Best Customer Service Software For Small Businesses In 2024

Customer support in small businesses

As a small business owner, using the best customer service software is key to providing excellent customer service and remaining competitive in your industry. With 96% of customers saying customer service is important in their choice of loyalty to a brand, you can't afford to skimp on customer service, especially since this is typically the one and only encounter your customers have with your business.

However, with so many customer service software options on the market, how do you know which is best for your business? In this article, we'll provide an overview of the best customer service software for small businesses in 2022 based on features, ease of use, price, and customer reviews.

What are different types of customer support software?

Customer support software is a tool that helps businesses manage customer service and support. It enables companies to keep track of customer queries, requests, and complaints, as well as provides a platform for customer service representatives (CSRs) to communicate with customers.

Customer support software typically includes features such as ticketing, live chat, knowledge base, and self-service. These features help businesses to provide a better customer experience by reducing waiting times, resolving issues faster, and improving communication. Some of the most popular types of customer service software include:

Conversational support

Conversational support is customer service software that uses real-time communication channels such as live chat, messenger, and text messages to communicate with customers. This type of customer service software benefits businesses that want a more personalized customer experience.

86% of consumers prefer to interact with a human agent. So while automation has its place in customer service, it's important to remember that customers still crave that human connection which is why conversational support is one of the best customer service software options for small businesses.

Help desk

Help desk software refers to customer service software that businesses use to manage customer support requests. It includes features such as ticketing, a knowledge base, and live chat. Help desk software is beneficial for businesses that want to provide a more efficient way of managing customer queries and complaints.

For example, help desk software enables businesses to keep track of customer support requests through ticketing. This enables businesses to prioritize and assign customer queries more efficiently, ensuring that customer queries are resolved in a timely manner.

Live chat

Live chat is customer service software that enables businesses to communicate with customers in real time. It's beneficial for businesses that want to provide a more personal customer experience or resolve customer issues quickly.

Live chat software typically includes features such as automatic message triggers, chatbot support, and canned responses. These features help businesses to automate customer support and resolve customer queries faster.

Self-service solutions

Self-service solutions are customer service software that enables customers to find answers to their queries without having to contact a customer service representative. It's beneficial for businesses that want to provide a more efficient way of managing customer queries and complaints.

Self-service solutions typically include features such as a knowledge base, FAQs, and community forums. These features help businesses reduce the number of customer support requests by providing a platform for customers to find answers to their queries themselves. So instead of having to contact a customer service representative, customers can simply search for the answer in the knowledge base or community forums.

Technical support

Lastly, technical support software is customer service software that helps businesses resolve technical issues for their customers. This may be a separate department within a business, or it may be included as part of a customer service software solution. Technical support software is beneficial for businesses that want to provide a more efficient way of resolving technical issues for their customers.

Technical support software typically includes features such as remote desktop, live chat, and ticketing. These features help businesses to resolve technical issues faster and ensure that their technology is working properly.

Why is customer service software for small businesses so important?

There are many benefits of customer service software for small businesses, such as:

Provides value to customers

When businesses provide excellent customer service, they are providing value to their customers. This helps to build trust and goodwill between the customer and the business, which can lead to repeat business and customer loyalty.

61 percent of consumers would switch to a competitor after just one poor customer service experience. With this in mind, it's clear that customer service is essential for businesses, especially small businesses, as it can make or break a relationship with a customer. By using customer service software, businesses can provide a more efficient and effective customer service experience, which can help to build trust and loyalty between the business and its customers.

Bridges communication between internal teams

Quite often, customer service queries are escalated to other departments within a business, such as sales or technical support. This can lead to miscommunication between internal teams, which can ultimately result in the customer not receiving the best possible service.

Customer service software helps to bridge the communication gap between internal teams by providing a platform for all departments to view and update customer queries. This ensures that everyone is on the same page and that the customer receives the best possible service. For example, if a customer query is escalated to the technical support team, the customer service representative can update the status of the query in the customer service software. This way, the technical support team knows exactly what is going on and can resolve the issue as quickly as possible.

Increases efficiency

When businesses use customer service software, they are able to resolve customer queries and complaints more efficiently. This is because customer service software provides businesses with the tools and features they need to automate customer support and resolve issues quickly.

For example, features such as cobrowsing and live chat help businesses resolve issues quickly and effectively, ensuring that customers are satisfied with the service they receive. In addition, features such as ticketing and remote desktop help businesses to keep track of customer queries and resolve them more efficiently.

Ensures customer service is productive

Lastly, customer service software helps businesses to ensure that their customer service is productive. This is because customer service software provides businesses with the ability to track and monitor customer support activity. This helps businesses to see which agents are performing well and which ones need improvement. It also helps companies to start collecting data that can be used to improve the customer service experience.

Overall, customer service software is essential for small businesses as it provides a more efficient and effective way to resolve customer queries and complaints. By using customer service software, businesses can provide a better experience for their customers, which can lead to repeat business and customer loyalty.

The best customer service software for small business in 2024

Now that we've covered the importance of customer service software for small businesses let's take a look at some of the best customer service software solutions on the market.

Conversational support: Fullview

Imagine being able to offer your customers the best possible support without them even having to leave their comfortable homes or wait on the phone for hours. With Fullview's cobrowsing solution, it's easier than ever to provide outstanding conversation support that will save your customers time and hassle.

Fullview's cobrowsing solution allows small businesses to take over their customer's screens in real-time. This means that businesses can create exceptional customer experiences by showing customers exactly what they need to do rather than trying to explain it over the phone.

Cobrowsing is a versatile customer service software for small businesses that can be used for various purposes, whether it's for consultations and onboarding customers or to support customer success and sales teams. Not only is it incredibly easy to use, but it's also GPDR compliant to ensure the safety of your customer's data.

Technical Support: Fullview

There are many software programs that offer technical support, but Fullview stands out from the rest. Fullview offers session replays and console logs, which are essential for providing effective technical support. Fullview Replays allows you to watch past user sessions so you can see problems in context and resolve issues. This helps your team troubleshoot problems faster and provide better customer service. Fullview Console provides all the data your team needs to find errors or issues with your product. This is vital for providing effective technical support and ensuring that your customers are satisfied with your product.

In addition, this customer service software for small businesses is free! Fullview offers a forever free plan and a 14-day free trial of all pro plans. This is helpful for small businesses that are often working with small budgets. Furthermore, Fullview combines all these functionalities in one (cobrowsing, session replays, and console logs), which saves companies both time and money.

Investing in Fullview is the best decision that companies can make when it comes to finding technical support software. Thanks to Fullview, providing excellent customer service will be easier than ever before!

Helpdesk: Zendesk

Anyone who's ever had to contact customer support knows that it can be a frustrating experience. But what if there was help desk software that made the process easier for both customers and support representatives? That's where Zendesk comes in.

Zendesk is a cloud-based help desk software that streamlines the support process, making it easier for customers to get the help they need. And because it's cloud-based, it's always up-to-date with the latest features and integrations. Plus, its intuitive interface makes it easy for even the most tech-challenged customers to submit a ticket and track its status.

Live chat: Hubspot

There are a lot of live chat software options out there, but if you want the best, you want Hubspot. Here's why: Hubspot is constantly improving its product based on customer feedback, which means that they're always working to make its software better.

Hubspot offers a wide range of features, including automatically triggered messages, AI-powered chatbots, and integrations with other popular business software. Plus, you can get started with absolutely no cost — Hubspot offers a free live chat plan. However, the best part about Hubspot is its amazing customer support team. They're always quick to respond to any questions or concerns, and they're more than happy to help you troubleshoot any issues you may be having.

Self-service solutions: Zoho

Self-service solutions are becoming increasingly popular as businesses look for ways to cut costs and improve efficiency. Zoho is one of the leading providers of self-service solutions, and its platform offers a wide range of features that can benefit any business. Perhaps most importantly, Zoho provides a central location for all of your business's data, making it easy to access and manage.

Additionally, the platform offers a wide range of integrations with other business tools, making it easy to create a streamlined workflow. Finally, Zoho's self-service solutions are highly scalable, so you can easily add or remove users as your needs change. For all these reasons, Zoho is the best self-service solution on the market.

Conclusion

Finding the best customer service software for your small business can take time and effort. However, without it, your business will likely struggle to provide effective customer service. Thanks to the three software options we've outlined above, you'll be able to find a customer service solution that's right for your business. Each one offers a unique set of features that can benefit any business, regardless of your industry or budget.