| In the dynamic landscape of business, where customer satisfaction is the cornerstone of success, the terms ‘customer support’ and ‘customer service’ are often used interchangeably. However, a closer examination reveals that these two concepts are distinct facets of the broader customer experience. This article aims to clarify the differences between Customer support vs customer service: What’s the difference?, shedding light on their unique roles and contributions to building lasting customer relationships.
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What is Customer Service?
Customer service is a set of processes and best practices that are aimed at improving customer interactions. It is a proactive function performed by a business with the intent to solve immediate and long-term customer needs. Customer service is an umbrella term that encompasses all the ways a business interacts with its customers, including phone calls, emails, chat, and social media.
What is Customer Support?
Customer support is a specific set of customer interactions that are aimed at assisting only certain customers who might need further assistance. It involves documentation, product feedback, and technical problem solving. Customer support teams support a product, while customer service teams provide service to a customer.
Key Differences
While both customer service and customer support focus on helping customers, there are some key differences between the two. Here are some of the main differences:
Focus
Customer service is focused on the customer, while customer support is focused on the product. Customer service is about providing the best possible experience for the customer, while customer support is about ensuring that the product is working as intended.
Scope
Customer service is a broad term that encompasses all the ways a business interacts with its customers. Customer support is a specific type of customer service that involves documentation, product feedback, and technical problem solving.
Tools
Customer service and customer support use similar tools like email, chat, and phone to communicate. However, customer support teams also use tools like knowledge base documentation, product feedback, and usability studies.
Skills
Customer service and customer support require similar skills like communication, problem-solving, and empathy. However, customer support teams also require technical skills like coding and troubleshooting.
 Why customer service and customer support are both important
Both customer service and customer support are important aspects of the customer experience. Despite their differences, both customer service and customer support help boost a business’s image in more than one way:
- Improves satisfaction: Both types of services can lead to customer satisfaction after an interaction, which can increase repeat business
- Builds trust: Good support and service create a level of trust between a business and its customers when a company can be relied on to handle inquiries or problems professionally
- Creates customer loyalty: Customers who feel cared for are more likely to stay loyal to a brand, make repeat purchases, and become brand advocates by recommending it to others
- Manages reputation: Positive customer care experiences can help boost a company’s reputation to new potential clients, improving its overall image
- Helps retention: When customers are satisfied with a business’s service and feel loyal to a brand, they’re more likely to stay long-term customers
Essentially, what’s important about providing solid customer service and support is building the foundations of a positive relationship with your customers.
Together with other aspects of customer care, like customer education and customer onboarding, service and support contribute to your business’s growth, reputation, and sustainability.
Common challenges facing customer service and support
While there’s no denying the importance of both service and support, it’s not uncommon for companies to find them challenging. Here’s a look at some of the recurring challenges in these areas:
- Customer expectations: 61% of customers would leave for a competitor after just one negative experience, meaning customer expectations are higher than ever
- Knowledge gaps: Customer service or support reps with knowledge gaps can lead to a poor experience, making ongoing training critical to your team’s overall success
- Managing negative feedback: It’s easier to create a positive experience than turn a negative one into a positive one, but when negative feedback arises, it can be challenging to retain that customer and turn the situation around
- Offering personalized service: 90% of customers spend more when companies personalize their customer service, but balancing this level of personalization with efficiency can be difficult
- Lack of tools and resources: To provide good customer experiences, agents need resources and data on customers, products, services, company knowledge, and ways to communicate quickly, and without the right tools this can hinder their work
Conclusion
In conclusion, customer service and customer support are two different things that are often used interchangeably. While both are focused on helping customers, customer service is a broad term that encompasses all the ways a business interacts with its customers, while customer support is a specific type of customer service that involves documentation, product feedback, and technical problem-solving. Understanding the differences between the two is important for businesses that want to provide the best possible experience for their customers.
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