2. TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 • Intro
• What Does it Do?
• What Success Looks Like
• Best Practices for Everyone
• FAQ
OVERVIEW
2 • Overview
• Support Question
• Unsolicited Feedback
• The Helpful Customer
• FAQ
COMMON SCENARIOS
3 • Overview
• Community Roles
• FAQ
COMMUNITY-SPECIFIC ROLES
4 • Overview
• Roles and Expectations
• FAQ
DEPARTMENT-SPECIFIC PARTICIPATION
4. Overview
A Community is a place for PEOPLE to gather
together in a LIKE-MINDED setting, SHARE
ideas, SOLVE problems, and ACCESS
information but…
Conversation quality and the
timeliness of response are what
help a community thrive.
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6. There are a set of best practices every team member should follow when interacting with customers:
1. Never shy away from the negative – Customers have good days and bad days, complaints and praise… and we welcome it all!
Why? Because it shows our customer community that we can…
2. Demonstrate GREAT customer service – Customers want to FEEL valued for their contributions, want to SEE we care, and
want to KNOW they are safe to share in this environment. Actions that support this include:
1. Thanking them for their inquiry/feedback (demonstrates courteousness)
2. Restating what it is they are inquiring/leaving feedback on (demonstrates you’re listening)
3. Providing the response upfront if we can and if not, letting them know we are taking next steps on it (more on that in
”Common Scenarios” (demonstrates the customer experience they expect)
4. Providing a response in-line once it’s available or if it’s not, closing the loop (promotes increased engagement)
3. Be transparent as we can without compromising the brand, culture, or confidential nature of internal information – Part of
what makes up a great customer/vendor relationship is a level of transparency that establishes trust and thought leadership.
Don’t have an answer? It’s okay to say you need to work with your teams to find it!
4. Do not share confidential information – Aside from our private employee-only group, all confidential information should NOT
be shared within the community unless prior emailed consent was given by your manager.
OVERVIEW – 10 BEST PRACTICES
FOR EVERYONE
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7. 5. Help “Stuck” conversations become “unstuck” – Sometimes, the customer’s inquiry/feedback may be unclear and the
conversation between them and other peers may have steered into the wrong direction. Don’t be afraid to get in there and
steer it back on track (see Common Scenarios for more information on this).
6. Be a cheerleader- Use the promote, insightful, agree, like, and vote up icons, under a post or comment to show some
support!
7. Keep the party going – Don’t be afraid to post your own topics, questions to the customer (for feedback-gathering purposes),
or comment where you see fit. If you want to post a “how-to” topic, please use refer to this email so we can remain uniform
in our approach.
8. Be thorough – One of the comments we consistently hear from customers is that we aren’t clear in our explanations –
especially when it comes to the “how-to” of something. Please make sure that whatever you’re posting is clear, free of
misspellings and grammatical errors, and is THOROUGH in its explanation!
9. In a mood? Don’t respond! – We need to make sure that no matter how bad our own day is, we present to the customer the
happiest side of ourselves. If you feel you can’t adequately respond, ask someone else to take it.
10. See something great? Say something! - Email (insert email here) with the quote, interaction, or other celebratory-worthy
happening, along with who posted it, so we can reach out to them with a “thanks” and some swag!
OVERVIEW – 10 BEST PRACTICES
FOR EVERYONE, CONT’D
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8. Q: What if the customer feedback/inquiry appears threatening?
A: Flag it using the flag icon. When you click on that icon, you have the options of “Spam”, “Abuse”, “Report”.
• “Spam” will immediately remove it and throw it into a spam filter for the Moderator to review and the
author will lose “Verified” status.
• “Abuse” will immediately remove it, throw it into a separate queue for the Moderator to review, and the
author will lose “Verified” status. They will not be able to post again until the Moderator takes the
appropriate action.
• “Report” will flag it to the Moderator, but the post will remain until action is taken by them.
Please also reach out to (insert email here) and let the team know you’ve flagged something so they can look at it
immediately.
Q: What if the customer or a team member has posted what looks like proprietary information?
A: Flat it using the flag icon and choose ”Report”. In the comments, explain what the concern is. Please also reach out to
(insert email here) and let the team know you’ve flagged something so they can look at it immediately.
Q: I have a topic/industry-related/feedback inquiry I want to post. How do I make sure it’s appropriate?
A: Reach out to (insert email here) so we can work with you on it!
OVERVIEW – FAQ
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10. Common
Scenarios
Overview
While these will not account for all
types of discussions, the following
scenarios are the most common
you will encounter.
The examples on how to respond
do not need to be used verbatim –
they are merely guidelines.
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11. COMMON SCENARIO: HOW-TO
QUESTION
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A customer has posted a question to one of the version groups, asking how to do something. Below are the common
scenarios you will see along with sample responses and explanations on the approach.
The “answerable” question
Customer: I am getting a blank screen after running the setup utility. How do I fix this?
Employee: @Customer – thank you for your inquiry. To fix this, please refer to this article for the steps to take.
The “this needs a ticket” question
Why this approach: 1. Thanking the customer demonstrates great customer service. 2. In this case, we already have
an article for this, so there’s no need to put the full set of instructions in a comment. For an inquiry that doesn’t
have an article, you may then post the full and thorough instructions.
Customer: I am getting a blank screen after running the setup utility but the instructions in the article didn’t fix it.
Employee: @Customer – thank you for your inquiry. So we can better assist you, please submit a ticket by clicking on the
“Submit a Ticket” button on the right-hand column.
Why this approach: 1. Thanking the customer demonstrates great customer service. 2. Since the majority of
customers can resolve the issue through the steps we provide, this requires further investigation by our Support
team.
12. COMMON SCENARIO: HOW-TO
QUESTION, CONT’D
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The “I need to take this back to my team” question
Customer: I am getting a blank screen after running the setup utility and while your steps were thorough, I found I had to
do (insert action here) to fix it. Is this a common workaround?
Employee: @Customer – thank you for your inquiry. Would you be able to share a bit more information on your
environment, including your version #, if you are using our full-cloud solution, are on Azure, as well as any other
information that would help us determine if this workaround is common? Once I have this, I will take it back to our
Support team and work with them to get you a response. Thank you!
Employee: @Customer – we have a couple of other examples of this workaround being a viable way to solve for the
blank screen after utility setup. To recap, if you are using (insert solution here), then the workaround to solve for the
blank screen is (insert workaround). We will be amending our article on this for (insert version number here). Please let
us know if there are any other questions.
Why this approach: 1. Thanking the customer demonstrates great customer service. 2. In this case, we do not have a
readied response to the question, which means we need more information to make sure we can provide an appropriate
response, in case another customer has the same issue and hasn’t voiced it. 3. When we come back with a response, we
provide the update of whether or not this is something we have seen before, recap the environment/version it’s related to,
and what (if any) action items are being taken to support this. NOTE: If they help to enhance an existing article with
information, or spark a new one, please let (insert email address here) know so we can reward them.
13. COMMON SCENARIO: UNSOLICITED
FEEDBACK
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Oftentimes, customers will post unsolicited feedback on both how they feel and what they need. Below are the three
common scenarios:
The positive feedback
Customer: I love the community and the support I’m receiving. This was the best thing you could have done for your
customers!
Employee: @Customer – thank you so much for the great feedback! We are happy to hear you’re having a great
experience. If we can do anything to improve, or make the experience even greater, please let us know!
The “feature request” that is not housed in the “Feature Request” category
Why this approach: We love happy feedback and it’s important to thank them and celebrate with them. However, we
always want to leave the invitation open for additional feedback. NOTE: If we get positive feedback, please reach out to
(insert email address here) with their username and feedback so we can send them swag!
Customer: I’d like to see better reporting on the dashboard.
Employee: @Customer – thank you for your feedback. We certainly appreciate (and welcome) all feedback that supports a
better product and experience for our customers. We actually have a category for this that our Product team reviews.
Would you mind posting your feedback there, along with more information on what kinds of reporting would be most useful
to you? Thank you!
Why this approach: 1. Thanking the customer demonstrates great customer service. 2. Sharing we welcome all feedback
creates the open culture we want to provide our customers. 3. Asking them to move their feedback and share more
encourages them, as well as other customers, to take advantage of this space and help us make the product better!
14. COMMON SCENARIO: UNSOLICITED
FEEDBACK, CONT’D
2
The “I need to vent” feedback
Customer: I am really frustrated with (insert complaint here) and I feel that your organization just isn’t giving me what I
need. Anyone else feel this way?
Employee: @Customer – thank you for your feedback. We are sorry to hear that you aren’t having a great experience with
(restate complaint here). Certainly, we want to make sure you are getting the most out of your investment. Your assigned
representative will be reaching out to you shortly to better understand how we can (insert next step here) this.
Why this approach: 1. Thanking the customer demonstrates great customer service. 2. Demonstrating empathy will
deescalate the situation. 3. Restating the issue will demonstrate to both the customer, as well as the community, we
have heard them. 4. Providing next steps and a timeframe (if possible) shows we are taking action because we care
(which we DO).
NOTE: “Assigned representative” means the Account Owner. Please make sure that when you reach out to an
account owner, you provide the URL to conversation and/or the text of the discussion. Tell them they need to
respond within the next hour. Please CC (insert email address here). (See Department-specific section for more
information.)
15. COMMON SCENARIO: UNSOLICITED
FEEDBACK, CONT’D
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The “I heard” feedback
Customer: I heard your organization (insert gossip here)
Employee: <In this case, please email (insert email address here) immediately so we can work with Marketing to provide
a response.>
Why this approach: In a case like this, it’s best for us to provide an official response that Marketing has
drafted/approved to remain within the confines of a positive, thriving culture (that also deescalates any potential
situations).
The “Me, too” feedback
Customer 1: I am really frustrated with (insert complaint here) and I feel that your organization just isn’t giving me what I
need. Anyone else feel this way?
Customer 2: I’m so glad I’m not the only one! What is going on?
Employee: @Customer1 and @Customer2 – thank you for your feedback. We are sorry to hear that you aren’t having a
great experience with (restate complaint here). Certainly, we want to make sure you are getting the most out of your
investment. Each of your assigned representatives will be reaching out to you shortly to better understand how we can
(insert next step here) this.
Why this approach: 1. Thanking the customer demonstrates great customer service. 2. Demonstrating empathy will
deescalate the situation. 3. Restating the issue will demonstrate to both the customers, as well as the community, we have
heard them. 4. Providing next steps and a timeframe (if possible) shows we are taking action because we care (which we
DO).
16. COMMON SCENARIO: THE HELPFUL
CUSTOMER
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The “I’ve had this too, here’s what I did” response (and it’s correct)
Customer1: @Customer2 – I’ve had that issue before and here’s how I was able to resolve (explains their steps)
Employee: <In this case, let the conversation naturally flow, but definitely use one of the positive icons to celebrate that
customer helping to solve!>
Why this approach: We want the customers to support each other. It not only promotes peer connection, but also
supports our goal of reducing redundant support tickets as well.
The “I’ve had this too, here’s what I did” response (and it’s incorrect or because they have a special use case)
Customer1: @Customer2 – I’ve had that issue before and here’s how I was able to resolve (explains their steps)
Employee: @Customer1 – thank you for your (insert whatever it is they provided here). To better understand your
approach, would you mind sharing with us some more about (ask them to include specifics of their environment related to
the issue and their workaround, such as version number, end points, etc.)?
Customer1: Provides specifics
Employee: Thank you for that information. We believe that due to the nature of your use case and how we set up your
environment for it, this may be a special workaround. @Customer 2, please submit a support ticket by clicking the “Submit
a Ticket” button to the right.
Why this approach: 1. Thanking the customer demonstrates great customer service. 2. Asking the “helpful” customer
more about their environment shows other customers that this is a unique case that will undoubtedly require our
assistance. 3. Asking for the customer with the inquiry to submit a ticket, removes the potential for any escalations and
complex troubleshooting that would leave others confused/concerned.
17. COMMON SCENARIO: FAQ
2
Q: What if the customer feedback/inquiry appears threatening?
A: Flag it using the flag icon. When you click on that icon, you have the options of “Spam”, “Abuse”, “Report”.
• “Spam” will immediately remove it and throw it into a spam filter for the Moderator to review and the
author will lose “Verified” status.
• “Abuse” will immediately remove it, throw it into a separate queue for the Moderator to review, and the
author will lose “Verified” status. They will not be able to post again until the Moderator takes the
appropriate action.
• “Report” will flag it to the Moderator, but the post will remain until action is taken by them.
Please also reach out to (insert email address here) and let the team know you’ve flagged something so they can look at
it immediately.
Q: What if the customer or a team member has posted what looks like proprietary information?
A: Flat it using the flag icon and choose ”Report”. In the comments, explain what the concern is. Please also reach out to
(insert email address here) and let the team know you’ve flagged something so they can look at it immediately.
Q: Do I have to respond if another team member has already done so?
A: Nope! In fact, we don’t need to confuse the customer with multiple responses. If there’s additional information a
team member forgot to include, ping them separately and have them amend their response. The ONLY exception to this
is when a customer has provided positive feedback. There’s no harm is multiple thank you’s coming to them in the
comments!
18. C O M M U N I T Y -
S P E C I F I C
R O L E S
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20. OVERVIEW: COMMUNITY ROLES
ROLE WHAT THEY DO
Administrator They not only oversee the platform but own the entirety of the program
as well.
Expert They have the knowledge to respond to an inquiry from a customer.
Usually, they will be someone from Product or Support.
Moderator They are the ”party hosts”, the “hall monitors”, and the “information
routers”. They keep conversations flowing in a positive direction and
make sure that customers’ inquiries are getting the responses they need
in the time we promise.
Content Contributor They aren’t necessarily Experts in a subject but have worked with the
Community team to help develop content on subjects of interest to
them, or ones we have identified a need for. They are not responsible
for answering customer questions on their articles.
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We do not expect every team member from an organization to participate in discussions unless they are
either prompted to do so or are so inclined to! In fact, you can leave much of the ”heavy lifting” to the
roles below.
21. COMMUNITY ROLES: FAQ
3
Q: How do I become an Expert or Moderator?
A: Reach out to (insert email address here) to inquire.
Q: I want to be a Content Contributor! How do I go about doing this?
A: If you want to post a “how-to” topic, please use refer to this email so we can remain uniform in our approach.
Q: Who are the current Experts?
A: We will be reaching out to individuals as needed to help respond to questions that our Moderators are unable to
provide responses to.
Q: Who are the current Moderators?
A: (List out Moderators)
22. D E P A R T M E N T -
S P E C I F I C
I N F O R M A T I O N
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24. ROLES & EXPECTATIONS
Team/Person Expectations
Product Team (non-
management/Expert)
In order to ensure the entirety of the product team is focused on the advancement of the product, we will only be reaching out to
specific team members to support the response of any inquiries we may need assistance with. You are more than welcome to come
in and check it out, but please defer to management and Experts for anything that needs a response.
Product Team
(Management/Expert)
There are two types of customer interactions we encourage if you are in either (or both) role(s):
1. Special feedback events, including special categories for limited-time feedback gathering, and polls added directly in an existing
category. Please reach out to (insert email address here) for more information.
2. Feedback coming into the Product Feedback category – we need to make sure that we are proactively providing responses as the
and closing the loop on the feedback that comes in (can be done on a regular cultivating cycle).
Support & Delivery We do not expect Support & Delivery to be on stand-by to respond to any customer inquiries that come in unless otherwise
assigned by a manager. You are more than welcome to interact with customers if you would like to help support the efforts but please
do not feel obligated. We do, however, ask that you:
1. Promote the community
2. Send invites to customers who would like to register (see instructions under FAQ, in the next slide)
All of Sales We do not expect you to solve for any inquiries that customers have however, we do ask that you interact with your customers on the
platform, whether that’s a comment or using one of the emoticons. We also ask that you:
1. Promote the community
2. Send invites to customers who would like to register (see instructions under FAQ, in the next slide)
3. Use engagement data in QBRs or other relevant discussions to ensure they know the community exists and what the benefits of
participating are (including being better enabled and well-informed).
Operations (non-
enablement)
We do not expect you to interact with the customers, though it’s encouraged if you are a Content Contributor, have information that
will support a discussion, or would like positively support a discussion (via use of one of the emoticons). We do ask that you:
1. Promote the community in any discussions you’re having with the customers (if applicable)
Operations
(enablement)
We expect that you will:
1. Promote the community in your training sessions
2. Send invites to customers (see instructions under FAQ, in the next slide)
3. Encourage use of the University category for furthering their knowledge and discussions
4. Provide updated content to your category 4
25. ROLES & EXPECTATIONS
Team/Person Expectations
Marketing We do not expect Marketing to participate in customer discussions but instead, work with us to ensure any campaigns,
announcements, events, inquiries, content, etc. are also included in the community.
Any Other Roles You are under no obligation to support customer discussions, though if you wish to be a Content Contributor or use the emoticons at
the bottom of any post or comment, it’s highly encouraged!
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26. COMMUNITY ROLES: FAQ
4
Q: How do I send an invite to a customer?
A: Click on your profile icon and select “View Profile” from the drop-down menu. Then, on the right-hand side, select
“Invitations”. Scroll down to the Invitations section of that page and add in the email address of the customer you would
like to invite. Click invite when done.
Q: I tried to send an invite to a customer, but they were already invited. How do I send them a new one or see if the
have an account already?
A: Email (insert email address here) with the email address of the customer you are trying to add, and we can assist.
Q: I’m still not sure if I should be participating in customer discussions or, I there’s a discussion I want to participate in.
What do I do?
A: Reach out to your manager first and get their thoughts/approval. If there’s something specific you would like to
participate in, let them know what it is. If they approve your participation, then so do we!
