Comparison of Customer Service Software

What is Customer Service Software?

Customer service software, also called customer support or customer service software, is essentially any tool that helps companies support people who purchase their goods or use their services in the long term. Interested parties are also advised by corresponding programs. For users on both sides, such a solution ideally means a strong increase in efficiency in dealing with the relevant concerns. For example, buyers of a certain product usually get faster and more precise answers to their questions. On the other hand, support staff can more easily organize requests and the processes typically associated with them. With a customer service tool, a centralized system can be created in which all service processes converge. Service staff get the chance to follow, prioritize, manage and answer large volumes of requests. The quality of the support is usually significantly increased thanks to such differentiated organization. Frequently, customer service software is connected to a CRM system in which contextually relevant information can be retrieved for specific concerns and new data can be saved over and over again.

Good Customer Service software offers the following features and benefits, among others:

• It provides an increase in efficiency in the support.
• Customer Service software allows requests to be organized and processed precisely.
• It records important data in the long term during its work and can store this in a central database.
• It may enable "autonomous" 24/7 support, without service staff needing to be constantly available.
• It allows (potential) customers to search for solutions themselves or deals with problems through optimized interaction with support staff.
• Ideally, with the help of customer service tools, inquiries via all offered communication channels converge in a centralized system.
• It records data on the course of the support, over which the service itself can be continuously improved.

These are popular Customer Service Softwares

• Flixcheck
• MessengerPeople
• Zendesk Support Suite
• Genesys
• Intercom
• Userlike
• HelpSpace
• LiveAgent
• Aircall
• babelforce

How does Customer Service Software work?

Depending on the scope or orientation of a customer service software, its functionality is of course different. In general, it is a ticketing system through which customer inquiries can be documented, tracked, and resolved. Concerns from multiple channels, such as email, live chat, social media, or phone, converge at a single point. From there, they are forwarded to the responsible parties. The respective agents have a good overview and can respond quickly and easily. Stored data from past inquiries, the purchase history of the respective customer, and other available information help to always proceed precisely. Standard requests can sometimes even be resolved (with the help of artificial intelligence) - without interaction with real support staff. The centralized system provides a significant increase in efficiency and also optimizes the cooperation of various departments in handling customer inquiries. All responsible parties are promptly directed correctly and gain insight into the matters important to them without having to navigate inquiries through several colleagues and departments. The customer service software, for its part, records a lot of data and provides detailed reports on customer interaction, target group trends, typical problems with products, and many more. In this way, organizations can assess and optimize the quality of their customer service, but also process important insights beyond that.

What are the core functionalities of customer service software?

Customer service software can have quite different manifestations. However, the following functions are typical for corresponding solutions.

• Ticket system: Documentation, tracking, and organization of inquiries or interactions. Automatic notifications for customers and interested parties in the case of service requests.
• Knowledge database: Building and organizing a central, searchable database, which summarizes frequently occurring inquiries or relevant responses.
• Multi-channel capability: Management of incoming and outgoing communication across multiple channels such as email, live chat, social media, and the telephone.
• Live chat and/or video chat: Direct interaction with interested parties or existing customers via chat and corresponding data organization.
• Interfaces: Connection possibilities to other systems important for the support, particularly the CRM.
• AI: Artificial intelligence is increasingly being used to automate or massively economize certain processes.

What are the benefits of customer service software?

In general, customer service software offers companies strong support in managing, maintaining, and optimizing their customer relationships and can greatly contribute to generating new buyers. The following benefits are particularly important in this context:

• Collection of inquiries across various channels: Customer service software can consolidate and organize inquiries from various channels. Those in need of support are automatically notified about the status of their concern. The individual tickets are centralized, prioritized, and processed. This ensures that no request goes unanswered and the questioners are always well informed.
• More efficient processing of inquiries by service agents: Customer service tools offer a database in which all important information for all responsible parties is quickly manageable. Requests can often be automatically forwarded to the right places. This significantly shortens the time it takes to respond to a request. Response templates for typical questions and the use of AI can create even more efficiency.
• Optimized customer satisfaction through prompt resolution of inquiries: Even the fundamentally faster handling of inquiries through well-coordinated customer service software can lead to a significant increase in customer satisfaction. Furthermore, inquiries can be prioritized extremely efficiently using such a system, which among other things makes it possible to greatly reduce waiting time for certain groups. In addition, several agents can work together on a resolution within the system. The solution cycle is often significantly shortened, and the satisfaction of the inquirers improved, which in turn means optimized potential for completion.
• Tracking and reports for performance optimization: A customer service software offers analytics features, with the help of which central processes in the support can be monitored and evaluated. The insights obtained in the performance of the support team help optimize the corresponding processes.

What types of customer service software are there?

Enterprise systems can combine different applications, which are important for the maximal purposeful support of customers and interested parties. Such complete solutions include, depending on the chosen bundle or individual composition, a CRM, a ticket system for email organization, and other applications. But also individual tools like a live chat, messaging software, phone support software, or knowledge database programs are customer service solutions. Modern systems are increasingly using artificial intelligence, which among other things allows certain processes to be automated. The four major groups of customer support software are

• Help Desk Software
• Live Chat Software
• Customer Self-Service Software
• and Social Customer Service Software.

What should I watch out for when choosing a customer service software?

Customer service software should of course always precisely match the requirements of your own company. There are certain characteristics and considerations that should always be taken into account when evaluating different options. 1. Number of agents Companies with five customer service employees do not need the same software as a business with 50 agents. For larger support teams, there is of course a lot more to organize, which the customer service solution should be tailored to. Larger teams need collaborative features, role-based ticketing, and more, while smaller companies normally can manage with significantly reduced features and still greatly improve their support. 2. Customer communication methods How do customers and interested parties currently contact the service team? How should they do this in the future? There is software for all communication channels. Whether email, live chat, chatbots, or support tickets - the chosen customer service software should serve all relevant channels. Nowadays, even special tools for integrating social media can help manage all messages from the social web, including comments, via a single dashboard. 3. Function bundle Almost every customer service software has certain core functions and offers extended features. Firstly, the solution should of course be chosen according to the functions that are acutely needed. Too many features, which are actually not important, can weaken efficiency. For example, if you are looking for customer service software specifically for live chat, a system should be used that centrally serves this communication channel. If a special solution for field service staff is desired, completely different applications are the first choice. Enterprise bundles typically focus on several support areas. But even here, the system should be kept as lean as possible to ensure maximum efficiency. The view into the future is important in this regard. If performance extensions in support are planned, it is worth investing in a solution that can meet certain conditions, for example, by possibly booking certain features, so that you do not have to switch to a completely new system when something changes. 4. Price The price for customer service software depends on a variety of factors. Many solutions calculate costs based on the number of customer service employees and, of course, the functions included in the package. Although customer care should not be skimped on, expenses should always be proportional to the benefit. Small businesses, startups, and non-profit organizations with smaller teams can certainly use free customer service software without having to compromise on quality.