5 Minutes With - Ollie Smith

At The SaaSy People we have an amazing team working across a range of accounts, so we thought we would give you the chance to get to know them a little better.

This week we spoke to Ollie Smith, who joined The SaaSy People at the end of 2019!

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Q. What is your role at The SaaSy People?

I’m a Technical Support Engineer, which is customer support but from a technical standpoint. So being able to understand the systems that my client and their customers are working with in a more in-depth way. With Triptease, for example, I’m able to handle both the first tech response, as well as the more technical queries for them such as dealing with the scripts they have to use, and collaborating with their engineering team to answer the customers queries or technical issues that they have. 

Q. What was your career before that that got you into this role?

Before working for The SaaSy People I had studied computer science at Lincoln University and graduated in 2019. I was unsure what to do, until I came across The SaaSy People. ‍

Q. What would you say makes an Exceptional Customer Support Experience?

One thing that I have experienced that I think makes a very good customer experience is being able to adapt and overcome unforeseen requests and situations. You could have all of the knowledge available to you about a clients product or service, but a customer could have a request that covers none of that information, so as a customer support agent you have to be confident in being able to adapt to those situations, to work to find the answer, and confidently relay the situation to the customer effectively. 

Q.Do you think you have a good relationship with Triptease, the client?

Yes I have a great relationship with them. When I first started working with them there was a lot to understand ane learn, but after spending time with them I have integrated well into their systems and processes. They know that if they need something done they can come to me. When we first partnered with them we worked through their support inboxes, and now the main inbox is always actioned as soon as I've logged into it. They know if they need some scripts sent over for something or just general support, they know they can send it to me and it will get handled.

Q. What’s your dream holiday?

I would love to explore more of the world,  but I would especially love to go to Japan as I have friends out there. Especially after spending the last year indoors I'd love to go and explore more in the future. ‍

Q. What's your favourite food?

Thats a difficult one, but I do think one of the things I love is chicken katsu. There is a wonderful place in Birmingham’s New Street Station that serves an amazing chicken katsu called Yakinori’s. I used to go all the time whilst we were in the office, and can't wait to go back! ‍

Q. If you had one piece of advice for a business trying to get your customer support right what would it be?

A lot of companies think that customer support is just for the customer, but I believe to have successful customer support the customer support team needs a wider knowledge of the whole business, not just areas that are affecting the customer. If the team has the perspective of the larger image they can support the customer in the best way for both the business and the customer. A lot of customer support agents can become glorified receptionists, where they just pass queries on, however a good customer support agent can proactively solve their customers queries and requests. 

Q.If you were a small to medium business owner, would you feel comfortable outsourcing your customer service?

Yes, I definitely would as long as I could speak to and get to know the outsourcing partner and subsequently knew that the outsourcing partner cared about my customer, rather than just numbers. I would want an outsourced partner that went the extra mile to understand my business and the industry as a whole, and be able to adapt to us.

Keep your eyes peeled for our next monthly instalment of ‘5 Minutes with’ in June! 

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Is it time to outsource your customer support, with The SaaSy People?

At The SaaSy People, we’re experts in customer service — and we’re ready to take the weight off your shoulders. 

Our team of experienced, outsourced agents can provide both technical support and day-to-day help for each and every one of your customers, so you don’t have to.

We communicate with your customers across all of your existing channels including social media, or work with you to build new channels for your customers.

Get in touch with The SaaSy People today, and start exploring a more efficient way of delivering unbeatable customer experience.