the same queries. For common questions, your customers likely want answers right away.Considering these points, there is a seamless solution: canned responses or help desk canned response templates.Using canned responses for customer service is a valuable trick that enhances customer support. In this blog, I will walk you through some common canned responses examples and explain how to use them for greatest effect. What is a canned response?A canned response is a pre-written text or template used by help desks to allow support agents to send quick replies to common customer queries.These canned responses are also known as:Predefined responsesCanned repliesFast repliesSaved messagesCanned messagesPre-written repliesThese canned replies can be sent either automatically or manually by the support team to quickly provide responses without having to create individualized replies.A list of canned responses for customer service can save support agents time by allowing them to provide fast resolutions to more customers.Why should you use canned responses?Using canned responses can enhance productivity and customer satisfaction in any customer service setting. You should incorporate canned responses in your customer service workflow:To promptly respond to common questions about your products or services, shipping, and returns.To allow employees to focus more on resolving complex issues that require a longer time to resolve.To deliver quick, accurate, and efficient communication.To help new customer support members get up to speed faster, so they won’t need to learn how to respond to every possible question from scratch.To maintain a consistent tone and message across customer interactions, ensuring that all customers receive the same information.To make it easier to handle a large volume of inquiries without sacrificing the quality of customer service.To notify customers that a service is currently unavailable and provide information on when it is expected to return.To send thank you messages, satisfaction surveys, or follow-up information after an interaction or transaction has taken place.To help manage the workload and uphold service levels during peak times without needing to increase staffing proportionally.How to create a good canned response for customer serviceCreating help desk canned response templates helps you avoid typing the same responses over and over during customer conversations. Rather than slamming out a few responses you typed before, here are a few guidelines worth sticking to when writing canned responses.Collect frequently asked questions for your pre-written templates – thisclarifies the most common issues, and from there you can develop the best canned messages.Create templates with accurate responses – collect answers to FAQs and then have a round of review by either your support team or the subject-matter experts. from the reviews create well organized templatesProvide clear and concise messages in the canned response – keep the messages concise and impactful for quick information distribution.Customize your message – even canned responses can sparkle when they are personalized. Personalization accommodates the unique circumstances and needs of each customer.Include a call to action (CTA) – this gives clients a course of action to follow, and other topics related to their issue for their benefit.Maintain a consistent tone –It is essential to maintain the same tone for every scenario. This will guarantee that you’ll keep the same level of professionalism.Acknowledge your shortcomings and empathize – be sure to take responsibility for any issue that arises and write responses that demonstrate understanding and sympathy for the customer’s difficulty.Proofread the canned responses before deploying them – always ensure that managers preview the prewritten response templates before agents send them to the customers.Test your canned replies – before introducing your canned responses to a larger customer base, test them out with a small group of customers.Include links to more information within the canned templates – give clients a solid answer to their issue but conclude with attaching links to a knowledge base and video tutorials with related information.Best practices for creating canned responsesHere are some best practices for preparing canned response templates:Know your audience: Make sure your templates are appropriate for your target audience, taking into account: the tone, language, and context of your message.Keep it simple: Use clear, concise language that can be easily understood by the recipient. Avoid using technical jargon or overly complex sentences.Customize as needed: While pre-written templates can save time, it’s important to personalize them as much as possible to make them more effective. Consider adding a personalized greeting and tailoring the content to fit the specific context.Be polite and professional: Always use a polite and professional tone, even when providing negative information.Test and refine: Regularly test your automated responses to ensure they’re working as intended and making the desired impact. Be open to feedback and make changes as needed.Organize and categorize: Store your canned responses in a way that makes it easy to find the one you need quickly. Consider categorizing them by topic or use case to make them even more accessible.Update regularly: Regularly review and update your pre-written text messages to keep the content fresh and relevant.Dos and don’ts of canned responsesCanned replies are powerful tools that can be beneficial or harmful to your business. They have the capacity to increase your company’s credibility, but they can also damage your brand’s reputation. Therefore, you need to be very precise when using them.The following are the dos and don’ts for getting pre-defined responses right:DosDon’tsUse canned responses to reply to common queries.Personalize your canned responses.Regularly review and update your canned responses.Monitor and gather feedback about your canned responses.Use canned responses for an entire conversation.Use bland, robotic language.Send a canned response when a personal reply is required.Forget to double-check your canned responses before sending them.Don’t use pre-defined responses for all repliesImagine replying to an enraged client about a problem with your product or service with a prepared response. This would be unfair to the customer because it shows a lack of compassion for their troubles.It is important to acknowledge the customer’s feelings whenhelping them solve the issue.Don’t apply canned responses where human replies are neededRegardless of how fast using pre-defined responses makes your customer service, they are not applicable in all cases. Therefore, when assessing an issue or a customer update, you need to analyze what’s the best step to take.For instance, when a customer addresses you directly, you ought to personalize your communication by also addressing them directly.Edit the response to fit the specific situationSometimes situations may be similar but have slight differences. Therefore, before you send a pre-defined response, you ought to edit it and make sure that it provides the response that your customer deserves.This will save you from receiving clarifying questions from your customers since they will be getting the exact response they need.Benefits of canned responsesNowadays, clients anticipate support that is effective, tailored, and quick. In fact, approximately 12% of clients expect a reply from a support representative in just 15 minutes.Thus, help desk canned response templates play a major role in customer service to keep customers engaged. Here are some of the main benefits of canned responses:Effective time managementCan you imagine losing a loyal or potential customer because of late replies? Since everyone has different work hours in different time zones, customers may come to you with questions at any hour of the day.By using canned responses in your support, you can eliminate late and untimely replies, building a good rapport between your company and your customers.96% of customers state that quick customer service plays a crucial role in their decision to remain loyal to a brand.Steer clear of clerical errorsIf you’re sending replies to customers manually, you can easily make clerical errors without noticing, leaving questions unanswered and giving your customers a bad impression.Canned replies are advantageous because they are configured to go to the right people automatically. Moreover, canned responses give your customers a good impression of your support team, earning their loyalty and helping to increase team productivity.Replying to repeated questions becomes tedious when done manually. By using canned messages, you can respond to many of your customers’ questions at once, leading to a higher conversation rate and saving you valuable time.Improve your brand’s imageAs the saying goes, your reputation precedes you. By using pre-defined answers, the quality of your customer service will stand out in the market by getting your customers the help they need immediately.Potential clients who may be unhappy with their current provider’s service may entertain the idea of switching to your support to find the level of communication they desire.You will also quickly earn your customers’ loyalty and trust, thereby promoting the growth and well-being of your company.Furthermore, it raises your customer satisfaction rate, providing potential customers an idea of what kind of support they can expect by choosing your company and its services.Higher quality customer serviceAccording to salesforce, 96% of clients state that outstanding customer service fosters trust.Using a canned response template can go a long way toward resolving your customers’ problems and receiving positive feedback.Canned responses reply to your customers without any time wastage, maximizing their satisfaction, and a higher satisfaction score boosts your company’s rank in industry customer service surveys.20 Canned email responses examplesWe’ve collected some of our own frequently received queries and created canned responses for them. Here, we provide some of them that you can apply in your own scenarios.Top 20 best scenarios to use canned responses in customer serviceSending an immediate acknowledgmentRequire additional information from the customerWorking for a long time on an issueSplit ticketRequesting for a sampleClosing ticket after resolving the issueClosing ticket without knowing issue statusClosure follow-upResponding to customer feedbackThank-you messageResponding to negative feedbackPayment processReassigning support requests to another agentProviding special offers or discountsWhile support agents are offlineHere’s an update on software license issueValuing customer loyaltyUpdate on feedback about a feature requestSending notification for a product releaseIssue resolved1. Send an immediate acknowledgmentThe first impression makes the strongest impression on customers. Once we receive a client’s request, we have to acknowledge them to make sure they know we are working on it.Use the following canned message as an acknowledgment:We have received your support request, and a ticket has been created. An agent from our Internal Support team will be responding soon.2. Require additional information from the customerIf you need some more information to handle the customer’s issue, ask the customer to provide it. You can rephrase the response text based on your requirements. Here is one example:I need a little bit of information before we continue so that I can access your account. Would you please answer a few questions for me?3. Working for a long time on an issueSome support issues require a longer time to resolve. When the time needed to fix the issue increases, your client’s patience decreases.So, inform them that you’re making every effort to find a solution and that you’ll keep them updated. After that, fulfill your promise.This demonstrates how much your company values the customer’s experience, even after the sale. For example:Our support team is actively working to resolve your [ISSUE]. Your request is being given top priority, and I’ll see to it that the problem is fixed over the weekend. I appreciate your patience.4. Split ticketIf a customer submits multiple queries related to various departments in a single ticket, you need to split the ticket so that it can be managed properly.In this situation, you can use the following message:This ticket includes multiple queries, so we are separating them into a new ticket IDs on your behalf. Please follow the updates for this query with this ticket ID.In the future, if you have new questions about our product that are unrelated to the open ticket, please open a new ticket instead of posting them in the open ticket.5. Request a sampleSometimes customers may submit a query that you have already resolved. In this case, you may use the previous solution and ask the customer to check whether their issue is cleared.If it is not, ask them to send you a sample for further processing. For example:Could you please try the previous solution and let me know whether the reported issue has been resolved? If you are still receiving the same problem, please share your working sample or change the attached sample to replicate the reported issue. We will provide a solution as soon as possible.6. Closing ticket after resolving the issueCustomers may sometimes forget to respond about their resolved issue, and you’re stuck needing to close the ticket in your workflow.In that situation, you can use the following canned message:As we have not heard from you since our last update, we are scheduled to mark this ticket as closed, considering your issue has been resolved.Please open a new ticket if you have any other concerns or reopen this ticket if you want us to follow up with this issue. We are always happy to assist you.7. Closing ticket without knowing issue statusWhen you’re waiting for a reply from the customer and you don’t receive it, then you can close the ticket by providing the following message:As we have not heard from you since our last update, we are closing the ticket now. Please create a new ticket if you have any other concerns or reopen this ticket if you want us to follow up on this issue. As always, we are happy to assist you.8. Closure follow-upCustomers expect a quick resolution when they submit a request. Sending quick responses to customers is essential in increasing customer happiness.One of the crucial customer follow-up strategiesis obtaining feedback after resolving an incident. Help desk ticket response templates make it easier for agents to provide updates following ticket resolutions.Here is an example canned response:We are pleased to hear that the reported issue is resolved on your end. If you face any other issues, we suggest you open a new ticket. Please confirm whether we can close this ticket since the reported issue is resolved.9. Respond to customer feedbackWhatever response you may receive, either positive or negative, it helps shape and improve the productivity of the company. Customers share their opinions about your service or products, which are valuable.You can create help desk ticket response templates to show gratitude to customers for sharing their feedback. For example:Thank you for your valuable feedback. This will help us going forward, and we will continue to deliver you an excellent experience.10. Thank-you messageWe must treat every customer with respect, and we should thank them for choosing our product or service over the competitors.Be thankful for the chance to demonstrate the quality of your product or service and for the customer spending their money with you.You can use the following response to show your gratitude:Thanks for confirming that the provided solution resolved your reported issue at your end. Please let us know if you need any further assistance on this. As always, we are happy to assist you.11. Responding to negative feedbackEven if you provide the best customer service, you’re still bound to receive negative feedback for some reason. Dealing with angry customers is part of the support process.To soothe customers, we need to make them feel heard and valued using the right messaging. A recent study revealed that 83% of customers agree that they feel more loyal to brands that respond to and resolve their complaints.You can regain customer trust quickly if you have a canned response ready, like the following one:Thank you for providing us with your insightful feedback. We apologize for the inconvenience caused. We pride ourselves on providing top-notch customer service, so we regret falling short in this regard. And sure, we won’t allow this to occur once again.12. Payment processWhen customers complete the payment process, they require some guidelines for proper payment. Often, many customers raise similar questions.Pre-written help desk responses will aid you in responding quickly with something like the following:Please continue your payment process at <payment link>. Please check the available payment option for your subscription plan before initiating the process.13. Reassigning support requests to another agentThere are many reasons for reassigning a customer request to another agent. In these situations, the customer might wait longer than usual for a solution.Therefore, before the customer requests an update, inform them that you are purposely reassigning the issue to get them the required solution.Use the following help desk ticket response template:After reviewing your issue, I’ve found that it will be handled better by our [TEAM NAME] team. So, I’ve forwarded your request to them. I hope that you get your issue resolved as soon as possible.14. Providing special offers or discountsCompanies provide special offers for their products to customers. Offers bring inquiries along, and by creating canned responses, your agents can save time.Moreover, agents can respond immediately to frequently asked questions without typing. The following is an example.We are offering a 20% discount on all subscription plans up to the end of this month.15. While support agents are offlineSome customer service teams don’t operate 24/7. But there’s no off time for customer queries, especially when your clients’ time zones are not the same as yours.Craft a help desk ticket response template to get around this problem. This reply assures customers that their request was received even when your agents are not available, providing a sense of 24/7 customer support.Additionally, customers learn more about your company hours, so they know when to get in touch with you the next time they face issues.We appreciate your request for assistance. Our company working hours are Monday to Friday, from [hours]. Our customer service representatives are currently not available. We’ll reply to your message as soon as we can.16. Here’s an update on software license issueRather than leaving your client in the dark regarding their issue, keep them informed with regular updates on the progress of the resolution.You could even take this chance to ask for additional information to accelerate the process.This is to provide you with an update regarding your software license issue. We have successfully tracked the transaction. Kindly provide the details of your license key to help us update the date of expiration of the package.17. We value your loyalty—Thank you for choosing us!Express gratitude to customers who choose your product or service. This will go a long way in creating a positive impression, fostering a relationship, and ultimately turning them into repeat customers.We are grateful that you chose our product. We take pride in our dedication to giving you the best experience possible. Please do not hesitate to contact us if there is anything else we can do to enhance your experience.18. Update on feedback about a feature request Customers often inquire about new products, tools, or updates that could potentially serve them better.Create pre-written replies to acknowledge their requests and inform customers of whether they can be realized and what alternatives are available.If their suggestions are feasible, keep them updated on the progress and let them know when the product or update can be accessible.We have received your request for a [feature name] feature. We are currently working on it, since it has been requested by several customers. The feature will be available as soon as possible. Your feedback is greatly appreciated, as it helps us to provide you with better service.19. Sending notification for a product releaseExpress gratitude to customers who suggested a feature that is now available. Let them know that their input was valued and that they were part of the product’s development process.This will help foster loyalty and encourage them to keep providing valuable ideas.Create compelling canned responses that not only generate excitement for your new product, but also trigger your customer’s desire to make a purchase.We are pleased to inform you that your request for (a particular feature) has been fulfilled! Our new (product with feature) is designed to provide an even more exciting and engaging experience. Update the app and get ready to be amazed!20. Issue resolvedCustomer service agents are frequently bombarded with common questions from new customers. Craft help desk ticket response templates that offer comprehensive guidance to these queries.Introduce a reference source, for instance, a link to a knowledge base that will prompt customers to research further on their own.This will not only help customers become more self-sufficient, but also reduce the burden for customer service agents in the future.We are glad to inform you that your ticket (ticket #) has been successfully resolved. We are now closing the ticket. However, if you encounter issues with (subject) again, please check out our knowledge base (linked) to see if a solution may be in our frequently asked questions.Use canned responses for quick and easy communicationWith the canned responses examples listed above, you can efficiently interact with customers by sending them precise and quick responses.To raise customer satisfaction levels and boost customer retention rates, your support teams should consider using canned responses.You can only achieve this by using the appropriate ticketing system for IT to deploy canned responses and support across all your platforms. We’re here to assist.LIKE.TG enables you to create customized help desk ticket response templates, ensuring timely and tailored responses for your clients.Get in touch with us to set up a 30-minutelive demoto learn how LIKE.TG’s features can be customized to align to your business’s needs. Sign up for a 15-day free trialtoday.Related articles7 Great Ways to Use Canned Responses to Improve Customer Service9 Tips for Creating Effective Canned Responses for Your Customer Service

We are very enthusiastic to announce that LIKE.TG has been updated with new support and features. We’ll go through the new LIKE.TG features in this blog. We intend to drop a few surprises along the way! New LIKE.TG FeaturesThe following are the new LIKE.TG features from the recent release.Embeddable web widgetsOne of the LIKE.TG features that has been added in the latest release is an embeddable widget. This feature allows you to embed a contact form in your company’s website or help center. Web widgets can be customized. For example, you can embed a help or feedback widget in any external website, such as WordPress, by adding a small piece of script. A ticket is automatically created when an end-user submits a request via widget.Embeddable web formsIncorporate a Contact Us or ticket creation web form into any external website, such as WordPress. For example, you could include a small piece of script on your website’s Contact Us page so as to automatically generate a Contact Us form. When a customer submits a request, a ticket is automatically created.For more articles on Embeddable wed forms and widgets, click here!Share ticketsWith the new LIKE.TG features, you can collaborate with cross-departmental teams using the share ticket feature. When you share a ticket with a specific agent or group, that agent or group can access the ticket, even if their access permissions were previously restricted through the roles and permissions rules.For instance, consider a ticket created for the accounts team that requires the contribution of the HR team. Using this feature, an accounts team member can share a ticket with the HR team, even if the HR team doesn’t have access to the ticket for internal collaboration.Message taggingTagging messages will help you classify and filter them. This LIKE.TG feature is only available in the Agent Portal. Conversation reports allow you to filter by message tag, so you can view consolidated messages that belong to that specific tag.One of the use cases for this is adding tags to meeting notes in a conversation and viewing all meeting notes in one view using the conversation report.Brand-based email template customizationOne of the LIKE.TG features now supported include brand-specific email notifications and template customization.Option to add public notes via automationIn the Automation action, you can add a public note. without affecting the service-level agreement (SLA).Custom app for contacts and contact groupsNow, you can integrate custom apps with the contact and contact group modules. Using custom apps, integrate any third-party contextual data in the apps panel of contact and contact group profile pages.File download settings for anonymous usersAdditional settings are provided to allow file downloads without requiring a login. These settings help you while using email-based ticketing. You can control this behavior via the Customer Portal settings of the admin module. By default, only users with permission to view tickets can download files.Advanced payload option webhookThe new advanced formatting option allows for the customization and configuration of a specific payload to a webhook endpoint. You can change the payload object structure and direct it to your REST API URL. This eliminates the need for another intermediate parser application to receive the payload, transform it, and call the desired REST API.Satisfaction survey rating without loginTo rate a ticket using satisfaction survey rating links sent via email, users don’t need to log into their accounts. You can turn off this behavior using the admin module settings.Option to link related contact to ticketUsing the link ticket LIKE.TG feature, link customers related to a ticket for internal reference. These links are not exposed to end users and email alerts won’t be sent to linked contacts. If you need to send email alerts, then use the CC feature instead of related contacts.Quick preview of contact detailsNow, you can view a customer’s profile information without leaving the ticket screen by just clicking the View Profile option.REST API supportNew REST APIs for:Multiple-file uploads in a ticket at ticket creation or message update.The shared-ticket LIKE.TG features.Linking related contacts to tickets.Attaching files to a ticket without linking them to a specific message or notes.ConclusionWe are always happy to provide new features that help you simplify your work and improve your productivity. We hope that you enjoy these new LIKE.TG features. Let us know what LIKE.TG features you want to see next in the comments section.Try LIKE.TG by Syncfusion to see how your customer support team can be more productive. You can start a 15-day free trial on BoldDesk.com. For any questions, contact LIKE.TG support.

The key to a successful business lies the quality of the customer service it provides. Good customer service can lead to repeat customers, positive word-of-mouth, and an overall good reputation.On the other hand, a single unpleasant encounter can drive your customers toward a rival.This highlights the influence of superior customer service and why employees possessing excellent customer service skills is essential.Customer service skills are important for anyone interacting with customers in any capacity, not just those in dedicated customer service roles.Ensuring customer satisfaction is impossible without providing outstanding assistance.However, which customer service skills are the most important to look for and teach to your employees? Continue reading to discover which skills are top priority. What are customer service skills?Customer service skills are the essential qualities and abilities needed to effectively and positively interact with customers, resolving their issues and leaving a good impression.These skills are cultivated through training and hands-on experience.Customer serviceon the other hand, is the process by which a business aids its customers before, during, and after the customer’s purchase of goods or services. For instance, customer service can take the form of:Explaining product features.Presenting other products the business offers.Advising customers on the appropriate way to use their purchases.Types of customer service skillsCustomer service skills can be broadly categorized into two main types:Hard skills (technical skills): Hard skills include abilities that are teachable and measurable. These skills are often acquired through formal education and training. In customer service, hard skills might involve managing data entry, conducting research, compiling information, or acquiring an in-depth understanding of the products for which they provide support.Soft skills (interpersonal skills): These skills include the personal traits that enable someone to interact professionally and harmoniously with others. These skills depend on an individual’s personality, although they can be nurtured through training and will become more refined and natural over time with experience. Key interpersonal skills in customer service encompass active listening, demonstrating empathy, and patience.Both hard and soft skills are needed for delivering outstanding customer service.While hard skills provide the technical expertise necessary for the role, soft skills contribute to building positive customer relationships and creating good experiences.A successful customer service professional typically possesses a balance of both skill sets.Excellent customer service skills and how to improve themEvery employee who interacts with customers must acquire customer service skills and follow certain customer service tips.Tips to improve customer service skillsPersistenceKindnessCuriosityEnthusiasmSystematically approach solutionsAnticipate surprisesTime optimizationResourcefulnessProduct masteryActive listeningClear communicationEmpathyProblem-solvingPatienceContinuous learningTeam collaborationPositive attitudeAttention to detailMultitaskingCreativitySelf-controlThe following are key customer service skills and how to improve them.PersistencePersistence is the act of continuing in a course of action despite difficulty or opposition.To build a good rapport with customers, you need to be persistent in dealing positively with displeased customers, disoriented buyers, replicated inquiries, and never-ending customer queues.Persist in a positive attitude. If your first efforts to find a solution to a customer issue fail, persist in seeking a new avenue of possibility.Let your customer know that’s what you’re doing, too.Tips to improve on persistence:Take deep breaths and keep in mind the customer’s attitude is not personal.Keep an open mind about potential solutions.Relax and think through your actions.KindnessBeing kind to your customers maintains a cooperative communication environment.According to a study by PwC, 42% of survey participants indicate they would be willing to pay a higher price for a pleasant and welcoming experience.Furthermore, kindness builds a foundation of trust in all the activities you carry out with your customers.By having your service reps approach interactions with kindness, your service will gain a good reputation for treating customers well.Service representatives may need coaching on the proper language to express kindness.Tips to improve on kindness:Empathize with customers.Learn to answer questions in such a way that doesn’t blame the customers for their issues.Learn methods of staying patient.CuriosityCuriosity is the urge to know more. For instance, if you are having trouble understanding a customer’s issue, always ask more questions.By being curious, you can gain a deeper understanding of what the problem is currently, as well as the customers’ needs in general.While the quality is innate, consciously practicing asking more questions will make it feel more natural over time to service reps without the instinct to do so, giving them more skill.Tips to improve on curiosity:Keep in touch with your customers to make sure solutions worked long-term.Have a bank of questions for your customers based on what has helped in the past.EnthusiasmEnthusiasm is excitement to do something. When customers can tell you’re eager to help them, it lowers their stress levels when they contact you for help.Maintaining enthusiasm for solving problems within your customer service team also makes the job environment more pleasant.This skill tends to be a team-wide practice of positive attitudes, which can take some work when customers are often negative.Tips to improve on enthusiasm:Try to maintain a positive attitude on the team.Celebrate victories.Learn to express enthusiasm in your tone, whether in your voice or written words.Approach issues with a can-do attitude and expect the same of your team.Systematically approach solutionsApplying a systematic approach to customer service means approaching every customer’s inquiry with the same process, such as identifying the issue, uncovering circumstances around the problem that may have some effect on the solution, and finally pursuing a solution.The result at each step, and the customers’ answers to questions, should define the next step, and your support agents should know what that step is.If they don’t, they should know who to ask.Tips to improve on your systematic approach to customer interactions:Have procedures in place and clear role definitions in your team.Implement training on processes and practice scenarios.Note every day’s progress for future reference.Anticipate surprisesAnticipating surprises prepares you to perform any kind of customer service duty, helping build a positive, action-oriented work environment.By expecting surprises, your team can manage and know how to handle the occasional unique situation.This leads to less stress and time wasted on not knowing what to do. Looking for issues before they arise can also lead to a proactive approach to finding solutions.Tips to improve on surprise anticipation:Make sure your team knows what to do when encountering unique situations. Instill an attitude where these situations are interesting rather than panic-inducing or inconvenient to supervisors.Outline each step of the customer journey when changes are implemented to identify potential pain points. This will help you anticipate where things might go wrong and prepare to help.Keep track of trends and changes in your industry that could impact your customers. By being informed, you can anticipate surprises related to market shifts or technological advancements.Time optimizationThe ability to manage time effectively helps customer service representatives meet your service-level agreement with your customers, thus leading to good relations.Some reps will be better than others at this, but good training and self-awareness can keep them productive and customers satisfied.Tips to improve on time optimization:Set reminders in calendars and use sticky notes if useful.Keep in touch with your customers. Keep a schedule for updating them.Be friendly but stay on topic during conversations with customers.ResourcefulnessBy being resourceful, your team can come up with different ideas of how to solve problems, thus enabling you to solve issues faster.Tips to improve on being resourceful:Learn more through reading industry-specific blogs and publications.Listen to and ask for other people’s opinions.Take the time to familiarize yourself and team with the resources available.Product masteryHaving full knowledge of the product you support means you can help customers with a variety of questions and issues.By knowing the ins and outs of the product, you can be a customer resource that can brainstorm solutions alongside the customer, thus building a good reputation for your company’s support team.Tips to improve on product mastery:Read documentation, attend training, and keep updated on industry news.Understand how your product is different from competitors’.Exercise your knowledge by producing knowledge base documents for your colleagues and customers.Active listeningActive listening involves concentrating fully, understanding, responding to, and remembering what is being said. It’s crucial for understanding the issues that a person is facing and for building trust.Tips for active listeningPay attention. Avoid distractions and focus on the speaker or writer. Don’t just skim.Show that you’re listening. In person, use body language or verbal affirmations on the phone to show engagement.Provide feedback. Reflect on what has been said by paraphrasing or summarizing.Clear communicationCommunicating clearly and effectively ensures that the person seeking support understands the solution or the information being provided.Tips for clear communicationBe concise. Avoid unnecessary jargon and keep your messages brief and to the point.Be positive. Use positive language and tone to communicate your message.Be patient. Take the time to explain things thoroughly when necessary.Explain technical terms or processes in a way that is easy to understand.EmpathyEmpathy involves the capacity to understand and share the emotions of another. It’s important for building a connection and showing that you care about customers’ concerns.Tips for demonstrating empathyAcknowledge feelings: Recognize the person’s emotions and express understanding.Personalize your service. Treat each individual as a person, not just another ticket number.When appropriate, express sympathy for any inconvenience or frustration they may be experiencing.Problem-solvingBeing able to identify problems quickly and come up with effective solutions is a key skill in customer service.Tips for problem-solvingUnderstand the issue: Make sure you have a clear grasp of the problem before trying to solve it.Think creatively: Sometimes the first solution isn’t the best one. Be open to alternative approaches.Follow up: Ensure that the solution has resolved the issue and that the person is satisfied with the outcome.PatiencePatience is important when dealing with complex issues or when the person you’re helping is frustrated or upset.Tips for exercising patienceStay calm: Keep a level head, even if the person you’re helping is not.Take your time: Don’t rush the conversation. Allow the person to express their issues and concerns fully.Be reassuring: Let them know you are there to help and will take the time needed to resolve their issue.Continuous learningThe willingness to learn and adapt to new information and techniques keeps agents current in the rapidly changing customer service landscape.Improvement tipsAttend training sessions and workshops.Seek mentorship from experienced team members.Stay up-to-date and informed about industry trends and product changes.Team collaborationCollaborating with team members ensures a cohesive and efficient customer support environment.Improvement tipsFoster open communication with colleagues.Share insights and learnings with the team.Collaborate on complex issues to benefit from collective expertise.Positive attitudeMaintaining a positive attitude contributes to an enjoyable customer experience and can defuse tense situations.Improvement tipsConcentrate on the positive aspects of each interaction.Use optimistic language and expressions.Find solutions rather than dwelling on problems.Attention to detailBe attentive to the needs of customers and ensure that all aspects of their experience are considered. This can include remembering past interactions, noticing if something is not right, or simply making sure that all the information provided is accurate.Improvement tipsKeep notes during customer interactions.Use checklists to ensure all service steps are followed.Review past communications before responding to inquiries.MultitaskingCustomer service often requires handling multiple tasks or customers at once. Being able to switch among tasks effectively without losing focus is key to providing efficient service.Improvement tipsPrioritize tasks.Use tools to organize work (like ticketing systems).Limit distractions.Practice switching between tasks efficiently.CreativitySometimes standard solutions don’t work for every customer issue. Being creative and thinking outside the box can aid in devising unique solutions that can turn a negative situation into a positive one.Improvement tipsEncourage a culture of innovation.Participate in brainstorming sessions.Look for unique solutions to customer problems.Self-controlCustomer service professionals often face stressful situations. The ability to control your emotions and remain calm under pressure defuses tense situations and provides a positive customer experience.Improvement tipsDevelop emotional intelligence.Practice stress-reduction techniques.Pause before reacting to challenging situations.Importance of good customer service skills for support teamsWe cannot emphasize the importance of these skills, and here’s why they are crucial for a customer support team:Customer retention and loyaltyHappy customers stay. Good service builds trust and fosters positive relationships, encouraging customers to come back for more. Loyal customers are repeat buyers, valuable sources of referrals, and sometimes brand advocates.Retaining existing customers is cheaper than acquiring new ones. By minimizing customer churn through good service, your team saves the company money and resources.Improved sales and revenueExcellent service builds rapport, making customers more open to recommendations and additional purchases. A skilled team can identify customer needs and suggest relevant products or services.Loyal customers spend more over time, increasing your revenue in the long run. Excellent customer service skills contribute to maximizing the lifetime value of each customer.Competitive advantage in the marketGood customer service can be a powerful differentiator in today’s competitive landscape. Customers increasingly value helpful, efficient interactions.A team with great customer service skills can easier navigate evolving customer expectations and industry trends.Brand reputation and advocacyCustomers associate good service with a trustworthy and reliable brand. When customers experience excellent service, they tell their friends, family, and online communities. This organic buzz builds a brand’s reputation and attracts new customers.Positive reviews and ratings on social media and review platforms boost your brand image and build trust with potential customers.Skilful resolution of conflictsStrong customer service skills can help resolve conflicts and handle customer complaints effectively. A well-handled complaint can turn a negative experience into a positive one.In times of crisis or when a company faces public backlash, a skilled customer support team can mitigate the situation by providing clear communication and solutions to affected customers.Elevate your service delivery with the best customer service skillsIn summary, essential customer service skills are tools that you can use to deliver the best support experience to your customers.If the entire support team develops and practices them, your company’s reputation for stellar support will attract more and more customers, helping your business grow.Try a live demo to witness how LIKE.TG by Syncfusion can improve your customer service efforts. You can start a 15-day free trial to try its features yourself. For more information, contact LIKE.TG support.

Business success depends heavily on an organization’s ability to understand and meet customer expectations. However, managing customer expectations can be complicated when service providers do not provide enough detail about what their customers can expect from them.To address this, businesses of all sizes use a service-level agreement (SLA). According to a recent study, 65% of businesses with a tightly aligned service level agreement achieve higher ROI from their inbound marketing efforts.By reading this blog, you will understand SLAs, their components, and their benefits. What is an SLA?Aservice level agreement is an agreement between the support team and customers regarding the response and resolution times to deliver products or services. It provides clarity to situations when problems arise and help set the response and resolution times in support tickets.SLAs can be configured to operate based on calendar hours (24/7) or specific business hours.A business can create multiple SLAs and map them to different support tickets to define the expectations for each SLA metric target.Obviously, this is an excellent choice for businesses with different tiers of customers who pay for different types of service plans.For example, you can create unique service-level agreements for customers with free, standard, and enterprise plans.Components of service-level agreementsThe components of an SLA depend on both the customer and the service provider. Here are some common components:Objective statementPerformance work statementTerms and conditionsAvailable servicesSLA breach conditionsObjective statementA service-level agreement should state the goals of both the customer support team and the customer. It clearly explains what level of service the customer expects.The customer support team’s target is to provide consistent, high-quality service while meeting expectations.Performance work statementPerformance standards state the expected quality of services defined by the customer. They include specific performance or service quality benchmarks.We should measure the actual service level against these benchmarks to ensure the achievement of the performance standards.Terms and conditionsService-level agreements must specify the terms and conditions of the service provided. For example, the customer should know the time period and frequency of service provision.The terms and conditions should also include the minimum and maximum time allotted to a service provider to respond to a request or resolve an issue.Available servicesThis section includes information about all the services provided to customers. In addition to the listed services, users may require additional services such as consulting, reporting, and ensuring smooth operations.As a result, you should include these additional services to create a transparent agreement.SLA breach conditionsThe SLA conditions breach when the service providers don’t complete their tasks within the allotted time. This section states the actions to be taken for the customers.For example, in the event of a breach, the support agent’s manager could receive a notification about it so that they can take steps to solve similar issues more quickly in the future.Keep in mind that if the conditions breach frequently, they can affect both parties’ relationships.Benefits of a help desk service level agreementAn SLA helps improve your organization’s customer service by providing the respective timeline for their work. The service provider works within clearly defined responsibilities and tasks, and the customer receives guaranteed service quality.Using the agreement in a ticket management system ensures:Predictable resources.Quick issue resolution.Consecutive customer experience.Increased productivity.Let’s see some benefits of a help desk SLA in brief:Strengthen relationships between customers and the support teamTo ensure long-term success, companies should handle internal and external connections well. A service-level agreement is an incredible tool to establish trust between a company and its customers, ensure quality service, and satisfy customers.The agreement provides a transparent contract between customers and the support team. When both parties accept it, there will be a lower chance of misunderstanding while service is provided.A service level agreement is an essential step toward creating a transparent, commonly beneficial, and dependable relationship.Increases productivityAn SLA ticketing system sets response and resolution times for issues created through tickets. A proper SLA will establish priority rules for categorizing issues so the support team can quickly solve the most pressing issues.With clearly defined priorities and time frames, support team members work more productively and efficiently, allowing them to better meet their SLAs.As a result, the company is more likely to receive satisfactory help desk service level agreement compliance ratings.Avoids misunderstandings and conflictsThe agreement provides a reliable information source for avoiding misunderstandings or confusion about what each party needs to do.Since customers know the details about when to expect their issues to be resolved, there is a mutual understanding between customers and support team members.Reduces burden on staffA company can set unique agreements for different customers with different plans. The SLA conditions work based on the calendar or business hours you set to manage the work pressure on staff effectively.New support agents can easily adapt to the assigned help desk SLA conditions, helping them complete their work in the allotted time.Helps analyze support team performanceAn SLA ticketing system helps track and analyze how many ticket responses (for example, first responses and next responses) and resolutions are provided within the SLA.From this information, a dashboard provides visualized data of the SLA-achieved tickets against the breached tickets over a time period.Being able to see this data allows managers to scale their teams’ effectiveness to meet customer expectations.Helps avoid service failuresWhen a large number of tickets are received on a daily basis, the support team finds it difficult to keep track of closed and pending tickets.SLAs allow the team to track all KPI parameters that contribute to delayed ticket resolutions, such as the time elapsed for:First response.Ticket to be assigned to an agent.Each response after the first.Customers to respond to the support team.Tickets need to resolve.Support teams should set competitive goals for these parameters and receive real-time notifications when a ticket is on the verge of being escalated.There is no chance of customer dissatisfaction when tickets are resolved well in advance.Why is SLA necessary for ticket management systems?Following is an example illustrating the importance of incorporating a service level agreement into your ticket management system.Imagine that you have just launched a new product, and you start receiving a surge of customer inquiries and technical issues. Without a clear service level agreement in place, your support team might struggle to keep up with these tickets, leading to delayed responses and unresolved issues.This, in turn, could result in customer dissatisfaction, negative reviews, and potential revenue loss.By implementing a well-defined service level agreement in your help desk, you can establish clear expectations for:Response timesResolution timesTicket prioritizationCommunication protocolsSetting up your help desk so that notifications are sent whenever SLA-determined deadlines to respond to tickets are nearly reached, for example, keeps those tickets from being overlooked.Such SLA integration better equips your support team to handle an influx of tickets in an organized and efficient manner, ensuring that no ticket falls through the cracks and customers receive timely updates.ConclusionAn organization that develops and implements a service level agreement improves productivity and smooths customer relationships.Try usingLIKE.TG, a comprehensive ticketing management software that enables you to incorporate personalized SLAs.Contact us to set up a 30-minutelive demoto discover how LIKE.TG’s features can be customized to accommodate your business’s needs. Sign up for a 15-day free trialtoday.Related articles6 Reasons You Need an SLA for Customer ServiceTop 7 SLA Best Practices to Improve Customer Service

Successful businesses recognize the crucial role a help desk system plays in boosting customer support.However, merely selecting an appropriate help desk system for your business does not guarantee a competitive edge.It is essential to utilize the correct help desk metrics as well to monitor the effectiveness of your customer support processes and ensure they meet customer expectations. What are help desk metrics?Help desk metrics are quantifiable measurements that capture and evaluate the performance, productivity, and service quality of a customer service team.They provide key insights into various aspects, such as first response times, ticket volumes, ticket resolution times, customer satisfaction levels, and the overall effectiveness of the support team.Important help desk performance metricsWhat help desk metrics should your customer service team track?1. Support tickets created vs. closed2. Worklog3. Customer satisfaction4. Response overdue5. SLA breached6. Replies by contact7. Busiest time of day8. First response time9. First contact resolution10. Escalation ratesSupport tickets created vs. closedThis metric compares the total number of tickets created, and the total number of tickets closed. It is helpful to know this statistic for a specific time period.By tracking this metric, you can easily work out and manage all your customer’s demands and see the trends of tickets created and closed.For example, if the number of tickets created is higher than tickets closed, means that fewer tickets are getting solved.You can correct this by increasing the number of agents who can help with resolving tickets. Therefore, this increases the efficiency of the work done and the number of tickets closed.WorklogWorklog tracks all work logged-in tickets and records the date on which the work occurred.This metric is helpful to see how much work each agent does, understand which types of issues the agents excel at, and how much time is spent on customer issues.Knowing this, you can better assign agents to tickets to complete work efficiently.Customer satisfactionCustomer satisfaction (CSAT) is a metric that tracks and analyzes the number of customers satisfied with your support during a specific period.Knowing this information helps you manage your customers’ expectations and discover areas to improve in your support team.One guaranteed way to increase your customer satisfaction score is to provide fast responses and improve ticket resolution times.Quicker responses show a sense of duty to your customers, and their feedback will note your team’s speed and efficiency.The positive reputation of your support can even lead to attracting more customers.Response overdueThis metric tracks the total number of tickets for which responses are overdue. The permanent goal of your support team should be to reduce this number by continually improving the first response times.Customers expect quick response times. In fact, according to Forrester, customers are 2.4 times more likely to stick with a brand when their problems are solved quickly.SLA breachedThis help desk metric is the number of tickets not resolved within the time period specified in the customer’s SLA.Hence, by analyzing the circumstances in which breaches occur, you can devise strategies to avoid future SLA breaches, such as improved escalation triggers.Read our article on SLAs dashboards to learn more.Replies by contactThis help desk metric represents the number of responses provided by customers during a specific time.By breaking customer replies down into categories based on the number of responses required to resolve an issue, you get a better idea of the quality of your support services.Moreover, knowing this helps you better prioritize customer issues that may require special attention to fix.Busiest time of dayThe busiest time of day help desk metric helps you identify the busy and idle times of the day. The importance of this metric is that you can ensure whether the necessary resources are available at the time of creating more tickets.You can further explore the busiest time of day by the number of agents, and customer replies to tickets at the time.With this information, you can see what issues are effectively and efficiently resolved and derive better customer support strategies.First response timeThe first response time (FRT) evaluates the duration between customer ticket submission and the initial reply from customer support representatives. Factors such as the numbers of available agents and incoming tickets can affect this metric.A short FRT indicates quick attention to customer inquiries, whereas prolonged wait times may highlight shortcomings within the customer support workflow. To improve your first response time, explore options such as expanding your team, enhancing your help desk software, or investing in further staff training.First contact resolutionFirst contact resolution (FCR) tracks the percentage of customer issues resolved in the initial interaction with no need for follow-up. High FCR rates demonstrates a business’ ability to understand and address customer problems quickly, which not only minimizes their effort but also reduces the volume of repeat contacts.An efficient support team with a high FCR rate is usually well-trained, knowledgeable, and empowered with the right tools and information to resolve a wide array of issues on the spot. This in turn can lead to:Lower operating costs.Reduced wait times for other customers.An overall improvement in service quality.Conversely, low FCR rates may signal the need to improve training, access to information, or other processes that will help your team to resolve more issues promptly.Escalation ratesThe escalation rate is the percentage of total customer tickets that require escalation from the initial support level to higher, more specialized support tiers. Escalation rates as a help desk metric are an indicator of both the complexity of the issues being reported and the capability of the first-line support staff in resolving these issues.A high escalation rate could suggest that the initial support team is often unable to resolve issues on their own, potentially indicating a need for better training, improved knowledge bases, or better ticket sorting and allocation processes.A lower escalation rate might reflect a well-equipped and knowledgeable first-level support team that can handle most issues without additional assistance.Best practices for implementing help desk metricsIn highly competitive markets where businesses offer nearly identical products and services, customers often gravitate towards brands that excel in customer service.A Salesforce study revealed that 92% of consumers are more likely to make an additional purchase after a positive customer service experience.Understanding and implementing the right help desk reporting metrics can significantly improve customer service.Let’s explore the best practices for effectively integrating these metrics into your operations.Set clear goalsBegin by determining what you aim to achieve with your help desk metrics. Is it to improve response time, increase customer satisfaction, or reduce costs? The kind of goals you set will guide the type of metrics you need to focus on.Choose the right help desk reporting metricsSelect suitable help desk performance metrics that align with your processes, goals, and objectives.While it’s important to keep track of quantitative metrics like number of tickets resolved, don’t ignore qualitative metrics such as customer feedback and satisfaction.Automate the process of tracking help desk metricsHelp desk ticketing systems provide powerful reporting and analytics features that generate insightful real-time data.Leverage automated help desks to conveniently track, evaluate, and report on your team’s performance over defined time periods.Regularly review your metricsMake it a habit to regularly evaluate your help desk performance metrics to identify trends, note areas of improvement, and take corrective action where necessary.Regular revision also ensures that the help desk metrics remain relevant to evolving business needs, changes in technology, and customer expectations.Benchmark against industry standardsCompare your help desk reporting metrics with industry standards to understand of how you’re performing relative to your competitors.This will provide valuable insight into where you need to improve.Be transparentShare your help desk reporting metrics with your team and other stakeholders so they understand how performance is being measured, where they stand, and what they need to do to improve.This helps agents make necessary adjustments to their approach to improve the overall performance of their team.Track key help desk metrics for enhanced customer serviceHelp desk metrics contribute to making your support services run smoothly and effectively. Try LIKE.TG, a help desk ticketing system that empowers you to monitor these metrics using features such as built-in dashboards and reports.Contact our support team to schedule a 30-minute live demo to experience LIKE.TG’s cutting-edge capabilities and how they can be customized to meet your unique business needs. Or, sign up for a 15-day free trial today.Related articles9 Effective Metrics to Measure Customer Loyalty7 Essential Knowledge Base Metrics for Enhancing Self-Service12 Crucial Customer Experience Metrics for Your Support Team

For better business growth, you must beat competitors by offering the best customer service. One way to do this is to use an automated ticketing system.This allows you to boost your customer service by using service-level agreements (SLAs), time triggers, event triggers, and canned responses. As a result, you will boost your profits.In this blog, I will take you through the basics of an automated ticketing system that are vital to provide good customer service. The downside of manual ticketing systemIn manual ticketing system, tickets are assigned through the manual selection of an agent to solve an issue. This is slow and prone to errors. For instance, you can assign a ticket to the wrong agent or group.Also, an assigned agent may forget to solve the customer’s query. To overcome these issues, you should move to an automated ticketing software.What is an automated ticketing system?This is when you automate the process of assigning tickets to the right agents or groups based on their skills and experience. This automated ticketing system allows you to track all your support tickets in one place.Your support agents can address tickets without having to search for and assign tickets on their own. Companies that receive a large volume of customer issues benefit greatly from automated ticketing software that automatically create tickets.Time can be saved, expenses can be reduced, and agents can focus on more urgent tasks. Automation rules are used to perform repeated ticket-related actions and you can get more details about auto-assignment rules from here.How does an automated ticketing software work?For customer satisfaction, a good automated ticketing software is required to meet the needs of all customers. Choosing the best ticketing software for your business can significantly impact the efficiency of your customer service. Automated ticketing system makes it easy to achieve high customer satisfaction in the following ways:Routes new tickets to a specific team or group based on properties.Follows your workflow.Sends updates to a specified user with an attached message.Changes ticket priority based on the customer.Adds replies and notes to tickets.Updates ticket properties like worklog, ticket cc, and ticket category automatically.Triggers time-based actions and updates.Handles each ticket’s feedback and resolution times.Maps tickets to define customer expectations of SLA metric targets.Reasons why you should use automated ticketing system in customer serviceLet’s look at the following key roles that automated ticketing can play in your customer service:1. Better workflow management for the support teamAn automated customer service ticketing system helps your business deliver an accurate SLA to customers. An SLA defines how all tickets will be handled. Automated ticketing ensures that all your tickets are assigned speedily and equally to your support team.When ticket assignment is automatic across the support team with equal distribution, your team delivers a satisfactory level of service to your customers. Since automated ticketing gives support agents a proportional share of work, customers won’t be left waiting for solutions.Customers will be satisfied, continue their business with you, and may even expand it. The rank of your customer support will grow, and you will attract new customers.2. Reduce ticket response and resolution timesAutomated ticketing, through event and time triggers, directly assigns tickets to agents based on your support workflow. Therefore, when ticket assignment is smooth, agents commit their time to solve the issues.With an automated ticket software, the agents will be notified of the expected tickets responses and resolution times. Therefore, resolving the issues fast and timely.Ultimately, there is a decrease in pending tickets and response times, thus improving customer service.Automated ticketing system also helps check agents’ success by allowing follow ups on each ticket.After resolving issues, you can review them and their resolution, and provide feedback to the assigned agents. This allows better coaching for agents, which improves support outcomes and boosts customers’ satisfaction.3. Enhance customer supportApproximately 86% of service teams report that the presence of a helpdesk system enhances their productivity levels.Automated ticketing software helps you improve your customer support through event trigger automation. This feature enables the system to perform an action when certain conditions in a ticket or email are met.By automatically handling tickets and emails at certain action points, your agents can address your customers’ issues at the right time without delay.When agents respond at once to inquiries, your support team’s highly responsive nature becomes an asset to your customers, your business, and your business’s name.4. Reduce time spent on common queriesWhen an automated ticket system supports canned responses (LIKE.TG does!), your agents can communicate with customers quickly and easily.Canned responses are pre-written templates that address common customer questions. With just a few clicks, an agent can supply a thorough response to a customer and move on to more pressing tickets. Moreover, with quick response times, customer-agent relationships thrive.For more on how to use canned responses to improve customer service, read this blog.5. Foster a healthy work environmentBy using an automated support ticketing system, your company’s help desk gets a tidy, smooth workflow that reduces the time agents spend on tasks. This relieves the pressure imposed on agents by overhead tasks like ticket management.A healthy work environment, therefore, lets agents focus on delivering better customer service.Benefits of automated ticketing system in customer serviceFollows the rules set by your automated ticketing software to deliver a smooth and easy workflow.Works 24×7 to assign tickets, regardless of time zone differences with your customers.Largely eliminates repeated responses, therefore breaking the monotony of sending similar responses to customers.Assigns tickets to agents based on their knowledge and experience.Distributes tickets evenly to ensure equal workloads across agents and teams.ConclusionIn summary, good customer service is key to your company’s fame and growth. The right automated ticketing system helps you top your competitors by putting the best support features in your hands so that you can deliver good customer service.Book a live demo to witness how LIKE.TG can help you improve your customer service efforts. You can start a15-day free trialon BoldDesk. For more information, contactLIKE.TG support.Related blogs7 Best Help Desk Software Features for Boosting Your Customer SupportBenefits of a help desk ticketing systemRole of Help Desk Software in Achieving Business Goals

Handling thousands of customer queries can be hard and time-consuming for the support team of a growing company. Using ahelp desk management toolhelps a lot to manage customers’ queries.We should optimize the workflow of our ticketing management software to enhance the performance of our support teams. In this blog, I will take you through ways to improve your customer support ticketing system workflow routines to reduce customer service staff work. What is a ticketing system workflow?A ticketing system workflow is the process performed by support agents to resolve ticket issues.A proper workflow inticketing management systemwill result in increased productivity and allow agents to work together smoother. Moreover, it helps in reducing staff workload and enhancing customer service.Need for a ticketing system workflowAn effective ticketing system workflow helps streamline the resolution process of customer issues, providing a structured framework for agents to handle and complete tasks efficiently.Such a workflow typically includes a series of well-defined actions that agents are required to follow, ensuring that no critical step is overlooked and that each ticket is addressed with consistent quality.By adhering to a carefully designed workflow, agents can:Prioritize issues based on urgency and complexity.Collaborate seamlessly with team members.Access the resources to resolve customer queries effectively.An efficient workflow within the ticketing system not only boosts productivity and improves teamwork but also significantly enhances the customer service experience.When customers receive timely, accurate, and consistent support, their satisfaction levels rise, which in turn can result in recommendations of the business.Benefits of optimizingticketing system workflowAn enhanced ticketing system workflow will:Save time in organizing and assigning tickets.Reduce the ticket resolution time since tickets are assigned to a specific person, and there’s no chance they’ll be passed over.Improve customer opinion of the quality of service you provide.Boost the performance of your customer support.Ways to improve your ticketing system workflowLet’s look at some tips for improving your help desk’s workflow after you have it set up.1. Integrate service level agreements (SLAs)You should incorporate time tracking and service level agreements (SLAs) into the workflow of your customer service ticketing tool.With specific goals and service standards, an SLA encourages agents to maintain accountability.An SLA:Sets the turnaround time to fix customer issues.Describes the roles of agents.Proscribes the statuses of tickets.And provides greater visibility of standards.In all, SLAs provide a smoother workflow for the support team and aid in resolving customer issues on time.2. Implement automated ticket assignmentAllowing support agents to manually pick the tickets on which they want to work or putting that responsibility on managers reduces the stability of your workflow. Therefore, using automated ticket assignment can help a support team not to let issues slip between the cracks.Auto assignment rules route incoming tickets to a specific team or group in the organization based on a set of ticket properties like keywords. It then uses round-robin logic to distribute tickets evenly among the agents in the proper group.Also, automatically assigning tickets to agents saves managers or leads a lot of time. Besides, they can also manually assign tickets directly to agents if needed and add themselves or others to the watchers’ list to keep an eye on a ticket’s status.In an automated ticket assignment system, set event triggers perform actions on a ticket when it satisfies certain conditions. The system automatically:Creates a ticket.Assigns it to an agent.Triggers an acknowledgment email that is sent to the requester.Receiving acknowledgment satisfies the customers, and the auto-send saves the agent time.Benefits of automated ticket assignment to your workflow:Automatic ticket allocation provides multiple benefits for your ticketing system software.Since a ticketing tool keeps track of the availability of agents, it can avoid assigning tickets to an unavailable agent.It improves response time.It prevents agents from cherry-picking tickets.Emails for acknowledgment and feedback are automatically sent, reducing customers’ wait time and agents’ work.Refer to this article for more information about ticket automation.3. Frame a ticket escalation structureGenerally, customer service requires teamwork to resolve customer issues effectively. Sometimes, you need other agents to step in when assigned agents are unavailable or unable to handle a problem.For a well-balanced ticketing system workflow, you must have a solid ticket escalation management framework in place.Ticket escalations occur for two reasons: due to a lack of knowledge or skills or due to tickets requiring a manager’s attention or approval.While these escalations may be required sometimes, the goal is to handle as many tickets as possible without escalation.To make your escalation procedure better for tickets:Train your workforce to fill knowledge gaps and improve their skills.Review your escalated tickets regularly to find out what those knowledge gaps are.Encourage regular contact and knowledge sharing among the various tiers of your customer service personnel so that fewer tickets need to be escalated.4. Prepare and update your internal knowledge baseSometimes your support members may forget the solution to fix a customer issue or receive an issue for the first time. So, all your technical people being able to answer every issue from memory is impossible.A well-maintained knowledge base helps support team members quickly resolve customer queries. A study by Salesforce revealed that 66% of customer service teams and 82% of clients turn to knowledge bases to address their concerns and inquiries.By creating an internal knowledge base, your team will always have access to answers, resulting in an improved workflow process.Tips:Provide easy access for your agents to the knowledge base.Make it easy to search for and obtain relevant articles or guides.Get regular feedback from your agents on what to add to or change in the knowledge base.5. Organize your ticketing processTo achieve a streamlined workflow for the ticketing tool, you should organize it. Each member of the team should participate.Using the following customer support ticketing system workflow features will keep your support process running smoothly:Set ticket prioritiesTo resolve tickets based on priority, agents should set every ticket status to low, normal, high, or critical. This ensures the most important tasks receive prompt attention. If too many are assigned to one agent, they can be manually redistributed.Add labels and tagsYou can group similar tickets and separate the important ones using labels. When a group of similar requests reaches a certain volume, its priority rises. You can also use tags to categorize customers and mark high-priority tickets. In addition, you can use them in your SLA.Ticket linkingThe customer’s reply may have multiple queries to which various teams must respond. So, agents can split a ticket, creating a new ticket from the reply.This way, every aspect of a customer’s issue is fixed. Agents can select a relationship between tickets, like parent-child, etc., to keep them organized.Add attachments and notesIn a ticketing tool, you can attach files such as Excel sheets, Word documents, and images while responding to a ticket.In addition, you can include internal notes that only other agents will see. They can be reminders to other agents or some points to note on handling a specific issue. This way, all relevant information stays in one place.Use canned responsesCanned responses are prewritten pieces of text used to reply to questions regularly asked by customers. So, having canned responses to copy from can save your agents time.To learn more, read our blog on the importance of canned responses for customer service.Optimize your ticketing system workflow for better customer serviceIn summary, set realistic SLAs and automate manual operations to optimize the workflow of your ticketing tool. Besides, establish an internal knowledge base and use customer service help desk management software features to stay organized.Finally, streamline your help desk management software operations and ensure your employees have everything they need to provide the best customer service.Try using LIKE.TG, which provides all the benefits described in this blog for your customer support. Contact us to set up alive demoto learn how LIKE.TG functions can be optimized to suit your business needs. Sign up for a 15-day free trialtoday.