Most tech firms put a lot of emphasis on their technology, and not enough or zero on the service that goes with it. Many treat service as an after-thought, as an unimportant bit of data. By doing this they’re missing out on a chance to differentiate themselves and including sales-talk that’s meaningful to the end-user.

More than a list of features.

When shopping around for managed services or custom software, it’s easy to compare features lists, but what about the support service they’ll receive once they buy? We all know when mission-critical technology goes wrong, it’s the end of the world. If you’ve developed a great system for customer support, include that in your web copy, have something that stands out from the list of technical specs.

You love the geek talk, what does your client care about?

While the IT department loves technical specs, they won’t mean much to a non-techie decision maker. They want to know what it will do for them, how it will improve their experience and how it will save them money. For example, many companies spend/waste a lot of money on software and equipment that just doesn’t get adopted because it’s not properly integrated into their situation. If your post installation service will help ease the transition into the clients’ business systems, it will resonate big-time if expressed in the marketing message.

The new marketing…

They say customer service is the new marketing. FreshBooks has made it their very culture to bend over backwards to help clients in any way they can, making them loyal and fabulous cheerleaders.

How do you add the service part to the marketing message?

You’re probably already doing it. You have processes or services in place that you take for granted, thinking it’s just there to make your job easier. Meanwhile, your clients probably really appreciate it.

• Write out your process for delivery services and follow-up in detail – pretend you’re explaining it to a five year old.
• Ask existing clients what they like best about your company’s delivery, then more specific questions on the service and follow-up.
• Re-write all that in marketing-friendly, non-techie language and add it to your website.