Is your company looking to buy an event management platform? Don’t forget to clarify what kind of follow-up and support the vendor provides. Otherwise, you risk not getting sufficient training and guidance on how to use the platform.
Or even worse: you risk not getting help when you really need it. That can quickly become frustrating, costly, and risky.
In this article, we’ll explain why a good event management platform must provide users with strong follow-up and support, the key benefits of this, and the consequences of choosing a vendor with a weak support team.
Why should your event management platform provider offer strong follow-up and support?
User training
Even though event platforms are usually intuitive to use, the provider should offer user training and guidance. This ensures that you, as a customer, get a great user experience, and get the most out of the system.
A provider that offers training resources and support helps ensure that you feel comfortable, capable, and confident when using the platform.
“In a truly great event management platform, you as a user will meet the same advisors all the way, from training on how to use the system to when you call support three months later,” says Lena Elgaaen, Head of the Customer Success Team at Proviso.
Confidence and peace of mind
A good event management platform should make you feel confident as a user. Is there someone you can “bounce ideas off” when you’re planning the event? Do you get solid help setting everything up correctly, and advice and guidance on everything related to GDPR and data privacy?
Can you call a support team during Nordic business hours and get knowledgeable help right away – from someone who understands exactly what kind of problem you’re dealing with and who will do their utmost to solve it for you?
If you choose a system provider with a strong support team, you can always be confident that you won’t be left on your own when you need help the most.
“It’s more comfortable to use an event platform with good support than one without,” Elgaaen points out. “You know someone will pick up the phone when you need help and guidance, whether it’s something big or small. You don’t have to submit a support ticket that takes three weeks to get a response to.”
Customer satisfaction and increased trust
A strong support team has a professional and welcoming approach. How you, as a user, are treated by support says a lot about the quality of the event management platform – and the provider behind it.
Good follow-up and support help you become a more satisfied customer. When you feel that your needs and concerns are handled efficiently, your trust in the provider and their product increases.
Faster problem resolution
An event management platform may occasionally be affected by technical errors or user issues. A provider that offers fast and effective support ensures that problems are resolved more quickly. This minimizes downtime and reduces potential negative consequences for you as a user of the system – and for your event.
Continuous improvement
Strong follow-up and support make it possible for you as a user to share input and feedback. This is valuable for the provider when it comes to identifying areas where the event management platform can be improved and further developed.
By listening to your needs and wishes, the provider can adapt and strengthen the product’s functionality and usability over time.
“When you receive feedback on user experience and functionality from users, you can fix things quickly – for example, a technical issue,” says Elgaaen.
“If you as a user have a number to call, you can also share requests for functionality and customizations. That way, as a provider, you develop the system in collaboration with users, so it fits their needs as well as possible.”
Industry experience and deep insight into the realities of events
A provider that has been in the market for many years has broad industry experience. There’s a greater chance they’ll still be around many years from now.
Advisors who work every day with challenges related to events and event management platforms can hold your hand and guide you through the process wherever you need it.
“We who work in support have experience with similar cases,” says Elgaaen. “Guaranteed, we’ve heard about your exact case before, so we can think it through together and spar.”
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The 7 most important benefits of using an event management platform with a strong support team
1. It’s easy to get in touch with the provider
For many event planners, it’s essential to be able to contact support easily when the need arises. When you’re in the middle of a hectic planning period and run into a challenge, you need to be able to call a support team (during Nordic business hours) and get help solving the problem.
2. You don’t have to figure everything out on your own
Let’s say you’ve started using an event management platform with strong functionality. Unfortunately, you forgot to clarify how well the provider supports its users. Now you’re stuck waiting for U.S. business hours, so they might answer the phone.
In the meantime, you have to figure out how everything works by yourself. You struggle to see what’s possible, and you have no one to show you what to do to achieve the best possible results.
This is a scenario you can avoid if you choose an event management platform with a strong support team that operates within the realities of the Nordic events industry. With a professional team of advisors behind you, you’ll be able to get the maximum value out of the platform.
3. You get tailored support, when you need it
A platform with a dedicated support department gives you answers when the need for help arises. You don’t risk having to wait for assistance during a critical phase.
A dedicated support team means you have access to professionals who are always ready to help you with specific challenges along the way. And most importantly: you get fast, high-quality help with exactly what you are struggling with or wondering about – not a generic, copy-and-paste response from an FAQ. That makes it safe and easy for you to plan and run events.
4. You get advisors with real insight into the challenges
There are two types of customer support you might encounter with an event management platform provider. One has limited (or no) understanding of the challenges you face when planning an event. The advisor (whom you’ve never spoken to before) may be based in another part of the world, far removed from the market you operate in.
The other has two decades of experience helping organizers like you achieve successful registration and attendee management in the Nordics – and does everything they can to understand your issues and challenges and solve them for you.
Which of the two providers would you prefer to work with?
5. You get help with more than just system-related questions
When the same company that provides the platform can also help you with venues, hotels, agreements with sponsors, and speakers/entertainment – or can even be on-site at the event to support you during execution – you’ll get even more value out of the partnership.
6. You get training and resources
A strong support team can provide training and resources to help you learn how to use the event management platform more effectively. This may include training videos, user guides, webinars, and other learning materials that will increase your knowledge and make you more confident as a user.
7. You can get help integrating the solution with other systems
A strong support team can help you integrate the event management platform with other relevant systems or platforms your organization uses (CRM systems, payment solutions, marketing tools, etc.). This ensures seamless collaboration and data exchange between different systems.
What are the consequences of choosing a provider with a weak support team?
You end up with a poor end result
What seems cheap can quickly become expensive if the expected functionality and use of a “budget-friendly” system doesn’t actually cover your real needs. The platform itself might be good, but when you have to figure things out on your own, you don’t see what’s possible. No one tells you what you can do to achieve a great result, and you’re left with something that, in reality, could have been much better.
- How do you invite potential attendees?
- How do you set up attendees invoicing correctly?
- How do you create an evaluation and make sure only those who actually attended are asked to respond?
- How do you ensure GDPR and privacy regulations are complied with?
Good follow-up and tailored support will save you a lot of potential headaches throughout the process. Of course, it’s important to consider pricing and map out which features your company actually needs. But what’s the point of that if you end up stuck without help?
You can’t put a price on peace of mind. Strong follow-up and guidance gives you exactly that peace of mind.
It’s expensive and time-consuming to look for a new system
Switching systems – or investing in a brand-new one – is often a major decision for a company, and the whole process can take several months.
Let’s say you choose an event platform that appears to have all the features you need. A couple of months later, when you’re struggling to send invitations or you lack an overview of email addresses that bounced, you realize there’s no one at the vendor to “hold your hand” a bit when you need to send communications to attendees.
The provider doesn’t have advisors with the right experience or expertise, and you’re left to fend for yourself – right in the middle of the run-up to a major event.
Now you have two options: either manage without the platform while you continue working on the event, or spend even more time and effort finding a new event management platform in time.
If, on the other hand, you take a few precautions and do a quality check of the vendor’s support team in advance, you can relax and spend your time and energy on what matters most: putting together professional content and entertainment that gives attendees maximum value and an experience they’ll remember.
This is what a strong support team should be able to help you with
A dedicated support team is available to provide practical advice and help you with any issues or questions you may have. Fast response times and quick problem resolution mean you won’t be left waiting for help. As a result, small issues won’t have the chance to grow into bigger, unmanageable problems.
A strong support team typically consists of advisors and technical experts with extensive experience from the events industry and in-depth knowledge of the event management platform. They will be able to provide advanced technical support and resolve even the most complex issues you may encounter when using an event platform.
A great support team can also help you tailor and customize the system to meet your specific needs and requirements. This may include customizing registration forms, setting up payment options, integrating with other systems, and much more.
You might also like: 9 smart questions to ask before choosing an event management platform
How can Proviso’s support team help you succeed with your events?
As a Proviso customer, you have full access to our support team every weekday from 08:00–11:00 and 12:00–16:00. You can call us, email us, or chat with us.
Our experienced and friendly advisors can help with anything you might be wondering about – from technical questions about the platform to how to run your event professionally and give attendees the best possible experience. All of our employees have extensive experience from courses/conferences, travel, and the events industry.
You can always feel confident that you’ll receive expert help quickly. Planning an event and need a little help with the first step? Give us a call and we’ll help you get started!
Need a bit more support, and perhaps someone to keep track of all the moving parts for you? We have experienced project managers who can take charge of the entire event. The project manager sets up all the tasks that need to be done and manages progress on your behalf. In addition, the project manager will quality-assure along the way and ensure good follow-up after the project is completed.
Our advisors also run training courses (in person or on Teams).
Weekly free webinars for all Proviso users: We offer webinars that can be useful to attend, whether you’re a brand-new user or you’ve been using Proviso for a while. Read more on our webinar page.
One thing our customers really appreciate is the personal service and follow-up we provide.
Workshops
“If the customer wants to spar with us, we can also be booked for workshops,” says Elgaaen. “We have many fixed-price customers who run one or two larger events a year, and then they often book us. We show up in person, and together with the customer we brainstorm, think things through, and find the best solution for that specific event.”
Elgaaen adds:
“We find that our customers benefit a lot from having a sparring partner with the experience, confidence, and knowledge to help shape the registration form right from the start. That way you avoid pitfalls and the ‘Oh, I did that, now I can’t do this.’ We see the bigger picture of the entire process.”
We help you achieve your goals
No matter what type of customer you are, or what kind of issue you bring to Proviso’s support team, you will always be met with a friendly and professional tone.
“Everyone who works at Proviso has service in their DNA,” Elgaaen states. “You will always be taken seriously, and we will always give it our all. You’ll feel looked after and met in a good way, and that makes you feel confident.”
She continues:
“We call ourselves a Customer Success Team, and the whole purpose is to help you as a customer achieve your goals. And for you to do that, we have to be the best we can be, to help you be the best you can be.”
We help you keep focus on the big picture
The key factors for succeeding with an event management platform are confidence and knowledge. When you’ve received solid training in a platform with broad functionality, you have the confidence to navigate it on your own – and the knowledge to use it correctly. This greatly increases the chances of succeeding with registration and attendee management, according to Elgaaen.
“The more you put into the platform and can tie things together in a way that makes it efficient, simple, and safe, the more you’ll have the right tools and a solid foundation that means you don’t have to worry. You’ve planned and done everything correctly, and that’s why you can spend your energy and time on the big picture – and on what’s right in the moment – throughout the entire process.”
Summary: A strong support team is one of the most important criteria when choosing an event management platform
When a company researches which event management platform best meets its needs, the main focus is usually on which features and modules the system offers. But often, people forget to look into one of the most important things of all:
How well will the provider support you as a user of the platform – and help you when you’re actually sitting there planning your next event?
If you don’t get fast, competent help when something unexpected happens or you’ve made a mistake, it can ultimately affect the planning and execution of the event.
Set aside the necessary time in advance to clarify the quality of the follow-up before you make your vendor decision. It will pay off in the long run – in the form of saved time and reduced costs.
