Imagine paying for an app, building your business around it, and suddenly running into an account issue.
You try the help centre. Nothing.
You contact support. No useful response.
So you leave the app, open X, and tag the company, hoping someone finally responds.
At what point did getting help become this difficult? 😂
Something has gone wrong with the product experience.
Why Should Product Teams Care?
Think about LinkedIn.
For many freelancers, it's not just a social network. It's their:
- Portfolio and professional identity.
- Lead-generation channel.
- Client communication tool.
- Inbox for business opportunities.
When something goes wrong, they aren't just losing access to an app. They could be losing access to work.
That's why support shouldn't be treated as an afterthought.
What Does Good Support Look Like?
A good support experience should make it easy for users to:
- Find the right channel to get help.
- Explain their problem without jumping through hoops.
- Know what happens after submitting a request.
- Reach a human when automation isn't enough.
LinkedIn already has AI-assisted help and support channels, although what's available varies by account and product type.
But having support options isn't the same as making support accessible.
Here's my take:
Don't measure your support experience by how easy it is for your team to resolve a problem.
Measure it by how easy it is for a user who doesn't know anyone at your company to get help.
Because support isn't a department sitting outside the product.
It's part of the product experience.
And when someone's livelihood depends on your platform, it becomes part of your trust and security
A product isn't truly user-friendly if it only works well when nothing goes wrong.
