A Brief Guide to Online Customer Service Tools

Customer service is the backbone of any business. It's impossible to run a company without it, and customers tend to share their experiences (good and bad) with their friends and family. Your clients have influence over the people they share their experiences with and could persuade or dissuade them from purchasing from you, or even considering doing business with you. Now that the majority of shopping is being done online, here are a few apps and websites you may want to consider adding to your customer service software repertoire.

The Essential Tool: A Virtual Helpdesk

Your helpdesk software is your primary line of defense in prioritizing and answering customer inquiries, so choosing a reliable one is key! Helpdesk software has a built-in ticketing system that can sort and prioritize customer-created help tickets in order for your client service team to tackle the most important tickets first and help those in need in a timely manner. Software options like Zendesk, Freshdesk, and Zoho Desk are popular for their multi-functional capabilities, but also for their tiered plan options.

The New Must-Have: A Live Chat Option

More and more companies are offering an online chat option for the convenience of customers. If you've used online chat customer service before, you'll know how much better it is to wait in a queue online, than it is to listen to elevator music cutting in and out while you wait on hold over the phone. Studies have shown that customers prefer using live chat over other options like phone, email, and social media. This is likely due to the fact that we live in an era of texting, where more people expect an immediate response, unlike ones that email and social media can often provide. HubSpot Live Chat and Olark are big players in the live chat space.

Group Support: Using Social Media

Social media is likely part of your marketing plan, but you'll also find that customers will ask questions and post concerns on your channels. This can be a great engagement tool, but be wary of how you respond to complaints, as these are conversations the world can see, and potential customers will be watching for your response time, helpfulness, and tone. The nice thing about this kind of digital customer service is that you might be answering many people's questions by answering one! Hootsuite is a popular platform to manage multiple social media platforms and make sure you're seeing any messages in a timely manner. It can also alert you to any private messages you may receive on your social media. Check out how Bloomtools can help you manage your social media!

The Hard-To-Get: Customer Feedback Software

More often than not, businesses are using customer feedback to inform the future of their products and services. Listening to the customer creates loyalty and people love to feel heard. Feedback means nothing if it doesn't inform change, however, it can be extremely hard to get! Most people don't take time out of their busy days to fill out lengthy surveys, and timing is everything, as people can't recall details long after they've used a service or product. The key is finding customer feedback software that sends out short, timely surveys that can even be fun for customers to fill out. Also having tools to review the feedback and create analyses based on replies is key to informing your team about what most customers feel is important. Client feedback is also a great way to get potential testimonials for your website, which can increase traffic and loyalty to your brand. SurveyMonkey and Typeform are two popular customer feedback tools.

If you're new to customer service software, start small and work your way up to multiple platforms and uses. Customers will appreciate having a voice, but only if their voice is well-received and well-managed.

Discuss your customer service strategy with a Bloomtools expert and discover which platforms will work best for your business!