It pays to start early
Fast-growing startups are quicker to adopt support, utilize more tools and communication channels, and ensure a seamless omnichannel experience for anyone that contacts them. As a result, they’re responding to customers faster and more efficiently than the rest.
Timing is important when it comes to customer support. In fact, fast-growing startups were 33 percent more likely to sign up for Zendesk Support within a year of being founded. So when should early stage startups think about adding support, according to our benchmark? You’ll want to do so within nine to ten months of your first round of fundraising.
You’ll also want to consider early adoption of tools that prioritize speed and convenience for your customers and internal teams. Compared to their peers, fast-growing startups were 33 percent more likely to add omnichannel in their first two years. They were also 20 percent more likely to add live channels like chat during the same time period, which helps them solve customer requests faster than asynchronous options like email.
Michael Wystrach, CEO and Co-Founder of Freshly, a meal delivery service, explains why early adoption of support tools matters. "CX has been a top priority for Freshly from day one. As soon as we shipped our first meal, we knew the questions, comments, and concerns from our customers would immediately follow. How we dealt with those touchpoints would define our reputation as a customer-first brand.”
“How we dealt with those touch points would define our reputation as a customer-first brand.”
Michael Wystrach, CEO & Co-Founder, Freshly
You may not need to communicate over every channel, especially if you’re just starting out. But live chat can be an effective way to offer help and answer customer questions. If you’re planning to add chat support, our benchmark indicates that you should add it within the first year of funding. The primary point is that if you want to put your customers at the center of your business, you'll want to invest the right tools sooner rather than later.
33%
more likely to add support
within the first year of founding
What they're doing:
1 out of 4
add omnichannel
in their first 2 years
20%
more likely to add live chat
in their first 2 years