Evolution of Customer Support Services

Think of the time when there were no phones or computers and people use to walk miles for product-related information or repairs to the retail store. It was a time, effort and money consuming process and businesses were not making any effort to improve the customer support services or user experience.  Can you think of being in those days? No right! We want everything right there and then.

Customer services in past:

In earlier times face to face interactions was the only medium of customer support services. As people have to travel all the way to retail stores and get their queries resolved and it was a time-consuming process.

But in the 1880s with the invention of the telephone whole scenario changed as customers could directly call the customer support numbers and get quick resolutions to their problems. After this, the customer support services market grew as call centres came into existence. Companies started investing time and money in the customer service department. But it came along with a limitation that the consumers were being charged for calling the support number.

Later this was resolved by, AT&T when they introduced the 1-800 toll-free number. That was a milestone in the customer support service journey, consumers can directly reach the support department and ask for help without being charged. This was accepted and implemented by companies on a large scale because it was cost-effective and a faster way to support consumers.

In the early 1990s when the internet came into existence the dependency of customer support from mere calls was diverted to emails as well. Earlier it was only 9 pm to 5 pm when a consumer could connect with the support team. But later it was changed to 24/7 customer support service and consumers could connect with the support team directly over two different platforms.

Another big milestone was achieved in the late 2000s when Facebook and Twitter were launched and consumers were totally hooked on these social media platforms. Companies took the complete leverage of consumer presence on social media platforms and they started supporting and influencing consumers.

Customer Services now:

We still have faded memories of calling customer support and waiting on hold for long hours just to be told that we will get a call in two days. But now times have changed and customer support services have grown exponentially.

Now companies are working to make the customer experience more seamless and friendly. Technology is playing a huge role in the customer support service department as we see how seamlessly information is being transferred to the consumer with minimal effort. Businesses are tracking customers everywhere because they want to personalize the customer journey. But only a few companies are taking the leverage of the technology to the fullest.

I have listed a few points that will suggest why it is important to have seamless customer support service or a live chat support platform:

• Customer Retention and lead acquisition: Companies operate to generate the revenue and it comes from either existing clients or newly acquired customers. If you don’t provide them with the required information at the right time, they will move to another service provider with a blink of an eye.

• Good customer support leads to Brand Loyalty: Brand loyalty comes when your customer is happy with the kind of support, he is getting. A satisfied customer will always stick to the product or service they are using and will also spread the good word around. It’s the experience that matters and customers are ready to pay more for good experience. 

• Customer services represent your business: Customer is looking into your brand and constantly making assumptions on the bases of the information you are sharing across the system. Your customer support service team is the direct point of contact to the outside world, they are responsible for the brand image as they shape your customer’s perception.

• Open 24/7: According to an author Jay Baer, 57% of consumers expect a response from the support team within 30 minutes. Customer support service departments should always work round the clock and make sure that all the customer queries are addressed within the right timeframe.

Customer chat support is an integral part of any business. It is the responsibility of the business that they give proper information and support to their customers. It is important that you invest in the right kind of customer support platform, I recommend “Hippo” powered by JungleWorks. “Customers just don’t buy the product or service but they buy experience”. So give your customers the best In-app chat support experience with Hippo.

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