This blog was last updated on August 26, 2021

My colleague, Lisa Holmquest, previously discussed what can be expected from implementing new sales tax software. Sovos aims to deliver value quickly and reduce the cost and effort required to integrate with a new system. Additionally, we want our customers to feel supported 24/7, even when things don’t go as expected. When it comes to software, problems are inevitable. But that’s why Sovos’ response rate and minimum time to respond (MTTR) are top priorities for us. 

Here are some of the key ways that Sovos Customer Support operates to keep your business moving forward. 

Continuously working to meet customer needs

Customer satisfaction and response times are our most important metrics. Satisfaction is measured with surveys upon support case closure and we aim to hit our response time goals; one business day for routine items, four hours if escalated, and one hour for business-critical cases. There are many more metrics that are monitored but those are the most important.

The difficulty to provide timely and quality service is dependent upon the day. Recently, we had some challenges around staffing and Intelligent Reporting that resulted in slower response times. However, we’re working on getting back to normal service levels each day. 

We’re also in the process of redefining some metrics to be closer to the customer experience. One of the recent improvements was enabling customers to communicate the urgency and impact of their case when entering their support ticket via the Sovos Portal. This allows Support to react more quickly to specific cases/scenarios. 

I was also heavily involved with the launch of our new status page, which allows customers to subscribe to updates instead of waiting for emails. This is continuing to mature within Sovos so be on the lookout for more communication via this site. I love the ability to communicate with our customers in real-time.  

What are common customer issues?

The most common cases are “How do I?” questions within our applications or are questions related to tax rates or geocodes. A majority of application questions can be answered with documentation and training. That is why we’re looking to implement a new and improved knowledge base site that can display contextual articles in a smaller window in the app. This is an important step and should help our customers answer their questions, skipping the wait of contacting Support. The tax rates and geocodes have led to confusion since taxes were invented, so it will take time to identify the best ways to reduce those questions.

However, it’s always great to hear positive feedback directly from our customers. Here are some CSAT comments that I’d love to highlight:

• “Thank you so much for your help. The ticket I submitted was related to an upcoming legislative change that requires some pre-planning. The support from the team will ensure that we execute a smooth transition.”
• “[Our Support team members] were great to work with. They were knowledgeable, helpful and patient in helping me resolve the issue.”

A good sales tax software experience doesn’t end with the software itself – it’s an always moving operation, powered by real people. Sovos experts are responsive, committed to your success, proactive and are both trustworthy and transparent. Hear more from our customers about their experiences working with Sovos, and reach out to our team to discuss what your sales tax project would entail.