Customer service and support tools may take many forms. Customer
service case-management systems, online forums, automated call-back
systems—each are designed to improve the customer-support experience.
That said, most customer service tools fall into at least one of the
following categories:
Phone support tools
While the
advent of digital communication technologies has given rise to a number
of internet-based support channels, the telephone remains one of the
most widely used methods for contacting customer support. Phone-support
tools, such as call-center software, allow agents to effectively
organize and address multiple support cases at once, routing calls to
properly skilled agents, automating certain tasks, and still providing
knowledgeable, personalized service. Computer telephony integration
(CTI) tools are also valuable. CTI makes relevant customer information
immediately available to call-support agents, supporting inbound and
outbound calls and integrating with existing platforms.
Automated agents
AI
and automation have the potential to significantly improve customer
support, by resolving customer issues and providing solutions, without
having to involve a human agent. Automated agents are able to free up
support personnel from basic support requests, leading to improved agent
productivity and faster issue remediation.
Customer relationship management
A
logical extension of the shared inbox, CRM functions more as a database
of customer information. Agents use CRM software to organize and recall
data associated with customers and their history, providing a more
consistent and informed service.
Case management software
Case
management is often integrated with CRM, and shares similar objectives.
However, case management focuses more on the cases, or support
requests, themselves. Agents are able to create cases and access all
relevant information from a single platform.
Workflow software
Taking
automation further, workflow software integrates across disparate
systems, routes cases and tasks to the right teams, and automates
entire, multi-stage business processes. Workflows optimize customer
service interactions and help organizations achieve better, more
consistent business outcomes.
Self-service software
Rather
than wait on hold for customer support agents—or even automated
agents—many customers prefer to look for solutions on their own.
Self-service portals are designed to provide customers with access to a
searchable knowledge base and other resources a customer can use as an
alternative to traditional support requests.