10 Best Tools for Boosting Customer Service
Using tools that improve daily life can help finish tasks faster and save a lot of time. Since we use apps so often every day, why do many people resist tools that can make their work easier?
Customer service tools in 2024 should be used as much as possible. Why? Because they can improve the quality of service, making customers happy. The competition is always active, and you need to take care of your clients as much as you can.
Did you know that even 1/3 of customers say that one bad customer service experience can make them switch companies? This shows that customer service greatly affects a brand’s image, the user experience, and, in the long run, company performance.
What is Customer Service?
Customer service is the help and advice a company gives to its customers before and after they buy or use its products or services. Customer service is a critical factor in ensuring buyer satisfaction, retaining customers, and growing a business. Customer service is also considered a key aspect of servant leadership.
Small businesses and large corporations need different types of customer service software, but they share one goal. All customer service tools aim to make the service experience better for both customers and the people helping them. For a small business owner, this means making their job easier if they are handling customer service alone.
7 Types of Customer Service Tools You Can Find in the Market
1. CRM (Customer Relationship Management) Software
CRM software centralizes all customer interactions and data, offering a complete view of each customer’s journey. This tool allows service representatives to track previous communications, purchase history, and preferences, making support more personalized and informed.
For businesses, CRM software provides valuable insights into customer behaviors and trends, helping with strategic decisions and targeted marketing.
2. Help Desk Software
Help Desk software is designed to streamline receiving, processing, and responding to customer inquiries and support requests. It often includes ticketing systems that organize customer issues by severity, urgency, or other criteria, ensuring no request is overlooked.
This tool improves response efficiency and helps maintain high customer satisfaction by ensuring timely and organized support.
3. Live Chat and Messaging Platforms
Live chat and messaging platforms let customers get quick answers in real time. By integrating these tools on websites or social media pages, businesses can engage directly with customers, providing instant support.
These platforms are particularly effective in capturing leads, resolving simple queries, and offering a personal touch to digital interactions.
4. Chatbots and AI Assistants
Chatbots and AI assistants automate customer service by handling routine inquiries without human help. Using natural language processing, they can understand and respond to a wide range of customer questions, offering 24/7 support.
This technology not only improves service efficiency but also allows human agents to focus on more complex and sensitive issues.
5. Knowledge Bases and Self-Service Portals
Knowledge bases and self-service portals let customers find answers to their questions without needing to contact customer support directly. These online resources typically include FAQs, how-to guides, and troubleshooting tips.
Well-organized and searchable knowledge bases improve customer satisfaction by allowing users to resolve issues at their convenience.
6. Social Media Management Tools
Social media management tools allow businesses to monitor and engage with customer interactions across various social platforms from a single dashboard. These tools make it easier to respond to comments, messages, and mentions promptly, turning social media into an effective channel for customer service and engagement.
7. Analytics and Feedback Tools
Analytics and feedback tools gather and examine data on customer interactions and satisfaction. They offer useful insights into how well the service is performing, what customers prefer, and what needs to be improved.
By understanding these feedback patterns, businesses can adjust their services and products to better meet customer needs and expectations.
10 Best Customer Service Tools Your Team Must Have
1. Zendesk
Zendesk is a customer service platform that provides various tools such as ticketing, live chat, and knowledge bases. In 2023, Shopify implemented Zendesk and saw a 28% increase in customer satisfaction and a 35% reduction in response times.
Support teams use Zendesk to handle customer inquiries from multiple channels, including email, social media, and phone calls. It organizes these inquiries into tickets, allowing support teams to track and resolve them efficiently. Additionally, Zendesk offers analytics to evaluate performance and customer satisfaction.
2. Help Scout
Help Scout is crafted for customer support, featuring shared inboxes, live chat, and knowledge-based software. Helpscout users praise its simplicity, with 90% saying it makes managing customer inquiries easier.
Teams utilize Help Scout to efficiently manage emails, ensuring that every customer query is addressed. The platform facilitates personalized communication on a large scale and includes reporting tools to analyze support activities. Additionally, its knowledge base feature enables customers to find answers on their own.
3. Document360
Document360 focuses on creating and managing knowledge bases. Customer service teams use this tool to compile detailed help articles, FAQs, and guides. Document360 enables customers to find solutions to their problems on their own, reducing the need to contact support directly.
It offers features like version control, analytics, and customizable design to align with the company's branding.
4. Zoho Desk
Zoho Desk is a robust customer service software that offers ticketing, automation, and a knowledge base. It helps businesses consolidate customer communications from multiple channels into one interface for better management.
65% of users report improved decision-making due to detailed analytics. Zoho Desk’s automation features simplify repetitive tasks, while its knowledge base reduces the number of incoming queries by offering self-help options for customers.
5. Salesforce
Salesforce provides a comprehensive CRM platform with a powerful set of customer service tools. Companies use Salesforce to monitor customer interactions across sales, marketing, and service departments.
It enables teams to develop a unified view of each customer, facilitating personalized support and proactive service. Additionally, Salesforce integrates with various other tools and platforms, creating an extensive ecosystem for managing customer relationships.
6. HubSpot
HubSpot is an all-in-one software for marketing, sales, and customer service. For customer service, it offers tools such as ticketing, email automation, and live chat. Companies utilize HubSpot to simplify their customer service processes, guaranteeing prompt and efficient responses to customer inquiries.
Its CRM features enable tracking of customer interactions and history, facilitating personalized support.Its CRM features enable tracking of customer interactions and history, facilitating personalized support. In 2023, HubSpot's own customer service team used the Service Hub, achieving a 22% increase in customer retention and a 30% improvement in service efficiency.
7. WhatsApp
WhatsApp, a popular messaging app, is becoming a valuable tool for businesses in customer service. Companies use WhatsApp to communicate directly with customers on a familiar platform.
It allows for one-on-one conversations, group messaging, and the sharing of multimedia files, making it versatile for meeting customer needs, confirming orders, and providing prompt support.
8. Telegram
Telegram is a messaging app that provides unique features for customer service, such as bots, channels, and groups. Businesses utilize Telegram bots to automate responses to frequent questions, offer updates, and assist customers through various processes.
Channels allow businesses to broadcast news and updates to subscribers, while groups enable community support and direct interaction with customers.
9. SurveyMonkey
SurveyMonkey is an online survey tool that businesses use to collect feedback and insights from customers. It enables companies to create customized surveys, quizzes, and polls to measure customer satisfaction, gather product feedback, and understand customer needs.
SurveyMonkey’s analytics features help analyze responses, identify trends, and make data-driven decisions to enhance customer service and product development.
10. Hiver
Hiver is an email management tool that transforms Gmail into a help desk platform, allowing businesses to handle customer support directly from their email inbox. Teams can use Hiver to assign, track, and collaborate on customer email queries without the need to switch between different tools.
This tool streamlines response processes, ensures accountability with ticket status updates, and enhances internal collaboration through notes and tags, thereby improving the efficiency and effectiveness of email-based customer service.
Final Thoughts
Choosing the right customer service tools can greatly improve how you interact with customers, make processes smoother, and increase overall satisfaction. If you run a small business or a large company, these ten tools offer many features to help you deliver great customer service. Look at your specific needs and pick the tool that best matches your business goals to ensure an excellent customer experience.
FAQs
Which Tool Can Be Used to Improve Customer Services?
Zendesk is a top tool for improving customer service, offering ticketing, live chat, and help desk management. It integrates with CRM systems, supports multiple channels, and automates workflows to enhance efficiency.
Which Tool is Best for Improving Customer Service?
Zendesk is widely considered the most useful customer service tool due to its comprehensive features and integrations. It manages inquiries across various channels, automates responses, and provides detailed analytics to improve service quality.
What Tools Are Needed for Customer Service?
Essential customer service tools include Help Desk Software like Zendesk or Freshdesk for managing inquiries, Live Chat tools such as Intercom and Olark for real-time support, and CRM Integration tools like Salesforce Service Cloud. Knowledge Base features from Helpscout and Zoho Desk and AI-Powered Chatbots in Intercom and Freshdesk are also important.
What is the Most Effective Customer Service Strategy?
An effective customer service strategy combines personalized service, proactive engagement, and efficient problem resolution. CRM tools enable personalized support, proactive tools like Intercom engage customers in real-time, multi-channel support ensures accessibility, automation in Zendesk and Freshdesk improves efficiency, and regular feedback collection using tools like Zendesk and Salesforce Service Cloud refines the service approach.
