What are the Differences Between Customer Service and Customer Support?

July 20, 2024
Halil Çakır

Customer service and customer support, are two different concepts that are critical for businesses to achieve customer satisfaction. In this article, we will explain the differences between customer service and customer support in detail . and explain how these differences benefit businesses.

What is Customer Service?

Customer service is the process of managing a business’s relationship with its customers. This process involves providing customers with information about products or services, include activities such as answering questions and solving problems.

Customer service responds proactively to customers’ needs and aims to increase customer satisfaction. For example, when a customer asks for information about a product, customer service steps in and provides the necessary information. This approach plays an important role in increasing customer loyalty.

What is Customer Support?

Customer support is the services provided to solve technical problems that customers encounter during the use of products or services. Customer support focuses on problems that require technical knowledge and works with a reactive approach. This means that when a customer experiences a problem, customer support steps in to solve it. The technical support team analyzes the problems experienced by customers and provides quick solutions. For example, resolving an error message experienced by a software user is one of the tasks of customer support.

Differences between Customer Service and Customer Support

Customer service and customer support, are two different approaches that businesses use to improve customer satisfaction. Both aim to improve the customer experience, but have different goals and methods. Here are the differences between customer service and customer support:

Objective

Customer Services:Ensuringcustomer satisfaction and loyalty, increasing sales, and strengthening brand image.
Customer Support:To resolve technical issues quickly and efficiently and ensure that customers use the product or service without any problems.

Communication Methods

Customer Service:Phone calls, email, social media, use a variety of channels such as face-to-face meetings and live chat.
Customer Support:Technical support hotline, email support system, live chat, support ticket systems and online help centers uses more technical communication channels , such as

Employee Profile

Customer Service: Good communication skills, empathy and customer relationship management skills . Must adopt a solution-oriented approach.
Customer Support: Must have technical knowledge, high problem solving skills and attention to detail. Must bepatient and descriptive.

Processes and Methods

Customer Service:

Collecting and analyzingcustomer feedback
Conducting customer satisfaction surveys
Use customer relationship management software
Organizing training and development programs

Customer Support:

Problem diagnosis and solution
Provide technical support documentation and guidelines
Providing support with remote access
Monitoring and reportingcustomer requests

Example Situations

Customer Service:When a customer inquires about a new product or order contacts customer service to ask for information about the situation.
Customer Support:One customer, has problems with the installation of the software purchased or contacts customer support when it encounters an error message.

Customer Service and Customer Support Management with Grispi

Grispi, as a cloud-based demand management platform, gathers companies’ customer service and customer support processes under a single roof. This platform enables integrated management of all support channels such as inbound and outbound calls, e-mail, live support and social media. Grispi makes customer service and customer support processes more efficient with its user-friendly interface and advanced features.

Grispi’s analysis and reporting tools enable companies to measure customer satisfaction and continuously improve their processes. In this way, it is possible to provide uninterrupted and high quality service to customers. The cloud-based structure of the platform enables access from anywhere and helps businesses manage customer relationships more effectively.

Understand the differences between customer service and customer support, helpsbusinesses develop effective strategies to improve customer satisfaction. Cloud-based demand management platforms such as Grispi, by gathering these processes under a single roof , companies can be both proactive and more effectively manage their reactive approach. In this way, to provide better service to customers and it becomes possible to maximize satisfaction.

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