Some of my best friends are programmers

Let’s be honest: If you’re a programmer, you probably don’t like talking to people very much. It’s ok, there’s nothing wrong with this. Let’s all just admit it and get it out there in the open and own our own strengths. No one is going to judge you.

If you’re development-centric, your focus needs to be on just that: development. If you break up your day into increments of developing, writing user guides, replying to customer emails, reading app store reviews, and trying to market your product, you’re never going to get anything done. Ideally, your day should be a series of blocks of uninterrupted time: Development Time, Business Time, more Development Time.

Conspicuously absent from this schedule is time for Quality Customer Support. Where does that fit in? Probably in a tiny sliver of Business Time, right before bedtime, right after reading a few neutral reviews or dealing with Twitter replies or GAHHH PEOPLE KEEP WRITING ME EMAILS WHEN I’M TRYING TO WORK!!

Sound familiar?

Really great developers want to get lost in an ocean of code and creation. Rarely do they want to come up for air and be pummeled by the sea beast of customer support. There’s a solution to this and it doesn’t have to be hiring a full time support person.

Here’s a few pro-active tips if you’re launching an app and are feeling overwhelmed with all those customer details:

1. Start with a really clear, friendly online Help section. If you answer obvious questions in advance, you cut out the potential for anyone to email you for an obvious answer.
2. Create friendly email scripts to cut your replying time in half. You can save yourself 40 hours a month of typing if you have templates for the most commonly used responses. Templates should include things like, “Hi __, Thanks for buying our app!” and “Sorry to hear you’re running into this trouble.” (Pro tip: Include your name in a signature block so you don’t spend all day typing your own name over and over.)
3. Point people back to the answer in your online Help section so they can educate themselves on their own. Done and done.

Still feel overwhelmed with all these words? Don’t worry, we’re here to help. Just go back to your programming and let us handle everything else. Think of CoSupport as your friendly junk yard guard dog, keeping all these interruptions at bay.