Did you know that there are different types of customer support? We usually think that customer support is limited to only one type, but in this article, we will name up to 4 different types.
Just like everything else, customer support has evolved. Years ago, for a customer having to deal with a claim, a refund, or simply asking for support meant a long time of waiting. Even for days or weeks.
That was normal back then. Today is a must for companies to have a whole department dedicated to customer support.
In addition, it is more important than ever to provide quick responses because customers expect them. They are aware of the many tools that technology provides for helping companies have better functioning.
So, no matter the industry your business belongs to, you still need to put a big effort into customer support.
That’s why today we present you 4 different types of customer support you can offer in your company.
1. Walk-in service departments
The oldest type of customer support. When they needed attention, clients had to go to the place and go through a long waiting process, since all the requests were processed by this department.
Because of this, walk-in service departments where naturally slow and inconvenient.
If your business sells online and wants to take good care of customers, don’t worry about establishing a customer service department within the four walls of your business. You can save a lot of time and money by investing less in staffing a customer service team that can handle all customer problems virtually.
Keep reading to know more types of customer support.
2. Phone and email support
This is the most common type of customer support. We can say that once businesses started using phone calls and emails to offer support things really changed.
There’s a big difference in having to go personally to submit a complaint or to ask for support and actually doing it from your home just by making a call or sending an email.
Businesses realized the cost-saving potential of offering virtual customer service through phone calls and email, in consequence, they invested generously on establishing contact centers.
This worked for a while, but customers ultimately realized that even when this type of support meant a big change, they still weren’t getting what they wanted.
From the never-ending automated voice messages in confusing phone trees to the long wait time in email responses.
Customers expectations from businesses are changing every day. They now want a faster delivery, real-time interactions, and highly personalized experiences. Unfortunately, phones and emails don’t do a great job of keeping up with the fast times.
However, several B2B companies are comfortable with email for customer support because the nature of their customer service is not really urgent.
Customer service via email is a good fit for your business if you are in one of those B2B industries where keeping your customers waiting is not looked down upon. Above all, you should still maintain a good first response time even if the issue resolution time might take understandably longer.
3. Support via live chat
One of the most popular types of customer support nowadays.
As we previously said, customers are demanding not only the quickest responses and interactions, but also they want the highest levels of custom experiences.
By not meeting their demands, companies are at the risk of losing more clients than they may think. That’s why live chats are the perfect solution for customer retention.
They have the component of the traditional customer service channels and some more. For instance, customer service through live chat is personalized just like talking to a customer care representative in person.
This type of customer support it’s virtual, convenient, much faster, and way more affordable than email or phone support.
Live chat conversations can be in real-time. Moreover, customers from a different time zone don’t have to wait for a business to start their working hours to report an issue because live chat offers round-the-clock accessibility.
Want to get the best live chat software for your business?
Try Freshchat, a messaging platform specially designed for your marketing, sales, and support teams. Freshchat helps businesses of all sizes engage more meaningfully with their customers with an easy-to-use messaging app.
By using Freshchat as your live chat tool, you will engage and connect with your customers, wherever they are, while they use their favorites messaging channels like WhatsApp, Apple Business Chat, and Facebook Messenger.
4. Customer service using self-service content
The simplest way to explain this type of customer service is saying that customers will solve their problems with their own hands.
You man wonder how this is possible, and of course, we have it all explained for you.
Let us start by saying that this is a completely different type of support; and at the same time is highly used by customers.
Contrary to popular belief, clients don’t always want agents giving them all the right answers.
Many times they actually want to take and resolve their issues with their own hands.
We get it, just like everyone else, sometimes customers don’t want to interact with another person at all. In consequence, they prefer to find solutions to their problems by themselves.
By offering self-service support you will be providing an innovative approach to your customers, while saving lots of time.
Self-service support is delivered via chatbots, FAQs, knowledge base articles, product guides, and video tutorials.
It is well known that many customers find liberating to use self-service the way they want it when they want it.
Self-service can be a great addition for your company if you already offer support via live chat. It’s also a great fit for businesses that get service requests that mean a repetitive activity for your employees; like refunds and billing requests, questions related to product configurations, etc.
In conclusion, there are 4 different types of customer support you can provide to your customers.
Once you know which is better suited to your company; you only need to find the right tool that can help you provide the best support and the best experience to your customers.
We advise you to don’t limit your business to only one type of customer support.
Keep in mind that clients demands change constantly.
If you want more information about a live chat software like Freshchat or any other product contact us. The Gb Advisors professional team is ready to help you find the right solution for your company’s needs.
