The Importance of Customer Advocacy at NinjaCat

For any SaaS company, providing support is a standard expectation. However, what truly differentiates one service from another is the quality of that support. NinjaCat sets itself apart not only through our platform’s powerful features but also through our unwavering dedication to delivering top-notch customer service. 

I lead the Tech Services department at NinjaCat, which includes our Customer Advocacy Team that we affectionately shorthand “CATs.” I’ve witnessed first hand how the CAT’s commitment to our users goes beyond mere functionality. We truly believe in fostering lasting partnerships and empowering marketers to achieve unparalleled levels of success. Here’s a peek at how we do it. 

We Believe Customer Advocacy > Customer Support

Beyond just solving issues and tickets, customer support at NinjaCat is an opportunity to build and preserve relationships with customers. Each time a customer faces a problem, their relationship with our company is at stake. It is the support team's responsibility to showcase genuine care and empathy, demonstrating that the customer's concerns are taken seriously.

Being an ambassador of empathy is fundamental to the support role at NinjaCat. In fact, that’s why we call our team “advocates” rather than just “support reps” or similar. Understanding that showing care and concern is often more important than the immediate solution sets us apart. The support team is not just a technical resource; they are truly advocates for customers.

In the words of one of our CATs, Chelsey Anderson, “Getting to know clients and their spirit and pain points, and becoming their go-to person is wonderful. There generally isn’t a ton of excitement in tech support and handling help tickets, but making someone’s day by fixing an issue and making an impact is rewarding. When clients realize there is someone that will genuinely listen to them and appreciate their issues, that’s a great feeling.”

It’s our job to show the customer that we care. All our customers have a relationship with NinjaCat, and everytime they have an issue the relationship is on the line. The CAT has an opportunity to strengthen the relationship, or hurt it. The key to providing quality support lies not only in solving problems, but also in the manner of response.

How the Customer Advocacy Team Operates

At NinjaCat, support is not just a necessity, but an art form that revolves around building and strengthening relationships with customers. There are three distinct tiers of NinjaCat's customer support and each tier plays a crucial role in maintaining exceptional customer satisfaction.

Tier 1: The Frontlines

Tier 1 support serves as the frontlines, where quick responses and issue resolution are paramount. These skilled professionals handle 80% of all tickets, showcasing their ability to answer questions swiftly and efficiently. The primary goal of Tier 1 is to address issues promptly, ensuring customers feel heard and valued right from the start. With a handful of individuals holding the key to most of the support and satisfaction, their dedication becomes the cornerstone of exemplary customer service.

Tier 2: The Strategic Thinkers

Step into the realm of Tier 2, and you'll find the strategic thinkers of our advocacy team. Comprising 15% of the support tickets, these advanced experts act as the Sherlock Holmes of the platform. They dig deep into the product, meticulously recreating issues and delving into the facts to find the most accurate answers. Their expertise and dedication ensure that even the most complex challenges are tackled with precision, further strengthening the customer experience.

Tier 3: The Surgeons

At the pinnacle of the customer support hierarchy lies Tier 3 – the tip-top surgeons. These elite professionals handle 5% of the help tickets, and their role transcends conventional support. Combining engineering and product knowledge, they go to great lengths to investigate coding, bug fixes, and integrations. Their thorough approach and attention to detail guarantee that every customer issue is addressed with the utmost care and technical expertise.

A Day In The Life of a CAT

Handling help tickets can be a challenging endeavor. The flow of customer queries, issues, and support requests never ceases, demanding a well-organized and efficient approach. At NinjaCat, our CATs face this relentless challenge head-on, adopting a systematic approach to ensure every customer gets the attention they deserve.

Navigating through an array of support tickets requires a fine balance between resolving simple issues and diving into more complex problems. We understand the importance of quick wins, as addressing small victories first can alleviate customer frustrations and create a positive experience. By addressing the simpler matters promptly, the team can then devote the necessary time and expertise to tackle more intricate challenges.

However, there are instances when immediate solutions may not be possible, which is where the art of handling responses comes into play. Chelsey explains, "It's hard not being able to solve something or inform the clients that a fix is in the works but might take a while." Nonetheless, she emphasizes that these challenges often inspire feature requests and updates, thereby continuously improving the product for all users.

At the heart of NinjaCat's customer service philosophy is a profound understanding of what truly matters to our clients. Chelsey asserts, "The main goal is that clients feel supported and listened to. Support can be very technical, but at the end of the day, it's simply about being there for them. It isn't about solving, it's about seeing." In essence, clients seek more than just problem resolution; they want to be acknowledged and understood. Our approach to support revolves around empathizing with frustrations and repeating the issues to ensure clients feel truly heard, thereby significantly reducing their distress.

However, NinjaCat's commitment to customer service goes beyond just being responsive. A powerful example of our dedication emerged with the recent addition of new Google Analytics (GA4) integrations. Clients provided valuable observations about differences in Google Analytics that were previously unforeseen. Armed with this feedback, we worked closely with the product team, presenting data and examples that highlighted the difficulties clients faced. The result was a collaborative effort to fix metrics and create new Google Analytics report templates that enabled clients to generate cleaner and stronger reports from the outset.

Customer Experience IS The Product

Customer support at NinjaCat is not merely a reactive role; it serves as a catalyst for change and improvement throughout the product's lifecycle. Getting bad customer service reflects directly on the product writ large. In a way, customer experience is the product. We go out of our way to show we care about people, and in turn, they not only love the NinjaCat, but also become loyal, long-term customers.

Our focus on customer service underscores NinjaCat’s dedication to empowering clients' success. As the CATs tackle support tickets and challenges day-to-day, our commitment to listening, understanding, and actively participating in the product's evolution cements NinjaCat's reputation as a company that truly puts its clients first.