12 Types of Customer Service: A Complete Overview

Whenever we shop online or book flight tickets, we might encounter situations where we're unsure of how to proceed. In such instances, we frequently turn to the Customer Service departments of the respective companies. These companies provide various Types of Customer Service, including email support, Artificial Intelligence (AI) assistance, and telephonic conversations with their support teams. 

Customer Service plays a pivotal role in shaping a business's image. The way they assist, address, and handle customer inquiries—before, during, and after transactions—has a significant impact on a business's revenue. Continue reading this blog to understand more about the different Types of Customer Service, such as in-person assistance, support calls, live chat, self-service options, and more. 

Table of Contents 

1) What is Customer Service?

2) What are the Types of Customer Service?

      a) Email Customer Service

      b) Chatbot and AI assistance

      c) Phone Customer Service

      d) Live chat Customer Service

      e) Video Customer Service

      f) On-site Customer Service

      g) Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Customer Service

      h) Self-service Customer Service

      i) Social media Customer Service

      j) Walk-in Customer Service 

3) Which Type of Customer Service should you choose?

4) Conclusion

What is Customer Service?

Customer Service is a pivotal part of businesses. Offering exceptional support to your customers is instrumental in boosting sales and enhancing the brand value of the company. The principles and business culture of your company solely depends on how your Customer Service communicates with your clients and customers. The investment that is necessary for your business will be valued on the basis of your company’s reputation. Having a good company reputation and a loyal customer base will automatically create brand awareness in the market. 



 

What are the Types of Customer Service? 

Before integrating or enhancing Customer Service in your business, it's essential to understand the various Types of Customer Services available. They are as follows: 

Email Customer Service 

Email was among the first methods of Customer Service and remains a mainstay for companies today. It's cost-effective, reducing the need for substantial capital investment. Moreover, it's both simple and swift. Many customers prefer email because it grants them the space to elaborate on their concerns at length. This channel of Customer Service is indispensable for businesses.  

It aids in monitoring promotions, tracking offers, and understanding how referral codes are employed. More importantly, email correspondence provides tangible records that spotlight areas needing enhancement. Through these interactions, businesses can also gather feedback about their products or services, gleaning insights into customer engagement levels. In the modern digital landscape, a plethora of email marketing tools furnish companies with an encompassing perspective, granting them a holistic understanding of their service quality and overarching performance. 

Chatbot and AI assistance 

As technology has advanced, businesses and companies have begun to integrate chatbots and AI assistants on their websites, a feature especially prevalent on e-commerce sites. Furthermore, chatbots and AI assistants have found their way into our smartphones.

Across various industries, AI and chatbots assist users by providing quick and easy solutions. They either directly address inquiries or redirect customers to the appropriate customer support personnel. 

Chatbots were developed with the intent of resolving customer issues within a span of 10 to 15 messages. These bots offer automated responses to predetermined questions. Additionally, they can translate inquiries and respond in the same language. Thus, for individuals who might hesitate to voice their concerns due to language barriers, chatbots and AI make the process far more accessible and hassle-free! 

Phone Customer Service 

Phone Customer Service is a traditional yet effective way of providing assistance to customers. It involves trained agents addressing queries and concerns over the phone. This method offers a direct and personal touch, allowing customers to explain their issues comprehensively. It is particularly useful for complex problems or situations where real-time communication is crucial.

Live chat Customer Service 

Live chat Customer Service is one of the popular Types of Customer Service. It provides real-time text-based support through websites or applications. Customers can interact with agents instantly, making it suitable for quick queries or assistance with website navigation. This method enhances user experience by offering immediate responses and resolving issues promptly.

Video Customer Service 

In this Type of customer support, customers are engaged through live video sessions. These sessions guide users step by step on how to utilise a product or service. Customer Service became particularly useful during the onset of the pandemic. As safety measures mandated people to stay at home, companies adapted by offering live or pre-recorded video sessions to assist customers with their products. 

Chances are that customers are benefited from these live or recorded video tutorials at some point. Crafted for versatility, these videos can be repurposed across various platforms. Not only do they offer users a concise understanding of the product or service, but they also serve as a valuable avenue for delivering personalised service. Companies can even incorporate a brief "thank you" message at the conclusion, adding a personal touch upon the purchase of a product or service.

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On site Customer Service 

Don't you like it when everything you need is delivered right to your doorstep? Most of us certainly do. Similarly, companies have innovated by offering doorstep customer support in response to complaints about a product or service. 

Such a gesture is an excellent way to foster a positive relationship with customers. It assures them that their concerns are genuinely "heard" and valued, rather than being left waiting on a phone line indefinitely. 

Companies can further incentivise their customers by letting them know that personalised service is available as part of a premium subscription. This strategy can drive upselling and encourage loyalty to your offerings.  

Additionally, offering this kind of premium, personalised Customer Service to long-standing customers can make them feel valued and appreciated. In response, these customers may become brand advocates, actively promoting and raising awareness about your products or service. 

Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Customer Service 

One of the best uses of technology can be seen in the invention of Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Customer Service. IVR is an automated Customer Service that is operated via phone system. This type of Customer Service answers customer queries correctly and redirects them to the concerned department in a company. If you want to implement this Type of Customer Service for your business, it is going to reduce a lot of workloads for your employees working in Customer Support.  

IVR is available 24x7 to your customers. It will reduce the wait time that customers must face when they call a company to clarify their doubts. IVR services are generally conversational, which makes communication easy for your customers. Generally, IVR service contains menus that make navigation easy for your customers.  If you are implementing this Type of Customer Service in your system, you must plan out and make your menus accordingly.  

However, a long and complicated menu can make customers irritable, and a short one will leave your customers confused. You should plan and implement correct parameters for the menus, so that all the queries of the customers can be handled efficiently, without leaving them irritable and confused. 

Self-service Customer Service 

Support teams possess valuable insights into customer issues and effective solutions. However, agents often spend considerable time searching for information. A shared knowledge base leverages this collective wisdom, empowering your Customer Service team with the necessary information to enhance customer support. It also aids your business in identifying and addressing knowledge gaps. 

Moreover, customers favour self-service options due to their minimal interaction hurdles. Implementing self-service features such as a help centre, online community, or Customer Service portal reduces friction, enhances efficiency, and expedites issue resolution. Providing self-service is a fundamental aspect of exceptional Customer Service, and a superior self-service experience can elevate customer satisfaction, lower support expenses, and boost agent engagement.

Social Media Customer Service

Social media Customer Service involves engaging with customers through platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Brands respond to inquiries, comments, and complaints in a public space, showcasing their commitment to customer satisfaction. It allows for real-time interactions and demonstrates transparency.

Walk-in Customer Service 

In shopping malls, retail stores, museums, amusement parks, and many other places, you might have noticed “Help Me” section. This represents what is known as “Walk-in Customer Service, one of the most time-honoured forms of customer assistance that thrived long before the digital age. 

Despite the proliferation of online services, Walk-in Customer Service retains its value and relevance, and many businesses continue to prioritise it. Even with detailed instructions available online, there's an undeniable appeal to the human touch in resolving queries.

It adds a personal dimension to the shopping experience. Furthermore, this mode of Customer Service is especially beneficial for older individuals. Often, they may not be as tech-savvy and tend to prefer human interaction over automated responses or bots. 

Mobile apps Customer Service

As businesses establish their online presence, many are also launching mobile apps to cater to the growing mobile audience. Enhancing user experience and fostering customer loyalty should be a top priority for business owners. A custom mobile app is a powerful tool for achieving this goal. 

Having a dedicated mobile app not only expands product or service offerings but also provides unparalleled convenience to customers. They no longer need to navigate browsers or log into websites; with a mobile app, accessing their profiles is just a tap away. This underscores the importance of integrating this Type of Customer Service. It helps ensure that users can easily resolve their queries without navigating complex procedures.

Communities and forums Customer Service

We all love reading reviews about products and services. This gives us a clear perspective on the products or services that we are interested in. If you have a business or are planning to open one, it will be a good idea to create a community space where people can come and discuss the products or services that they have used previously.

This type of community or Forum Customer Service allows you to get your hands free from the workload of Customer Service. Here, the customers help each other out. People can discuss problems, ask for solutions, and even share a small guide to using the product or service.

This will create a small camaraderie between your customers and will give them a sense of belonging to a small community. You can launch new features and seek suggestions from this dedicated group of people, and you will see that you get a better response than conducting a survey online.

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Which Type of Customer Service should you choose?

Now that you understand the various Types of Customer Service, it's essential to determine which ones align best with your business model and needs. Several factors can guide your decision in selecting the most suitable Customer Service approach. Let's delve into some of these key considerations: 

a) Demography: You should make the decision about what Type of Customer Service you are willing to use, based on the demography that your business caters to the most. If your business caters to people whose age range is between 20-30 years, then, live video sessions, Chatbot and Ai Assistance, Social Media Customer Service etc., will be the better option for you. 

b) Size of customer support team: For a small business, with a relatively smaller number of people in Customer Support, you can invest in self-service, IVR, etc., to reduce the unnecessary workload of the team. 

c) Industry catered: If your business caters to electronic gadgets, or financial services, then on-site, Email, or Live Video sessions Customer Support is going to be the best type of services that you can provide to your customers. 

d) Current market trends: The Customer Support industry is always changing. So, keeping at par with the trends in Customer Support that are more accepted by the customers, you can invest in those types, provided they fulfil the other three factors. 

e) Popular channels: After you have selected your demography of people who follow your business, try to identify the channels your customers use most. Use those channels to reach out to them for feedback, suggestions, and conducting polls regarding their preferences.  

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Conclusion

To ensure an optimal customer experience for your business, consider the various Types of Customer Service we've discussed and select the one that best aligns with your business needs. Remember, a user-centric approach not only boosts sales but also fosters a loyal customer base. Good Customer Service is the cornerstone of lasting business relationships. 

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