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SOP: Customer Service

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Standard Operating Procedure (SOP): Customer Service

For: WordPress Masters ([WEBSITE_URL])
Effective Date: [DATE]
Purpose: To establish a structured and efficient customer service process for WordPress Masters, ensuring high-quality support for clients seeking WordPress experts. This SOP is tailored to the WP Experts Marketplace niche, where timely, accurate, and professional support is critical to maintaining trust and driving repeat business.

1. Purpose

The purpose of this SOP is to:
- Provide clear guidelines for handling customer inquiries, complaints, and feedback.
- Ensure consistent and professional communication across all support channels.
- Maintain high levels of customer satisfaction (CSAT) and Net Promoter Score (NPS).
- Enable efficient resolution of issues to minimize downtime for clients.

2. Scope

This SOP applies to all customer service representatives (CSRs), team leads, and managers at WordPress Masters. It covers:
- Support channel setup and management.
- Ticket classification and prioritization.
- Response time SLAs.
- Escalation procedures.
- Knowledge base maintenance.
- Measurement of customer satisfaction and complaint resolution.
- Proactive outreach triggers.

3. Definitions

  • Ticket: A customer inquiry or issue logged in the support system.
  • CSAT: Customer Satisfaction Score, measured via post-interaction surveys.
  • NPS: Net Promoter Score, measured via periodic surveys to gauge customer loyalty.
  • SLA: Service Level Agreement, defining response and resolution timeframes.
  • Knowledge Base (KB): A repository of articles, FAQs, and guides for self-service support.

4. Responsibilities

Role Responsibilities
Customer Service Rep (CSR) Handle incoming tickets, classify issues, provide first-level support, escalate as needed.
Team Lead Oversee CSRs, handle escalations, ensure SLA adherence, and manage complex issues.
Knowledge Base Manager Maintain and update the knowledge base with accurate and relevant content.
Customer Success Manager (CSM) Monitor CSAT/NPS, analyze trends, and implement proactive outreach strategies.

5. Support Channel Setup

WordPress Masters will offer support through the following channels:

5.1 Email Support

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

5.2 Live Chat Support

  • Tool: Live chat software (e.g., Intercom, Tawk.to).
  • Availability: Monday–Friday, 9 AM–6 PM ([STATE] timezone).
  • Response Time SLA: Immediate acknowledgment within 2 minutes.

5.3 Phone Support

  • Phone Number: [PHONE]
  • Availability: Monday–Friday, 9 AM–6 PM ([STATE] timezone).
  • Response Time SLA: Answer within 3 rings or 15 seconds.

6. Ticket Classification and Priority Matrix

Tickets will be classified based on the nature and urgency of the issue.

Priority Definition Examples Initial Response SLA Resolution SLA
P1 - Critical Severe issue causing complete service disruption. Website down, payment processing failure, security breach. 15 minutes 2 hours
P2 - High Major issue causing partial service disruption or significant impact. Plugin conflict, broken functionality, delayed project delivery. 1 hour 4 hours
P3 - Medium Moderate issue with limited impact on functionality. Minor bugs, feature requests, non-urgent inquiries. 4 hours 1 business day
P4 - Low General inquiries or non-urgent issues. Account setup questions, billing inquiries, general feedback. 1 business day 3 business days

7. Response Time SLAs by Priority

  • P1 - Critical: Response within 15 minutes, resolution within 2 hours.
  • P2 - High: Response within 1 hour, resolution within 4 hours.
  • P3 - Medium: Response within 4 hours, resolution within 1 business day.
  • P4 - Low: Response within 1 business day, resolution within 3 business days.

8. Escalation Tiers and Procedures

8.1 Escalation Tiers

  1. Tier 1 (CSR): Initial ticket handling and resolution for P3 and P4 issues.
  2. Tier 2 (Team Lead): Escalated P1 and P2 issues, or unresolved Tier 1 tickets.
  3. Tier 3 (Specialist/Manager): Complex issues requiring technical expertise or managerial intervention.

8.2 Escalation Process

  1. CSR identifies the need for escalation based on the priority matrix or customer dissatisfaction.
  2. CSR documents all relevant details in the ticket, including steps taken and customer communication.
  3. CSR assigns the ticket to the appropriate Tier 2 or Tier 3 team member.
  4. The assigned team member acknowledges receipt within the SLA and provides updates every 2 hours for P1 and P2 issues.

9. Knowledge Base Maintenance

9.1 Purpose

To provide self-service resources for customers, reducing ticket volume and improving resolution times.

9.2 Maintenance Procedures

  1. Content Creation:
    - Identify common issues and questions from ticket trends.
    - Draft articles with step-by-step instructions, screenshots, and videos.
  2. Review and Approval:
    - Knowledge Base Manager reviews content for accuracy and clarity.
    - Approved articles are published within 2 business days.
  3. Periodic Updates:
    - Review all articles quarterly for relevance and accuracy.
    - Archive outdated content and create new articles as needed.

10. CSAT and NPS Measurement

10.1 CSAT Measurement

  • Survey Timing: Sent automatically after ticket resolution.
  • Question: "How satisfied are you with the support you received?" (1–5 scale).
  • Target Score: 90% or higher.

10.2 NPS Measurement

  • Survey Timing: Sent quarterly to all active customers.
  • Question: "How likely are you to recommend WordPress Masters to a colleague?" (0–10 scale).
  • Target Score: 70 or higher.

11. Complaint Resolution Framework

  1. Acknowledge: Respond to the customer within the SLA, acknowledging the issue.
  2. Investigate: Gather all relevant details and identify the root cause.
  3. Resolve: Provide a solution or workaround within the resolution SLA.
  4. Follow-Up: Confirm with the customer that the issue is resolved to their satisfaction.
  5. Document: Log the complaint and resolution details for future reference.

12. Proactive Outreach Triggers

  • Trigger 1: Negative CSAT or NPS score.
  • Action: Customer Success Manager contacts the customer within 1 business day to address concerns.
  • Trigger 2: High ticket volume from a single customer.
  • Action: Team Lead reviews the account and offers a dedicated consultation.
  • Trigger 3: Recurring issues with a specific plugin or service.
  • Action: Knowledge Base Manager creates a detailed guide or FAQ.

13. Metrics and Reporting

  • Daily: Monitor open tickets, response times, and SLA adherence.
  • Weekly: Review ticket trends, common issues, and escalation rates.
  • Monthly: Analyze CSAT and NPS scores, identify areas for improvement, and report to management.

14. Review Cadence

  • Quarterly: Full review of the SOP to ensure alignment with business goals and industry standards.
  • Annually: Comprehensive audit of customer service processes and tools.

15. Exception Handling

  • If SLAs cannot be met due to unforeseen circumstances (e.g., system outages), notify affected customers immediately with an estimated resolution time.
  • Escalate unresolved issues to the Customer Success Manager for further action.

16. Approval and Acknowledgment

This SOP has been reviewed and approved by:

[REPRESENTATIVE_NAME]
[REPRESENTATIVE_TITLE]
Date: [DATE]

This document is now ready for implementation by WordPress Masters ([WEBSITE_URL]).

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