I am wondering if customer support software correlates to the movie ‘Up.’ Take your family to see ‘Up’ and think about the story. It is fun, funny, and sad. There is a lot to think about in relation to life itself, people, and relationships.

Speaking of relationships, that’s what customer support is. In the movie, Carl is obsessed with getting to Paradise Falls and, in working so hard to get there, he loses sight of the importance of relationships with those around him. His goal is not bad. In fact, it is noble and worthy. It just managed to blind him to the needs, desires, and worth of others.

Often customer support software is purchased with one purpose in mind – to improve the bottom line. That could mean using metrics to measure length of calls or length of time to resolve an issue. It could mean using analytics to figure out what issues are the most frequent and create a standard response to those. It could mean creating campaigns (e-mail and otherwise) to target customers to purchase other services or products. If any of those rings a bell with you, you may be a lot like Carl. These are all good reasons to purchase customer support software and it certainly can do all that and more. However, you must remember the idea of customer support as you use the software.

Your customers have needs, desires, and worth. You must treat them as individuals with great value in and of themselves – not just value to your bottom line. They are not commodities to be manipulated and used. Their main reason for interaction with your company in the first place was that they needed a service or product you have. Don’t overstep your territory or assume they want you prying into their lives every week just because they purchased one thing from you. On the other hand, a caring inquiry about the usefulness of that product or service could lead to an ongoing relationship with them.

When checking on your customers, make sure you ask them about their needs and desires and find ways to answer some of those – even if the answers are not your services or products. They will feel you truly care and will be much more willing to work with you or purchase from you again. Don’t be like Carl in ‘Up’ and see your customers as a means or only useful if they can increase your bottom line or help you get to Paradise!