{"id":46024,"date":"2021-01-06T16:08:09","date_gmt":"2021-01-06T16:08:09","guid":{"rendered":"\/us\/en\/blog\/?p=46024"},"modified":"2025-05-14T05:28:17","modified_gmt":"2025-05-14T12:28:17","slug":"types-of-customer-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/us\/en\/blog\/types-of-customer-service\/","title":{"rendered":"How to figure out the right type of customer service for your small business"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s no secret that offering high-quality customer service is an indispensable part of building a thriving, sustainable business.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Good service enhances the customer experience, which, in turn, drives up customer retention, improves positive word-of-mouth, and, most importantly, boosts business revenue.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thanks to advances in digital technology, businesses have never had more ways to deliver the level of seamless service that keeps customers coming back for more. Back in the old days, customers usually had to settle for an in-store consultation or painfully long hold times during store hours whenever they had a question about a product or needed to arrange a repair. Today, customers expect a range of convenient options for when they interact with businesses, whether it be live chat, phone, or a self-service knowledge base.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But when you\u2019re running a small to midsize business (SMB), it\u2019s generally impractical to build an all-inclusive customer service program that incorporates every major customer communication channel. Instead, you have to be selective and pick the types of interactions that best meet your business <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> customer needs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this post, we\u2019ll explain why figuring out the right customer service model is so vital. We\u2019ll also run through the benefits of different types of customer service and offer some guidance on how to successfully implement them within an SMB. By the end of the post, you should have a better idea about which approach to customer service makes the most sense for your organization.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What we\u2019ll cover:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#why\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why finding the right customer service model is so important<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4 types of customer service to use in your SMB (with examples from real companies)<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#one\">1. Phone support<\/a><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#two\">2. Email support<\/a><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#three\">3. Live chat support<\/a><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#four\">4. Self-service<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So let\u2019s start with a reminder of why finding the right balance of customer service types is so crucial for business success.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p class=\"p1\">\u2b50\ufe0f\u2b50\ufe0f\u2b50\ufe0f\u2b50\ufe0f\u2b50\ufe0f<b>\u00a0<\/b>Ready to offer 5-star customer service?<b>\u00a0<\/b>Get strategies for every stage of the customer journey with this <b>free eBook<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">\n<div class=\"download-form-widget standart-download-form\" data-url=\"https:\/\/assets.ringcentral.com\/us\/ebook\/long-live-customer-service.pdf\" data-id=\"69d49c913ca43\" id=\"69d49c913ca43\">\n\t\t<button tabindex=\"on\"  on=\"tap:69d49c913ca43.toggleClass(class='open')\" class=\"open-modal-download-action download-form-button\" type=\"submit\">\ud83d\udcd9 Get the eBook<\/button><\/p>\n<div class=\"download-form-modal\">\n<div class=\"download-form-modal-body\">\n<div class=\"download-form-modal-content\">\n<div class=\"download-form-modal-title\">\ud83d\udc40Get this free eBook to learn how to win in customer service.<\/div>\n<form class=\"download-form SMB\" method=\"post\">\n<div class=\"download-form-part\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<input class=\"download-form-input\" aria-label=\"Full Name\" aria-required=\"true\" aria-invalid=\"false\" type=\"text\" name=\"fullname\" placeholder=\"Full Name\" data-dl-events-hover=\"true\" data-dl-element=\"text\" data-dl-additional-info=\"download form\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"download-form-part\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<input class=\"download-form-input\" aria-label=\"Email (please enter a work email address)\" aria-required=\"true\" aria-invalid=\"false\" type=\"email\" autocomplete=\"on\" name=\"email\" placeholder=\"Email (please enter a work email address)\" data-dl-events-hover=\"true\" data-dl-element=\"email\" data-dl-additional-info=\"download form\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"popup_form\" value=\"1\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"Lead_Entry_Source__c\" value=\"RC Blog\" class=\"download-form-input\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"download-form-part\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"download-form-submit\" type=\"submit\" data-dl-element=\"button\" data-no-auto-dl=\"true\" data-dl-additional-info=\"download form\" data-dl-name=\"Get it now\">Get it now<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<button on=\"tap:69d49c913ca43.toggleClass(class='open')\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\"  class=\"download-form-modal-close\"><\/button>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"download-form-modal-thank\">Enjoy!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a id=\"why\"><\/a><br \/>\nWhy finding the right <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">customer service model<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is so important<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As customer service technologies have evolved, so too have <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-expectations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">customer expectations<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Customers today have a low tolerance for slow response times, partial answers to their questions, and being constantly passed from one support agent to another. They have come to expect quick, accurate, and personalized interactions with the businesses they buy from, and are quite willing to shop around to find the brands that can meet these demands.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The hard truth is that companies which fail to provide good customer service put themselves in danger of losing customers, reputation, and revenue. As much as 91% of dissatisfied customers simply won\u2019t buy from your business again, while <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/about.americanexpress.com\/all-news\/news-details\/2017\/WellActually-Americans-Say-Customer-Service-is-Better-Than-Ever\/default.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">33% of customers will look to switch to a competitor<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> after just one bad customer experience.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the other hand, companies that have made a conscious effort to build a well-oiled customer service program will often find themselves holding a competitive advantage. People who\u2019ve received a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-experience\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">great customer experience<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> will spread the word to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.businesswire.com\/news\/home\/20171215005416\/en\/WellActually-Americans-Customer-Servic\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">11 people on average<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, while as much as <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/research\/customer-expectations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">67% of customers are willing to pay more<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to do business with a company that\u2019s known for providing high-quality customer service.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Clearly, it pays to invest in c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.glip.com\/use-case\/collaboration-tools-for-customer-support-teams\">ollaborative customer service<\/a>. And so the question becomes: what types of customer service does it make the most sense for you to invest in?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Of course, the right answer to this question will depend on specific details about your business, but you should seek to build a program that deals with the following challenges of delivering <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/good-customer-service\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">good customer service<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Convenience: <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A top priority for all customer service programs should be customer convenience\u2014you want to make the customer\u2019s experience of your brand as frictionless as possible. They should be able to contact you without any hassle and the information you provide should be easy to access and clearly presented.\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Speed:<\/strong> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How quickly you respond to customer inquiries will have a major effect on <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-satisfaction-everything-you-need-to-know\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">customer satisfaction<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Excessive wait times simply annoy most customers.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/customer-communications-trends-report.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-42964\" src=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/annoyances-about-calling-companies-scaled-e1604521339121.jpg\" alt=\"annoyances about calling companies\" width=\"900\" height=\"471\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once a customer submits a ticket, it should be obvious to them that their request has been registered, and they should have a clear expectation of when they\u2019ll get a response.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Knowledge and accuracy: <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The better your customer service agents understand your product and business, the more accurate and helpful their answers will be to customer questions.<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A knowledgeable customer service team will also improve how many customer inquiries are resolved in one go. This is crucial since as much as <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/ameyo.com\/blog\/customer-experience-statistics-which-will-impact-your-business-in-2016\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">67% of customer churn<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> can be prevented if problems are solved when they are first raised.<\/span><\/b><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Personalization:<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Creating interactions that feel tailored to the customer is another key element of good customer service. Friendly and personalized messaging builds stronger connections and gives customers the sense that their specific problem is being handled with care.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Cost:<\/strong> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While customer service departments are essential for business health, they don\u2019t come cheap. When deciding which customer service model to opt for, you have to factor in the costs associated with things like agent headcount, training, tools, and office space. Check out our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-service-costs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">customer service costs calculator<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for advice on building a more cost-efficient customer service program.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With these considerations in mind, let\u2019s now turn to look at different types of customer service and see how they could be implemented within your SMB.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">types of customer service<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to use in your SMB (with real-life examples)<\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a id=\"one\"><\/a><br \/>\n1. Phone support<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Call center support first became widespread during the 1960s and has been a mainstay of customer service ever since. It involves a team of agents tasked with the role of fielding incoming and outgoing customer calls, in which they respond to customer queries and proactively reach out to customers with new service offers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite the rise in alternative communication technologies, many customers still prefer to interact with companies over the phone. This is especially true when it comes to more complex or urgent queries where a lot of information has to be exchanged between the customer and agent as quickly as possible. Verbal interactions also let agents register the customer\u2019s emotional state more easily.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Implementing phone support<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Phone support can be conducted in-house or via a third-party provider. In either case, phone support teams will usually use <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/contact-center\/overview.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">contact center software<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to manage their records and ensure that customers are connected to an available agent with the appropriate level of expertise.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example, RingCentral&#8217;s platform uses <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/contact-center\/skills-based-routing.html\">skills-based routing<\/a> to ensure that customers are automatically directed to whichever agent is best suited to handle their particular problem:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-46027\" src=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/ringcentral-skill-based-routing-customer-service.png\" alt=\"ringcentral skill based routing customer service\" width=\"600\" height=\"340\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This helps minimize the amount of time that callers are left on hold, which is so crucial since 86% of customers say that being on hold for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/customer-communications-trends-report.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">more than 30 seconds is too long<\/a>:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/customer-communications-trends-report.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-43314\" src=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/how-long-is-too-long-on-hold-scaled-e1609947203496.jpg\" alt=\"customer complaints about waiting on hold\" width=\"900\" height=\"471\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To deliver first-rate phone support, there are a few <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-service-best-practices\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">best practices<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that your call center team should follow. These include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Create a better on-hold experience: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While it\u2019s essential to do all you can to reduce the time callers are left on-hold, there will be occasions when this is unavoidable. The trick is to make this experience as frustration-free as possible.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One way to keep customers engaged when they are on-hold is to make use of entertaining and informative on-hold messages. For example, you could fend off boredom by sharing an interesting success story or by revealing some surprising facts about your business.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Build a tailor-made IVR menu: <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/call-center.html\">call centers<\/a> will use an automated <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/interactive-voice-response\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">interactive voice response<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (IVR) menu to help customers connect to the department they need when they first call for support.\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By configuring this menu to reflect the most common kinds of queries you receive, you can drastically improve the experience of those who call. For example, you might ask customers to press 1 for general queries and 2 to hear a list of more specific topics.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">RingCentral offers <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/contact-center\/interactive-voice-response.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">IVR tools<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to help you edit your automated menus so you can add or remove options as you see fit:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-46028\" src=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/ringcentral-ivr-editor.png\" alt=\"ringcentral ivr editor\" width=\"707\" height=\"408\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Post-call surveys: <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gathering feedback from customers after a call is one of the best ways to identify gaps in your phone support that you can then use to refine your service.\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When should phone support be prioritized?<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As mentioned above, phone support is especially useful for handling complex customer queries and for catering to customers who simply prefer to interact verbally with a live person. For this reason, it makes sense for most organizations\u2014whether public or private\u2014to provide at least some level of phone support, even if it\u2019s just reserved for exceptional customer issues.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Example of a company making the most of phone support: Naked Wines<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/whyringcentral\/casestudies\/nakedwines.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Naked Wines<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is an online wine retailer focused on supporting independent winemakers. Their customers double up as investors, paying $40 a month for exclusive access to handcrafted wines at reduced prices.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Understandably, the company takes pains to ensure that its customers\/investors can receive prompt service whenever they reach out for information. To do this, the service team uses a carefully-designed IVR menu that encourages callers to categorize their type of inquiry, whether it be to sign up as a customer, place an order, or track a shipment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The company also uses live reporting data to track call volume in real-time, which lets them adapt their staffing arrangements to ensure callers aren\u2019t left on hold for too long. Here&#8217;s how that data looks in RingCentral&#8217;s dashboard:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-43656\" src=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/contact-center-analytics.png\" alt=\"customer service analytics\" width=\"510\" height=\"400\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a id=\"two\"><\/a><br \/>\n2. Email support<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Email is a popular support channel with <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.hubspot.com\/service\/customer-service-statistics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">up to 62% of people identifying it<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> as their preferred way of receiving customer service. The concept is simple enough: customers write an email explaining their problem or request and send it to the listed customer service email address, usually found on the business website.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the main benefits of this channel is that it facilitates <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">asynchronous communication (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/asynchronous-communication\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">learn more about that here<\/a>)<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, allowing customers to send requests for support at any time of day or night without the possibility of being put on hold. It also provides customers with a digital record of their interactions with a company, which can often prove useful in the event of a dispute or misunderstanding.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Implementing email support<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many companies will use dedicated <a href=\"https:\/\/www.getmailbird.com\/best-windows-apps-to-manage-multiple-email-accounts\/\">email management software<\/a> to organize their email customer service, which include features like email routing, archiving, and reporting.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/contact-center\/features.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">RingCentral Digital Engage<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> integrates email communication with other digital channels into one robust cloud customer engagement tool. The platform lets you easily manage large volumes of incoming emails by tracking emails sent and received, classifying incoming emails (based on language, intent, sentiment, and agent skill), and then routing the message to the appropriate team or individual:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-44860\" src=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/engage-digital-channels.png\" alt=\"engage digital channels\" width=\"1000\" height=\"506\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are some <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/support-email\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">best practices for implementing email customer service<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Personalize your messages: <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A great benefit of emails is that they can be automated and sent out <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">en masse<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> at predefined times. However, it\u2019s important to steer clear from sending one-size-fits-all support emails, which just read as lifeless and robotic from a customer\u2019s point of view. Something as simple as referring to your customer (and yourself!) by name can make a world of difference.<\/span><\/b><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Keep messages short and sweet:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> A support email should get to the heart of the customer\u2019s issue in as few words as possible. Show that you understand their problem, explain how you\u2019re going to help, provide a call to action (like an invite to call or a request to follow a link), and thank them for their time.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Follow up:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> One of the downsides of using email is that important messages can often get buried in cluttered inboxes. It\u2019s always worth sending a quick <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-follow-up\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">follow-up email <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to make sure the customer\u2019s problem has been resolved.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When should email support be prioritized?<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Email support is best suited for non-urgent customer queries and for situations in which multiple stakeholders need to be kept in the loop of the conversation. This makes it a popular customer service solution within the B2B space. Email support is also a good fit for companies that have an international customer base who may need to send requests outside of the company\u2019s normal working hours.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Example of a company making the most of email support: Timex<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One example of top-notch customer service delivered through email can be seen in the following interaction between an unfortunate Timex customer\u2014whose Timex watch was damaged during a road accident\u2014and one of the brand\u2019s support agents.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Instead of charging the customer for a repair, Timex offered to replace the watch for free and conveyed a great deal of empathy with the customer\u2019s situation. This example demonstrates how a healthy dose of agent autonomy can result in some truly impressive customer service. For more on how you can develop this kind of winning customer service philosophy, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-service-principles\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">check out this post<\/a> on <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">customer service principles:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-46029\" src=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/customer-service-via-email.png\" alt=\"customer service via email\" width=\"813\" height=\"538\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a id=\"three\"><\/a><br \/>\n3. Live chat support<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Live chat<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> lets customers interact with a support agent in real-time by accessing a chat box on the company\u2019s website. This communication channel shares much of the immediacy you get from a phone call while catering to those who prefer not to interact verbally.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Live chat is particularly popular among younger audiences, with <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.softwareadvice.com\/resources\/demographics-impact-live-chat-customer-service\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">56% of 18 to 34 year-olds preferring live chat to phone calls<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. As with emails, live chat leaves a digital footprint of any conversations and allows agents to handle multiple customer conversations at the same time.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Implementing live chat support<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/live-chat.html\">Live chat software<\/a> works by embedding a chat function on your website, with different applications offering features ranging from chat routing and canned responses, to behavioral triggers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">RingCentral\u2019s omnichannel customer service platform integrates live chat with all your other digital communication channels. Agents can get an immediate sense of a customer\u2019s problem or situation by accessing data from their previous interactions, and can even use suggested responses during live chat conversations to keep things moving more quickly:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-presentation\" title=\"Digital Customer Engagement | RingCentral Engage Digital\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/PZC3o5YN90E?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen sandbox=\"allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-presentation\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\ud83d\udd79\ufe0f<\/span> Get a hands-on look at how RingCentral works by booking a product tour:<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><button data-href=\"#leadform-popup\" class=\"js-open-popup-activator btn primary\" >Choose a time<\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\ud83d\udcb0<\/span> You can also <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/roi-calculator\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span class=\"s2\"><b>use this calculator<\/b><\/span><\/a><b> <\/b>to see roughly how much your business could save by using RingCentral to support your team&#8217;s communication with each other\u2014and clients.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are a few pointers on how to execute live chat successfully:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Don\u2019t bite off more than you can chew: <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even though live chat creates space for agents to have multiple customer conversations simultaneously (thereby reducing overall response times), you need to strike a careful balance. If agents take on too many customer queries at any given time, the opportunity for mix-ups and delays increases. The priority should be placed on providing swift yet accurate answers to customer questions.<\/span><\/b><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Make use of automated responses<\/strong>: <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A significant proportion of live chat queries will be questions that your team has answered many times before. In these cases, your team can save a great deal of time by using a chatbot to deliver canned responses to common questions. You can also use automated chatbots to give customers help during non-working hours.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When should live chat support be prioritized?<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Live chat is well-suited for businesses with an online storefront, especially those that target a younger demographic. When potential buyers are browning your products, they\u2019ll often have some questions before they commit to a purchase. This makes live chat an extremely useful tool for converting hot leads.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Example of a company making the most of live chat support: Canyon Bicycles<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Canyon Bicycles is a well-loved bicycle brand with fans dotted all over the world. To accommodate the fact that their customers speak a variety of different languages, the company makes use of a language-based routing system within their live chat to automatically connect customers to the best-suited agent available.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a id=\"four\"><\/a><br \/>\n4. Self-service<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-self-service\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">self-service<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> approach to customer service is all about helping customers help themselves. This generally entails building an online <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/create-knowledge-base\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">knowledge base<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> consisting of articles about your product, service, and other aspects of your business. Your customers can then simply choose to look up relevant articles at their own pace whenever they have a problem.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">elf-service is popular with customers, with <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/go.forrester.com\/blogs\/10-04-06-do_your_customers_want_to_telephone_you_for_service\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">72% preferring to find answers<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> themselves as compared to calling or emailing a support agent. After all, most customer questions only need a simple answer, and so finding the answer themselves is often less time-consuming than reaching out to a real-life support agent.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>To take self-service to the next level, integrating tools like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/ai-receptionist\">RingCentral\u2019s AI Receptionist<\/a> can enhance the experience for your customers. The AI Receptionist not only answers frequently asked questions in real-time but also provides conversational, on-brand assistance that feels personal. It can route inquiries, assist with scheduling, and even offer instant responses to repetitive queries\u2014streamlining self-service for both customers and your team.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From a customer service team\u2019s point of view, self-service solutions can drastically reduce ticket volume and free up time for agents to deal with more unique and urgent customer inquiries.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Implementing a self-service solution<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Building a comprehensive and user-friendly knowledge base takes a fair deal of planning and maintenance. That said, you can always start off with just a few articles that tackle some of the most common customer questions and concerns and then build on that over time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are some things to keep in mind if you choose to create a knowledge base:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Prioritize intuitive navigation: <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When determining the layout of your knowledge base, you should think carefully about how users will actually use it. It\u2019s good practice to start with a \u201chub\u201d page that features a search box, links to popular articles, and links to category pages arranged by topic areas.<\/span><\/b><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Format articles to be easy to skim:<\/strong> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Clearly, you want your help articles to be easily understood by those who read them. The information should be arranged in a clear and consistent format, making use of plenty of bullet points, numbered lists, and subheadings. When it comes to writing style, focus on clarity and brevity.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When should self-service be prioritized?<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Self-service solutions are a good fit for most organizations. They are perhaps best suited for companies that offer a wide range of products or services with a higher degree of technical complexity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Example of a company making the most of self-service: Asana<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Flaunting one of the finest knowledge bases around, Asana keeps all its support documentation, user guides, interactive courses, and live-streamed tutorials within the beautifully designed Asana Guide section of its website:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-46026\" src=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/asana-customer-service-training.png\" alt=\"asana customer service training\" width=\"533\" height=\"732\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ready to experiment with <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">different types of customer service<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Building an effective customer service model is a vital part of running a successful business. If you get customer service wrong, the consequences can be dire. But if you get it right, the rewards can be great.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Figuring out which types of customer service are the best fit for your company depends on factors like your customers\u2019 preferences, your budget constraints, and the nature of the products or services you sell.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, for most organizations, relying on just a single customer service channel isn\u2019t enough. As we\u2019ve seen, different types of customer service offer different benefits. So, ideally, your customer service model will consist of a mix of service types that complement one another.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Omnichannel customer service platforms offer a flexible solution to the problem of implementing more than one type of customer service. See how they work by booking a product tour!<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><button data-href=\"#leadform-popup\" class=\"js-open-popup-activator btn primary\" >Choose a time<\/button><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s no secret that offering high-quality customer service is an indispensable part of building a thriving, sustainable business. Good service enhances the customer experience, which, in turn, drives up customer retention, improves positive word-of-mouth, and, most importantly, boosts business revenue.\u00a0 Thanks to advances in digital technology, businesses have never had more ways to deliver the &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":46030,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17901],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-46024","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-leadership"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v19.3 (Yoast SEO v27.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How to figure out the right type of customer service for your small business<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Find out what different types of customer service you 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