Beyond the Budget: The Price of Bad Customer Support in B2B SaaS

In the wild frontier of B2B SaaS, customer support isn’t just a sidekick; it’s the superhero. I’ve got a real-life story of how our company opted for a pricier alternative just because of customer support.

Let’s cut to the chase: Customer support isn’t just a checkbox — it’s the secret sauce that can make or break a deal. Especially, when it come to B2B SaaS companies.

I’m not presenting an abstract concept; I’ve got a real-life rollercoaster story of dealings that perfectly shows the importance of top-notch customer support.

What do I mean by “top-notch customer support?” Here’s what cuts the deal for me:

• Respond within 48 hours,
• Address all problems,
• Keep the answers clear and elaborate to avoid miscommunication, and
• Whenever possible, setup a call where you can talk and share screens to understand the problem better.

Side note: When and WHY did companies stop providing call supports? If you’re in marketing, I’m sure you’re already aware that most marketing tools like Mailchimp, Apollo, etc., don’t offer call support. I get it! You don’t want to spend money and manpower on every simple question. But what about addressing unique challenges that aren’t available in your FAQs or datasheets? Especially when it comes to customers who want to spend more money on your products??

Anyway, allow me to share my experience…

We’d been loyal patrons of a data mining tool (I’m not sure if I can mention the name of the company here… but let’s err on the side of caution), for over 3 years.

Last quarter, we decided to level-up our marketing game — toss some extra dollars into the subscription for additional services. We were ready, credit card in hand, full of excitement about the new features we were about to unlock. Simple, right? Nope!

Not with their pre-sales team in charge! They seemed to be on a cosmic vacation, completely MIA.

Emails were sent into the vast abyss, meeting invitations floated like forgotten space debris, and accurate information was as elusive as dark matter. It was like we were reaching out to a black hole — our enthusiasm sucked into the void of non-responsiveness.

What went wrong?

1. They seemed to have only one person onboard to address upsells and cross-sells. Naturally, she was overwhelmed. Replies were sent 2–3 days later.
2. The Sales rep had no information about the product features, services, and pricing. So, she had to go back, confirm with the other teams, and then respond to us.
3. There was no follow-up, no assistance, and no proactive engagement!
4. Nobody in their sales team did anything to understand what our requirement is to begin with.

What I appreciated:

1. They had call support. Well, call support operating in the PST timezone. So, my team working from India had to get on late night calls. But we had bigger problems! During the call, the Sales rep couldn’t answer anything! She was fairly clueless about many functionalities and requests.

After countless attempts to connect and getting nowhere, we decided to explore other options.

And here’s the kicker: despite being a pricier alternative, we opted for their competitor: Upscale. Why? Customer support.

Upscale wasn’t just about the cost; they were about the experience. Sure, we paid a bit more, but it was like having a personal guide to address our queries and help us get great value. Their stellar customer support trumped all other budget-friendly alternatives.

So, dear readers, what’s the moral of this tale? In the wild frontier of B2B SaaS, customer support isn’t just a sidekick; it’s the superhero.

Whether you’re a seasoned space explorer or a SaaS newbie, remember this: when considering a B2B SaaS company, look beyond the features and price tags — check out their support game. It might just be the thing that makes your life easier.