Scalable Support, Sign Posts and Satisfaction

We had a friend in town last week, so our days were filled with a lot less working and a lot more living. 👍

It's always such a treat to show our friends and family around Portugal so they can see in person why we've fallen in love with it. (For those of you who miss our life in Portugal email updates, here are some photos!)

2024 began in January with a lot of work focus and momentum (which felt great), but it was nice to take a step back for a week and spend more time away from the laptops, laughing, eating great food, and appreciating the present moment.

Speaking of the present moment, more on that in the Peaceful section of this week's newsletter. 😉 Let's get to it!

- Jason and Caroline

PREDICTABLE 🔄

Scaling your customer support

Adding more predictability to your business means creating systems that can be repeated and scaled.

We often apply that to scaling programs or sales launches. But have you ever thought about systematizing and scaling your customer support?

No, I don't mean adding chatbots and AI tools to completely strip the humanity out of connecting with customers. I just mean one dedicated place to send customers so you don't have to answer the same twelve questions over and over.

For instance, in the software world, "help docs"—or documented guides for how to use a software product—are basically a non-negotiable.

But why don’t we*, as online creators, have the same kind of help documentation for our digital products, memberships, courses, etc?

If you’re constantly answering similar questions from your customers through emails or DM's, you're missing an opportunity to answer that question in public for future customers to find!

There are MANY ways you could create a helpful customer support flow:

• A simple FAQ/Help page on your website

• A public Google Doc or Notion page

• A customer-only IG account with FAQ content

• OR, a Teachery Course like our WAIM Member Michelle from Secret O.W.L. Society…

When I found out that our WAIM Member Michelle was using a Teachery course as a set of help docs, I thought it was brilliant! Why didn’t I, the creator of Teachery, think of this?? 😂🤦

Now, you don’t have to use Teachery, but isn’t it a lovely branded experience for an otherwise boring thing (help docs)??

Here's an idea: Spend one hour this week making your customer support a bit less hand-to-hand combat and bit more here’s-a-fun-area-to-answer-common-Qs.

​- Jason 👨🏻‍🦲​

* Obviously I know that some people already do this, I just know from working with thousands of biz owners that most don’t 😜.

PROFITABLE 🤑

Adding sign posts for a smoother customer journey

Improving your customer’s experience goes beyond just providing better support; it also involves enhancing their journey through your offer.

Currently, we’re evaluating Teachery’s customer journey map. We’re considering each stage of a customer’s experience from landing on our website to using the app.

How can we make a new user feel guided to the events inside Teachery that demonstrate the value of our product?

This process isn’t just useful for a software product, it applies to any business, whether you’re servicing clients, selling a digital product, or running a membership community.

Outlining the customer journey step-by-step helps you see your brand experience from your customer’s perspective and smooth out transitions between steps.

What happens when someone signs up for your newsletter or makes a purchase? What’s the first thing you want them to do?

Here are some quick steps for answering these questions:

1. Use a test email to go through your sign-up and purchase processes.

2. At each new step, ask yourself: Is it clear what the next action is?

3. If the answer is no, add a “sign post” to clearly outline the next step for your customer.

A sign post 🪧 can be any number of things. It could be as simple as a line of text on your confirmation page saying: “Now go check your email for the login details!”

Or a sign post 🪧 could be a video message explaining what to check out in your membership. It could be a new member checklist for someone who just joined your membership or it could be an automated email welcome sequence.

When your customer feels guided, they’re more likely to have a positive first experience with your brand and get value from what you’re offering. This leads to better outcomes, making your marketing efforts easier. They may even refer you or become an affiliate.

⚡️ Take action: Follow the steps above and add ONE new sign post to a crucial step in your customer’s journey to make the experience smoother.

​- Caroline 👩🏻‍🦰​

PEACEFUL 🧘

A gratitude practice for emotional robots like me

Practicing gratitude on a daily basis has changed my life over the past decade.

But “gratitude” isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.

You see, I’m (👨🏻‍🦲) the “emotional robot” 🤖 in our family, while my wife, Caroline (👩🏻‍🦰), is the “Chief Emotional Officer” 💖. Picture our emotional states as line charts: mine is basically flatlined and hers is like a smooth roller coaster, plenty of peaks and valleys.

Now, I’m not saying I handle emotions better or worse, just different. (Okay, fine, I handle them worse, sheesh.) Back to the topic at hand…

If you’re like me and emotions barely register, how do you become aware of moments of appreciation and turn them into gratitude?

Well, I think of it a bit like dental work. 🦷🤷 (What?) Stay with me! 😂

When the dentist numbs your mouth, you can’t feel pain but you CAN feel pressure. Well gratitude is like that for me—a dull sensation I can recognize but my brain barely registers it.

However, over the years, I’ve gotten better at recognizing when a positive emotion is present and intentionally trying to UN-numb it.

Like when I’m walking by the ocean and the waves make me happy. Instead of letting it pass, I pause and focus on soaking it in. Basically, I turn the Novocain down (only recommend doing this in the metaphorical sense. 😂🦷)

It takes effort, but I stretch my emotional line chart up slightly so the highs hit a little higher.

Whether you’re an emotional robot like me or emotions come easily like Caroline, I hope hearing about this practice from the perspective of someone who doesn’t come by it naturally helps you develop your own way of accessing gratitude on a regular basis.

Letting those feelings in has helped me feel more satisfaction and happiness in my life. 🤖💖

​- Jason 👨🏻‍🦲​