Customer support software is a tool or business platform that improves customer experience.
Hence, Customer Support Software helps manages, organize, and track customer requests.
Thus, this article contains everything you need to know about this software.
Having said that, below is our major focus in this article:
- What is Customer Support Software?
- How does Customer Support Software function?
- Core features of Customer Support Software.
- Why is Customer Support Software important in business?
- Benefits of Customer Support Software.
- Types of Customer Support Software.
- Examples of Customer Support Software. wikipedia
What is Customer Support Software?
Customer support software is a tool or business platform that improves customer experience.
Hence, Customer Support Software helps manages, organize, and tracks customer requests.
Thus, these customer requests may include; obtaining, balancing, assisting, and reporting on cases.
Also, Customer Support Software can be integrated with customer communication channels.
These communication channels may include; social media, chat, email, and text.
Is customer service software the same as customer support software?
Yes, both customer service software and customer support software are the same thing. And they both help to manage support and service requests from a unified space.
How does Customer Support Software function?
Customer support software is the bedrock of any business. It helps a business or firm organize and manage its customer requests.
Thus, this software provides multi-channel support. Also, it customizes performance reports and dashboards to render quality service experiences.
Hence, this set of tools can also manage many communication channels. And these channels include messaging, live chat, email, and self-service.
Also, it can be integrated with other communications tools. This tool may include; social media or group chat systems.
Core Features of Customer Support Software
Customer support Software help businesses achieve the goal of perfect customer experience.
Thus, in this article, we were able to compile a list of its core features. Hence, here are some features your customer support Software should have:
Multi-channel Support
This feature help meets the needs of various customers. Hence, it does this by offering support. This can be done via email, telephone, chat, discussion forums, and social media.
Thus, this software compiles incoming requests into a unified hub. Thereby making it easier for support teams.
Also, this software ensures coordination among these channels. As well as holding the context of customer interactions across these channels.
Self-service Portal
The Self-service Portal feature encourages customers to be less dependent on support agents.
Hence, this portal allows customers to create their support tickets. As well as search the knowledge base for quick fixes. And also, to make changes to their account.
Thus, most companies offer community forums. As well as FAQ pages as part of their self-service portals.
Reporting and Analytics
Most software extracts data from the customer database. Then process collected data for insights. Hence, these insights may be valuable for business decisions.
Thus, the Reporting tools create graphs and charts. Thereby making it easy to understand business intelligence.
Also, you might get some templates to help you create reports with a few clicks. But, this depends on your software.
That’s not all, this software may also provide analytics that sum up public customer data. These data are from social networks and other web sources.
Knowledge Management
This feature allows companies to arrange and publish info about their product. As well as their division, or industry.
Knowledge management contains info in a format that’s easy to navigate. Thereby allowing users to find suitable material quickly and without any issues.
Smart Ticket Management
A good customer support software should be able to find which tickets are to be resolved first. Thereby improving customer service.
Also, this software can integrate with other software like Gmail or Outlook. Thereby making it easy to send and receive emails within the system. Thus, avoiding the need to move from one interface to another.
Live chat support
This tool offers your online audience quick access to help. Hence, a live chat widget can be installed on your site, social page, or newsletter.
Also, it can be useful in capturing leads and offers 24/7 support to customers.
Thus, the live chat can be programmed to accept messages. And also to send these messages to your email outside of business hours.
Why is Customer Support Software important in business?
Customer Support Software helps organize your team’s workflows and manage incoming customer requests. Thereby assigning them to allocated customer service agents.
Also, it allows businesses and firms to keep track of customer request status. As well as customize several reports to track team members’ performance. And also support quality.
Benefits of Customer Support Software
Having customer support software in your business or firm can be helpful.
Hence handling customers’ requests can be a bit demanding and can also be stressful.
Thus, with customer support software, your company can benefit a lot.
But in this article, we’ve provided you with some top benefits of Customer Support Software:
24/7 Customers Support
Customer service software offers 24/7 Customers Support. Thus, this allows customers to have answers to questions anytime they want.
Also, customers view their request history. As well as search for solutions to common technical issues. Thereby making customers feel happy and satisfied.
Reduce Operational Costs
Having customer support software in your company can help reduce costs.
Hence, this software presets service processes. These processes may include; call logs, request arrangement, and agent responses.
Also, you can create self-serve portals for your customers. Thereby offering simple service with fewer agents, thus lowering your operational costs.
More accessible communication with partners and customers
Customer support software allows your clients to chat with a human agent. Thus, this can be done via live chat or online messaging.
Hence, it also makes it easy for customers to get help when needed.
Also, this software enhances better internal communication. Thereby leading to quicker resolution times for customers.
Unified database of customer information
Customers might be kept on hold to enable support agents to access their details.
Hence, this can be frustrating for both the customer support agent and the customer as well.
Thus, with this Software, agents can get customers’ details from a unified space. Thereby eliminating the need to ask the customer about these details often.
Also, Customer Support Software allows you to store and manage all customer info. As well as conversations from a unified database.
Improve customer support performance
Customer support software allows you to view analytics and track SLAs. Thereby providing you with answers about your team’s performance. As well as support quality in a few clicks.
Hence, you can also record and track every piece of info about support tickets.
Thus, this help maintains an effective database of customer issues. As well as your general support performance.
Types of Customer Support Software
Below are the major types of customer support software:
Help desk
Help desk software focuses mainly on the technical aspect of customer service. It is programmed to answer FAQs and problem-solution cases.
IT service desk
This software also handles the technical aspect of customer service. but it does this from another angle. IT service desk offers help to users on IT-related products or services
Live chat
Live chat can be integrated into the help desk or IT service desk, or it can function as standalone software.
It allows real-time online communication with customers or team members.
Call center software
This software is similar to live chat. But, it is focused on customer service via voice calls.
Also, it can be integrated into the help desk or IT service desk, or it can function as standalone software.
Having said that, let’s move to the types of Customer Support Software based on their deployment:
Web-based customer support software
This type of customer support software is installed on company servers. Also, this software is called on-premise customer support software. Hence, this is because it is on the company’s computer network.
Yet, this software can be accessed from any computer as long as there is an internet connection.
It helps reduce hardware costs and increase employee progress. Thereby making it easier for companies to stretch their customer service activities.
Cloud-based customer support software
Cloud-based customer support software comes in the form of software as a service (SaaS).
This software is like a web-based customer support software. Thus, they are both hosted on remote servers.
But, Cloud-based customer support software can function with or without a web browser.
Enterprise customer support software
This software offers strong customer support abilities for large-scale firms. Also, it offers the essential tools needed to improve customer service.
Hence, this software is usually customized to meet the needs of a firm or its business workflows.
Some features of this software include; collaboration tools, account management, survey management, etc.
Open-source customer support software
Open-source customer support software allows companies to access its source code.
Hence, this software can also be customized to suit a company’s needs and options.
Also, this software allows companies to make changes, and fix bugs. As well as add unique features to the system.
Examples of Customer Support Software
Below are some top examples of Customer Support Software:
Zendesk is a cloud-based customer service platform. This platform helps to improve communication between a company and its customers.
Also, it offers a free trial on all its pricing plans and offers the following pricing plans:
Support team plan
19 USD per user/month.
228 USD per user/year.
Support professional plan
49 USD per user/month.
588 USD per user/year.
Support Enterprise plan
49 USD per user/month.
1,188 USD per user/year.
Hence, Zendesk also offers a suite package and has the following pricing plans:
Suite Team
49 USD per user/month.
588 USD per user/year.
Suite Growth
79 USD per user/month.
948 USD per user/year.
Suite Professional
99 USD per user/month.
1,188 USD per user/year.
Suite Enterprise
For suite enterprise pricing, visit https://www.zendesk.com/pricing to talk to sales.
Having said that, visit https://www.zendesk.com for more info about Zendesk.
Freshdesk is an online customer support software. It offers help desk support. As well as other unique features to improve the customer service experience.
Thus, this software has a free plan and other plans like;
Growth
15 USD /user/month, billed yearly.
18 USD /user/month, billed monthly.
Pro
49 USD /user/month, billed yearly.
59 USD /user/month, billed monthly.
Enterprise
79 USD /user/month, billed yearly.
95 USD /user/month, billed monthly.
- Hubspot
Hubspot is a CRM platform that handles all marketing, and sales. As well as content management, and customer service needs.
This software has unique Service Hub pricing plans and they are as follows
Starter Plan
20 USD per month (Monthly).
18 USD per month (Yearly) or a one-time bill of 216 USD Yearly.
Professional Plan
500 USD per month (Monthly).
450 USD per month (Yearly) or a one-time bill of 5,400 USD Yearly.
Enterprise Plan
1,200 USD per month (Monthly).
14,400 USD per month (Yearly).
Also, Hubspot offers a CRM suite package and has the following pricing plans:
Starter
50 USD each month, billed monthly.
30 USD each month, billed yearly.
Professional
1,781 USD each month, billed monthly.
1,600 USD each month, billed yearly.
One-time payment of 19,201 USD yearly.
Enterprise
5,000 USD monthly
60,000 USD yearly.
Hence, visit https://www.hubspot.com for more info.
Other examples of Customer Support Software
https://www.salesforce.com
https://www.zoho.com/desk
- Help Scout
https://www.helpscout.com
- Clickdesk
https://www.clickdesk.com
- ConnectWise ScreenConnect
https://screenconnect.connectwise.com
- IT
https://fixme.it
