Standard Operating Procedure (SOP): Customer Service

Big Data Staging Academy
Tagline: Turn raw data into reliable pipelines
Effective Date: [DATE]

Purpose

To establish a structured and efficient customer service process for Big Data Staging Academy ([WEBSITE_URL]), ensuring timely and high-quality support for customers, minimizing downtime for learners, and maintaining a high level of customer satisfaction in the data staging education niche.

Scope

This SOP applies to all customer service operations, including support via email, phone, and chat, ticket classification, response time SLAs, escalation procedures, knowledge base management, customer satisfaction measurement, complaint resolution, and proactive outreach. It is designed to address the unique needs of customers in the data staging and pipeline development education sector.

Definitions

• CSAT (Customer Satisfaction Score): A metric to measure customer satisfaction on a scale of 1-5.
• NPS (Net Promoter Score): A metric to measure customer loyalty based on the likelihood of recommending the service.
• Ticket: A logged customer inquiry or issue in the support system.
• Priority Levels: Classification of tickets based on urgency and impact (e.g., Critical, High, Medium, Low).
• Knowledge Base (KB): A repository of articles, FAQs, and guides for self-service support.

Responsible Parties

• Customer Support Representatives (CSRs): Handle incoming inquiries, resolve tickets, and maintain the knowledge base.
• Customer Support Manager (CSM): Oversees the team, handles escalations, and ensures adherence to SLAs.
• Technical Support Specialist: Provides advanced troubleshooting for technical issues related to course platforms or data tools.
• Content Manager: Updates and maintains the knowledge base with accurate and relevant information.

Support Channel Setup

1. Email Support

• Tool: Use [TOOL_NAME] (e.g., Zendesk, Freshdesk) for ticket management.
• Email Address: [EMAIL]
• Availability: 24/7 for ticket submission; responses during business hours ([STATE] timezone).

2. Phone Support

• Tool: Use [TOOL_NAME] (e.g., Aircall, RingCentral) for call management.
• Phone Number: [PHONE]
• Availability: Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM–5:00 PM ([STATE] timezone).

3. Live Chat Support

• Tool: Use [TOOL_NAME] (e.g., Intercom, Drift) for real-time chat.
• Availability: Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM–5:00 PM ([STATE] timezone).
• Response Time Goal: Under 2 minutes for initial response.

Ticket Classification and Priority Matrix

Response Time SLAs by Priority

• Critical: Initial response within 15 minutes, resolution within 4 hours.
• High: Initial response within 1 hour, resolution within 8 hours.
• Medium: Initial response within 4 hours, resolution within 24 hours.
• Low: Initial response within 24 hours, resolution within 5 business days.

Escalation Tiers and Procedures

1. Tier 1: Customer Support Representatives (CSRs)
   - Handle general inquiries, basic troubleshooting, and account-related issues.
   - Escalate unresolved technical issues or policy exceptions to Tier 2.

2. Tier 2: Technical Support Specialist
   - Address advanced technical issues related to course platforms, integrations, or data tools.
   - Escalate unresolved platform-wide issues to Tier 3.

3. Tier 3: Customer Support Manager (CSM)
   - Handle escalations requiring managerial intervention, including SLA breaches or customer dissatisfaction.
   - Coordinate with the IT team for platform-wide issues.

Escalation Process:
- Document the issue in the ticketing system with detailed notes.
- Notify the next tier via [TOOL_NAME] (e.g., Slack, email).
- Monitor the ticket until resolution.

Knowledge Base Maintenance

1. Content Creation:
   - Develop articles for common issues, FAQs, and how-to guides.
   - Use screenshots and step-by-step instructions tailored to data staging tools (e.g., Apache Airflow, Talend).

2. Content Review:
   - Review and update articles quarterly or after major platform updates.
   - Assign the Content Manager to oversee accuracy and relevance.

3. Customer Feedback Integration:
   - Use customer feedback to identify gaps in the knowledge base.
   - Add new articles based on recurring ticket themes.

CSAT/NPS Measurement

1. CSAT Surveys:
   - Send a survey after ticket resolution with a 1-5 rating scale.
   - Goal: Maintain an average CSAT score of 4.5 or higher.

2. NPS Surveys:
   - Send quarterly surveys asking, "How likely are you to recommend Big Data Staging Academy?"
   - Goal: Maintain an NPS score of 70 or higher.

3. Reporting:
   - Generate monthly reports on CSAT and NPS trends.
   - Share insights with the leadership team to inform service improvements.

Complaint Resolution Framework

1. Acknowledge:
   - Respond to the customer within the SLA timeframe.
   - Apologize for the inconvenience and confirm receipt of the complaint.

2. Investigate:
   - Gather all relevant details from the customer and internal systems.
   - Assign the ticket to the appropriate team for resolution.

3. Resolve:
   - Provide a clear and actionable resolution.
   - Offer compensation (e.g., free course access) if applicable.

4. Follow-Up:
   - Confirm resolution satisfaction with the customer.
   - Document the resolution process for future reference.

Proactive Outreach Triggers

1. Course Completion Milestones:
   - Send congratulatory emails and suggest advanced courses.

2. Abandoned Cart Follow-Ups:
   - Reach out to users who added courses to their cart but did not complete the purchase.

3. Inactive Users:
   - Contact users who have not logged in for 30 days to re-engage them.

4. Recurring Issues:
   - Notify affected users proactively if a known issue is being resolved.

Metrics and Review Cadence

1. Key Metrics:
   - First Response Time (FRT): Goal of under 1 hour for all tickets.
   - Ticket Resolution Time: Goal of meeting SLAs 95% of the time.
   - CSAT Score: Goal of 4.5 or higher.
   - NPS Score: Goal of 70 or higher.

2. Review Cadence:
   - Weekly team meetings to review ticket trends and SLA adherence.
   - Monthly reports on CSAT, NPS, and resolution times.
   - Quarterly review of the knowledge base and proactive outreach effectiveness.

Exception Handling

• SLA Breaches: Notify the Customer Support Manager immediately.
• Platform-Wide Outages: Escalate directly to the IT team and notify all affected users via email.
• Unresolved Complaints: Escalate to the Customer Support Manager for resolution within 24 hours.

This SOP ensures that Big Data Staging Academy delivers consistent, high-quality customer service tailored to the needs of its learners and professionals in the data staging field.