If you are currently promoting your business, it is necessary to have an equally active customer service program because satisfied customers are crucial for the growth of your business.
In this post, we will examine the ways in which customer service software tools can assist in the automation, organization, and streamlining of your customer service endeavors.
What is customer service software?
Customer service software refers to any type of software tool that aids a business in effectively managing, organizing, or optimizing their customer service operations. This encompasses a wide range of options, starting from basic chatbots and extending to intricate customer relationship management systems that seamlessly integrate with sales and IT functions.
It is clear that a multinational corporation requires different software tools compared to a small business.
However, they share a common factor. The primary purpose of all software-based customer service tools is to enhance the service experience for both customers and customer service representatives. (Alternatively, for a small business owner operating alone.)
Why use customer service software?
In our post about customer service metrics, we highlight the significance of monitoring various data in any customer service program. As your business expands, effectively managing and tracking your service efforts without software becomes unattainable.
If you don’t have software, it is possible for customer requests to be overlooked or for you to take an excessive amount of time to respond. Moreover, without any means of tracking your response times or receiving customer feedback, it becomes challenging to evaluate your performance and identify areas for improvement.
As your business expands, the complexity of customer service also increases. An instance of this could be the requirement of a ticket system to effectively handle support inquiries from various agents and departments.
Even if you are small, you can benefit from the assistance of customer service tools. These tools simplify tasks, automate routine duties, and create time for handling more intricate cases or focusing on other aspects of your business.
There is a simple reason why you should utilize customer service software – it aids in providing improved customer service. This is of particular significance to consumers, particularly those engaging in online transactions. According to a survey, 60% of Internet users express worry over encountering subpar customer service on the web.
When comparing percentages, it is observed that 94% of U.S. consumers aged 18 and above expressed a high likelihood of making additional purchases from a company that provides excellent customer service. In contrast, only 72% would do the same for a company with “okay” customer service, and the percentage drops significantly to 20% for a company that offers very poor customer service.
Types of customer service software
After gaining an understanding of why customer service tools would be beneficial for your business, let’s examine various types of customer service software choices.
Customer relationship management (CRM) software
When it comes to customer service, building relationships is key. By utilizing a customer relationship management (CRM) tool, you can monitor and gather insights on every interaction your company has with customers, enabling you to better understand them as your relationship progresses.
A CRM tool will keep track of not only the essential contact information but also the purchase history, product preferences, and all interactions the customer has had with members of your team, across all departments.
An enhanced customer service is ensured with the help of an efficient CRM tool that equips support agents with all the necessary information to serve customers in the most efficient and effective manner possible.
They will have the capability to observe:
- which products and versions the customer has
- how often they buy or update
- whether they’ve had any previous interactions with other agents or members of the sales team
The agent is able to resolve the issue or provide a detailed and customized answer without having to start from the beginning to learn about the customer’s challenge or question, resulting in an easier job for the agent and a satisfied customer.
Messaging and live chat software
One of the most valuable customer service offerings for consumers is the ability to chat with a human agent instantly. In fact, according to the Insider Intelligence Canada Mobile Banking Emerging Features Benchmark report, it was ranked as the top customer service feature in terms of value.
In 2020, a majority of small and medium-sized businesses reported that online messaging platforms were the preferred communication channel for customers, with half of them witnessing an increase in their usage for fostering customer relationships.
You have the option to engage in live chat and messaging via your current social media platforms, or you can utilize software tools to incorporate live chat into your own website or app.
Social media inbox software
A social media inbox consolidates customer interactions from various social platforms into a single interface. This facilitates the tracking of public inquiries followed by private messages in a threaded format, allowing for a comprehensive view of the entire conversation.
You will be able to view multiple messages from a person across different platforms, enabling you to provide a consistent response.
A social media inbox offers the advantage of enabling larger teams to distribute the workload. Messages can be assigned to particular team members throughout the entire organization. Additionally, it provides the capability to establish a repository of pre-saved responses for frequently asked questions. This has the potential to enhance response time and serve as a foundation for personalized replies.
Customer service ticketing software
Customer service ticketing software enables the creation of a distinct case, commonly known as a ticket, for each customer support inquiry. This feature enables customers to monitor the advancement of their case and ensures that the appropriate individuals are assigned to address the issue.
Customer support managers have the ability to monitor the progress of a ticket, and teams can mark a ticket as closed once the issue has been resolved. This allows the team to constantly stay informed about the number of support requests they need to address. Consequently, they can then offer customers an estimated timeframe for resolution.
Similar to a social media inbox, the software used in customer service centers accumulates all communication in a centralized location. Each ticket includes relevant information, enabling prompt and efficient resolution of the customer’s request.
Customer service software for small business
Smaller businesses require the same types of tools as larger businesses but at a smaller scale. Many of the top customer service software tools provide affordable plans tailored for smaller businesses, with some even providing free basic features.
When considering the cost of customer service software tools for your small business, search for plans identified as “professional” rather than “enterprise.” Such plans typically offer sufficient features for a small business that is expanding.
20 Best Customer Service Software for Any Support
Freshdesk
Freshdesk is a renowned help desk software that has made a name for itself in the help desk market. It provides a user-friendly Team Inbox, enabling agents to monitor and handle support tickets from various channels including email, phone, chat, and social media.
Support tickets can be automatically assigned using Freshdesk’s auto-assignment rules, which consider an agent’s skill set or availability. Additionally, you have the option to evenly distribute tickets among your customer service team. Managers can utilize customizable and insightful reports to track important help desk metrics and gain a clearer understanding of the performance of different agents and teams.
Best For:
All the necessary features for delivering omnichannel experiences are included.
HappyFox
HappyFox is a powerful customer service application that can efficiently convert email, phone, chat, social media, and web requests into tickets. Besides ensuring ticketing is well-organized in a central location, it also allows users to create a contact portal where they can log in and keep track of the progress of their tickets.
Best For:
The finest help desk system for assisting customers in various languages.
ProProfs Chat
ProProfs Chat software provides the ability to engage with customers instantly and produce more dependable leads for your company. Utilizing this tool, your customer service agents can predict the next message from a visitor and allocate chats appropriately to the right team members, resulting in decreased resolution time.
Chat operators have the ability to provide real-time answers of high quality by utilizing features like canned responses. To enhance the overall experience, they can also customize the chat widget. Additionally, to provide immediate assistance, self-help articles or guides can be incorporated into the chat widget.
Best for:
Ideal for immediate assistance, capturing potential customers, and fostering interaction with existing customers.
LiveChat
LiveChat is a customer service platform that is highly popular and enables customer-facing employees, such as sales executives or support agents, to engage with customers in real-time.
LiveChat is reliable when it comes to lead generation and tracking. It enables marketers and sales professionals to accurately monitor leads, sales, and other objectives and assess the impact of chats on revenue. Additionally, this tool facilitates internal communication among team members, which is crucial for businesses with various departments.
Best for:
Obtain all the necessary tools to deliver superb chat support.
LiveAgent
LiveAgent should definitely be considered if you are seeking a solution that integrates a strong live chat and help desk system. With the live chat feature, you have the ability to generate various pre-written responses to automatically address frequently asked customer inquiries, allocate chats to different support agents, conduct surveys to gather customer feedback, and much more.
LiveAgent provides integration options with popular messaging platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Moreover, it notifies when customer service agents are simultaneously addressing the same request.
Best for:
Develop immediate connections with proactive live chat software.
Document360
Document360 is a well-liked help center software option that enables the provision of dependable self-service alternatives to customers and employees. Businesses can enhance their documentation endeavors by generating instructional guides, tutorials, reference documents, release notes, and additional resources.
By following a step-by-step approach, you can replace your offline and unchanging PDF user guides effortlessly with online guides that can be edited in real-time and consistently kept up-to-date. Additionally, you can provide assistance to your employees by developing a private, comprehensive, and login-protected internal knowledge base.
Best for:
Revise and make accessible help content by breaking it down into manageable steps before publishing.
Bloomfire
Bloomfire allows your business to centralize knowledge across the company in a platform that is easy to scan and search. The knowledge base can be utilized by support representatives to swiftly share information with customers and provide training for new team members.
Bloomfire offers remarkable features that include AI-driven search, compatibility with rich media, and crowd-sourced FAQs. Additionally, customers can be encouraged to like, share, and comment on help center articles.
Best for:
Software that contains a knowledge base and is equipped with enhanced search functionalities.
Aircall
Aircall is a customer service software that operates in the cloud and can be connected to your CRM software, help desk solutions, and other important business applications. By offering features like call center IVR menus, skill-based routing, live call monitoring, etc., you can use the customer experience to set yourself apart from competitors.
Aircall enables your team to increase sales, in addition to providing customer service. Your sales professionals can utilize features like PowerDialer, click-to-call, real-time coaching, and more to book more meetings and close deals. Additionally, remote teams can stay connected and work seamlessly from any location due to the tool’s cloud capabilities.
Best for:
The process of setting up cloud call center software is simple.
11. Talkdesk
With the application of real-time reporting and predictive analytics, Talkdesk enables businesses to stay on top of performance regardless of their teams’ location. This robust cloud contact center solution allows you to optimize operational efficiency, enhance caller experience, and minimize costs.
Talkdesk is equipped with user-friendly advanced features that save time. For example, Callbar enables support agents to view caller information without the need for extensive training or switching between tabs.
Best for:
An all-encompassing solution for contact centers, covering the entire process from start to finish.
Dixa
Dixa provides a call center and phone system that is both flexible and full-featured. It has the ability to operate in any browser. By using this system, customer service managers can have a comprehensive understanding of their team’s performance and make necessary modifications to ensure that each customer interaction is valuable.
Dixa enables businesses to establish an efficient call center framework independently, without requiring support from IT. By routing to agents based on their applicable expertise, customers can consistently obtain dependable assistance. Additionally, you have the ability to participate in live calls to provide assistance or merely monitor your agent’s conversations.
Best for:
The most suitable options for intelligent call distribution.
uContact
uContact is a well-established customer care software that provides a centralized platform for managing all voice interactions, whether they are inbound, outbound, or a combination of both. Moreover, this tool includes an interactive voice response system, known as IVR, which can help reduce the number of calls received by your business and enable customers to resolve their issues without requiring assistance from agents.
With uContact, you can provide agents and supervisors with valuable feedback on their performance through surveys. Additionally, customer service managers have the ability to effectively monitor all service operations on a broad scale using proactive and automated alerts.
Ideal for monitoring and evaluating call center reports and metrics
Buffer
Buffer is widely used as social media support software for telling your brand’s story and improving interactions with your intended audience. Whether you are a marketer or customer service professional, you can effortlessly assess performance, generate reports, and obtain valuable insights to support customers and boost sales.
With Buffer, it is possible to plan and schedule your social media campaigns in a visual manner. Your team has the ability to work together on creative campaigns and publish content on the major social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn, all from a single dashboard.
Best For:
Ideal for enhancing social media marketing strategies and increasing audience engagement.
Mention
Mention aids in the creation of a strong social media plan and allows for advance scheduling. Your team can preview and arrange content in a comprehensive editorial calendar. You can effortlessly provide support to customers on various social media platforms and conveniently draft, schedule, and publish posts to interact with customers.
By scanning forums and social media platforms, the tool will provide updates whenever there is a discussion about your brand, products, or related subjects. You have the ability to categorize mentions as ‘priority’, ‘unread’, ‘archive’, or ‘favorites’ to maintain organization.
Best For:
The best option for effectively monitoring all mentions of your social media.
Sprout Social
Sprout Social provides a suitable platform for your business to surpass customer expectations and provide customized, responsive experiences on popular social media platforms. You will be able to obtain meaningful information to analyze the performance of your content and campaigns on various channels. This enables you to have a better understanding of what is engaging with your audience and what is not.
With the use of Sprout Social, you have the ability to retrieve crucial information about customers and implement personalized interactions by utilizing customer data. You will be alerted about pertinent customer engagements and have the convenience of assigning tasks to your team members.
Best For:
Develop robust customer connections on social media platforms.
Sendible
Sendible is an internet-based support software that aids your team in achieving its social media customer service objectives. The tool enables your agents to promptly respond to customer comments, mentions, and direct messages through a centralized inbox.
Sendible assists businesses in consolidating multiple social media channels onto a single platform. This means you can connect your tool with various platforms including Meta, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google My Business, Canva, YouTube, and others.
Best for:
There are various integration possibilities available for enhancing social media support.
HelpCrunch
You can scale your support, marketing, and sales with HelpCrunch, an all-in-one customer service solution. It allows you to stay connected with your customers through popular channels like chat, email, and help center, regardless of your location.
By utilizing HelpCrunch, you have the ability to connect with pre-qualified leads and convert your visitors instantly through auto messages and forms. Your team members can efficiently close more sales and increase business revenue by utilizing automated or manual email follow-ups.
Best For:
An effective tool for overseeing both customer support and customer engagement
Intercom
Intercom is a comprehensive customer support software that enables efficient communication with your audience. Through the Team Inbox feature, your customer service agents can monitor and reply to conversations taking place on various platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Live chat, email, and more.
Furthermore, Intercom provides your business with adequate flexibility and a suitable platform to deliver proactive support to customers regardless of their location. To engage proactively, you can employ targeted messages to offer customers handy tips or inform them about any unexpected service disruptions.
Best For:
The best approach to introduce new customers to your business is by following a step-by-step process.
Help Scout
Help Scout is a well-liked customer support software platform that provides a strong shared inbox for efficiently managing all support requests in one location. By utilizing internal collaboration features, you can improve agent productivity and enable them to assist a greater number of customers in a limited timeframe.
The tool additionally provides iOS and Android apps to cater to customers worldwide, alongside popular features such as multi-channel support, auto-reply, advanced formatting, in-app messaging, desktop notifications, email templates, and more.
Ideal for: Ideal combination of features and affordability in a customer service tool.
Current Trends for Customer Service Platforms
The industry of customer service is constantly changing. Nowadays, companies are able to provide constant support even without a team available around the clock, all thanks to technologies such as AI and ML. Below are a few current trends that can be noticed in top-notch customer service platforms.
1. Sentiment Analysis
Numerous contemporary tools purport to provide sentiment analysis. However, what precisely does this imply? Sentiment analysis plays a pivotal function for businesses in customer service, as it furnishes valuable insights into the viewpoints, emotions, and attitudes of their customers. This entails scrutinizing customer feedback, including reviews, comments, and social media posts, to ascertain the corresponding sentiment expressed, be it positive, negative, or neutral.
2. Self-Learning Chatbots
Chatbots can be found in various places, whether you want to place an online food order or inquire about an upcoming appointment. These computer programs, known as self-learning chatbots, utilize artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) methods to comprehend and address customer queries. By referencing past conversations, they can effectively grasp a customer’s issue, personalize the interaction, and improve the overall customer experience.
3. Mobile-First Design
The number of smartphone users has increased significantly with over 6.5 billion global subscriptions in 2022, as indicated by a Statista report. Consequently, it is crucial to acknowledge that the majority of customers will rely on their mobile devices to access various online resources such as the help center, FAQ pages, and customer service portal. By prioritizing mobile functionality, platforms can enhance the user experience and boost customer satisfaction.
How to Choose the Best Customer Service Management Software
If you are unsure where to begin, selecting a customer service app or software can be a challenging task. These are important factors to take into account:
1. Understand Your Unique Needs
Every business has its unique needs, and it is evident that a small startup and a multi-national company do not share the same requirements.
Gather your team together and write down the crucial characteristics that are non-negotiable. It is important for everyone on the team, including the manager and intern, to express their individual requirements and hopes for the tool. Additionally, consider the tasks that consume the majority of your time and search for tools that can simplify your work.
2. Focus on Scalability
Every business aims to expand and serve a larger customer base in the coming years. Hence, it is important to seek a customer service tool that can seamlessly accommodate your business growth.
You need to answer some important questions. Can your tool handle more customers as your business expands to new territories? Can you add new users as your team grows in size? Does the customer service system integrate with the tools your team already uses? Moreover, the tool should also offer different subscription plans so that you can easily upgrade to a higher-level plan when necessary.
3. Go for Free Trials
If you want to know how a tool operates or the features it provides without spending any money, a free trial is the solution. Numerous customer service software providers offer a free trial period for their product, usually lasting between 7 to 30 days.
You can use this time to thoroughly examine the tool and delve into its intricate details. For instance, you can familiarize yourself with the interface, analyze the reporting dashboard, experiment with various features, and so forth.
4. Go for a Vendor that Offers Great Support
When purchasing a SaaS tool, many businesses tend to neglect the crucial element of customer support. Despite the benefits of optimism, it is important to acknowledge that technological issues can arise unexpectedly.
When considering a software vendor, choose one that provides dependable support around the clock. Review their online knowledge base and browse through help articles. Is the documentation straightforward and clear? Does it cover typical use cases and problems?
By using the private notes feature of HappyFox, you can improve internal collaboration without involving the customer, allowing for faster resolution of tickets. Additionally, agents are alerted with a pop-up warning if they attempt to respond to the same ticket to avoid clashes.
