Discover the secrets behind exceptional customer support and why it’s crucial for boosting satisfaction and loyalty in today’s tech-driven world. Learn how integrating support with product development can transform your business and keep you ahead of the competition.
The history of customer support
Before the 1870s, customer support was primarily limited to in-person interactions between buyers and sellers. The invention of the telephone in 1876 revolutionized this dynamic, allowing support to continually evolve. Call centers emerged in the 1960s, followed by email and live chat in the 1990s. The 2000s introduced CRMs and social media, leading to today's advanced, technology-driven customer service helpdesk solutions.
A pivotal development was the establishment of call centers in the 1960s, which enabled companies to centralize their support operations and assist customers via phone. The 1990s and 2000s saw the Internet's widespread adoption, leading to the advent of online customer support through email, live chat, and social media platforms.
Customer service and customer support are often used interchangeably. Although there are subtle, nuanced differences between the two terms, their primary goal remains the same: ensuring that customers derive the maximum value from a product or service.
The distinction between customer service and customer support lies in their focus: customer support teams primarily assist with product-related issues, while customer service teams address broader customer needs.
Here's what that looks like in practice:
Imagine a customer walks into a retail store looking for a medium blue T-shirt. A customer service representative helps them find the T-shirt, processes the transaction, and may suggest complementary items like a sweater. The interaction is straightforward and transactional, focused on fulfilling the immediate request.
Now, consider a customer who emails Dropbox about trouble sharing a file. A customer support agent:
A customer support agent’s role is to enhance the overall customer experience, going beyond mere transactions. They write knowledge-based articles, give product feedback, and conduct usability studies.
Customer support teams often work closely with product teams, participating in decision-making processes that affect the product. This integration allows support teams to contribute to the end-to-end customer experience, unlike customer service teams, which focus more on direct interactions.
If customer support is the "how," such as the specifics of troubleshooting an issue, then customer service is the "why"—explaining why it's advisable to set up your cloud account in a particular way or why today’s minor issue could escalate if not addressed properly.
Incorporating the "why" into the support process enhances the customer experience and aids in the development of customer support agents.
Customer support is crucial because support agents play a vital role in quickly and effectively resolving customer inquiries, which drives customer satisfaction. This, in turn, affects customer retention, lifetime value, and brand reputation.
However, the significance of customer support varies depending on your specific business, industry, and the customers you serve.
For instance, at Trust & Will, a company specializing in creating customized wills and estate plans, customer support is central to both business and product decisions. As Meg Palazzolo, Head of Member Success, explains, “Every decision we make as a company revolves around our customers (whom we call members), and our customer support team is at the forefront of all communication. When we're considering new features, products, or updates to our marketing site, we rely on feedback from the support team, who represent the voice of the customer.”
Given the complexity of estate planning, Trust & Will's support team is crucial in educating customers and conveying their insights to the broader team. This ongoing exchange of information is essential for the company's operations.
“Without our support team, it would be extremely difficult to operate as a company,” adds Meg.
Consider these questions:
Here are eight effective strategies for company leaders to help their teams consistently deliver exceptional customer support:
While you can manage support with basic tools like Gmail or Outlook, specialized customer service software is often more effective. These tools provide features such as shared inboxes, help centers, saved replies, automated workflows, and AI capabilities, all of which enhance the quality and speed of support.
Empower customers to resolve issues on their own with a well-organized knowledge base that includes FAQs and how-to articles. Optimize content for search and use tools like Help Scout's Beacon to surface relevant information during live chat.
Look for candidates with patience, attentiveness, clear communication, a desire to learn, and empathy. Skilled professionals should be eager to understand your product thoroughly and committed to solving problems and listening to customer needs.
Avoid micromanaging; instead, give your team the authority to resolve requests independently. This doesn’t need to be extravagant—simple guidelines and documented policies can provide the necessary framework for decision-making.
Focus on metrics related to customer satisfaction and net promoter score (NPS) rather than just speed. While timely responses are important, resolving issues comprehensively is more crucial for customer satisfaction.
Make your contact information easy to find on your website and consider offering support through live chat or social media. Tools like Help Scout's Beacon can help prioritize self-service while still providing access to human support.
Use automation to handle repetitive tasks but ensure that it doesn’t replace the human touch needed for complex issues. Avoid generic responses and ensure that your team can provide personalized support when necessary.
Analyze customer interactions to identify common issues and improve documentation and user onboarding. Involving customer support leaders in decision-making ensures that customer insights are used to refine processes and tools.
Customer support varies based on your business, industry, and customer base. For professionals like Palazzolo, the core aim is to be genuinely helpful. “Customer support should enhance the user’s experience with your product,” says Palazzolo. “Support agents should act as customer advocates, influencing product development, marketing, and other areas. It’s central to any customer-focused company.”
For Kale, the essence of customer support is building trust, which affects everything from loyalty and retention to brand perception. “Establish trust through empathy, honesty, setting clear expectations, and advocating for customers with data and insights,” Kale advises. Support should evolve into a long-term strategy, not just react to issues but empower customers throughout their journey with your brand. “Use support insights to create proactive solutions and improve customer experiences.”
Brummel highlights that technical skills alone aren't enough in customer support; understanding people and their needs is crucial. While deep product and process knowledge is essential, combining it with strong customer service skills can enhance support. By valuing soft skills, fostering empathy, and reviewing performance metrics, a support team can offer a more customer-centric approach. Although the distinction between "customer service" and "customer support" can be blurred, integrating both approaches is key to delivering excellent customer experiences.
Historically, interactions were purely transactional: customers would visit a store, make a purchase, and leave, with no expectation of follow-up assistance unless they returned to the store during its operating hours. Organizations prioritized their own convenience, offering limited service channels and rigid support hours.
The concept of customer support is undergoing significant transformation, increasingly becoming a pivotal element of marketing and growth strategies. Why is this shift happening? Companies that neglect to provide high-quality support risk losing their customers to competitors who prioritize it. Additionally, integrating support closely with your product can significantly enhance the product's effectiveness.
According to Justin Seymour, a support lead at Help Scout, “If the support team isn’t deeply integrated with the product being marketed, the quality of support will decline.” When support is aligned with the product, the focus shifts to helping customers fully leverage the features of Help Scout, rather than being preoccupied with revenue targets.
As businesses began to understand the value of a positive customer experience (CX), they shifted focus. They realized that happy customers not only return but also foster brand loyalty. Consequently, customer service and support evolved into 24/7 omnichannel operations, enabling customers to connect through various platforms—phone, chat, email, or social media—at any time.
Looking ahead, advancements in technology, such as AI and machine learning, are poised to further revolutionize customer service and support. Innovations like chatbots and virtual assistants are already streamlining processes for customer service representatives and providing more convenient, immediate assistance for customers. These technologies are set to enhance both the efficiency and effectiveness of customer interactions in the future.
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