A satisfied customer can eventually turn into a loyal customer. Hence, the customer’s emotional experience during an interaction is essential for any company to thrive.
The critical factor in shaping a customer’s experience is quick response time, and it is improbable for humans to be available 24/7. Hence, there is customer self-service software that can serve your customers around the clock.
Customer Self Service software serves as a middleman between the company and the end-users. The software allows users to experience full product benefits through an automated knowledge base.
Benefits of a Customer Self-Service Software
These self-service portals can be beneficial for all types of companies, ranging from multinationals to small-scale businesses that need to answer demanding customers without promptly hiring any representatives.
This software never misses a query and ensures all customer inquiries are accounted for. The fast response and continuous customer support even after business hours help improve customer loyalty and satisfaction.
These tools help agents streamline their work, provide better customer care, and have enough time to focus on essential business processes. As a result, employee productivity increases, saving time, and resources spent on customer care departments.
Customer responses from these software’s can be used to form a knowledge base, which can be further used to gain insights on your website’s performance and customer relationships.
Types of Customer Service Software
Customer service software can be utilized for both internal and external support. The various types of customer self-service software available in the market make it easier for companies to choose the best according to their needs. The main types of customer services are listed below:
Live Chat
The live chat software allows customers to communicate with the brand from the homepage and the mobile app. They enable businesses to solve customer problems in real-time around the clock.
Shared Inbox
The feature of a shared inbox allows multiple people to use the same inbox with additional features to collect, act, and report on customer inquiries faster. This feature can be used for end-users as well as employees.
Knowledge Base
Knowledge Base is the best tool to provide for one-to-many information sharing options as opposed to one-on-one sharing. Thus, empowering customers to figure out their issues on their own.
Messaging Apps
Messaging apps like WhatsApp and Messenger have changed the way people get in touch with each other. The same channels used to communicate with family and friends are now widely used to contact customers. Hence, making it super convenient to reach the customer and keep conversations in a centralized location.
Phone Support
In the past, phone calls have been the best way to solve customer issues. This tool provides companies with call center software, where customer representatives have complete access to the customer’s information to resolve the problem.
Best Software to Enhance the Customer Experience
Zoho Desk
Zoho Desk is the most popular software providing tools to manage various requests, and if you’re looking out for the best solution for IT and help desk, this software is your best bet.
Zoho Desk’s key features are call center software, knowledge base, help desk essentials, reporting and insights, ticketing system, social support software, collaboration, and agent productivity.
Zoho Desk can be used for free, but not all features are included in this plan. To use all the features, you can subscribe to the standard ($12/agent), professional ($20/agent), and enterprise ($35/agent) plan according to your business needs.
HubSpot
HubSpot offers services in three main categories; sales, marketing, and service. This is the most well-recognized software in the industry for customer relationship management, providing a wide range of solutions to the user.
Live chat, chatbots, ticketing, free email templates, team emails, and conversations inbox are included in the free plan. However, to use extra features, you can upgrade to the starter ($40/month), professional ($320/month), and enterprise ($1,200/month) plans as well.
Freshdesk
Freshdesk is the most simple and easy to use software. Many trusted companies such as American Express, Panasonic, and HP are using this software.
Key features Freshdesk offers are; ticketing, automation, customer self-service, collaboration, field service, and multi-channel support. However, if you are unhappy with the current software, they even help to switch over swiftly. Other than this, they also offer an in-house training service to help train any member of your team.
Freshdesk offers four plans; Sprout (free), Blossom ($15/agent), Garden ($29/agent), Estate ($49/agent) and Forest ($109/agent).
Live Agent
Live Agent helps manage all customer requests and merge all communications into one platform regardless of your customer’s location. This is undoubtedly the best software to increase the profitability of your support team,
The tools it offers are live chat, email ticketing, social media integration, and voice and video calls. The free plan includes a 7-day ticket history along with one email address, one live chat button, and one phone call number for call center support.
Zendesk
Zendesk manages customer service communication across multiple channels, including via customer support via email, voice, Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, live chat, and many more. The software connects all data sources to one location. Therefore, it can display the right information whenever a customer contacts for support.
Zendesk offers no free plan; however, the two main plans offered by Zendesk are professional ($89/agent) and enterprise ($149) support suite. Other than this, it also offers affordable options for small scale business; Essential ($5/agent), Team ($19/agent), Professional ($49/agent), Enterprise ($99/agent), Elite ($199/agent). Besides, it also offers customized solutions to support the different needs of the business.
Final Thoughts
Each customer self-service software has different tools to offer; therefore, each company can choose which software supports its customers the best. While evaluating other options consider how many agents you require, the price you want to spend, and the best feature bundle to suit your needs.
