Last year, we highlighted some of the key customer service trends to watch in 2018 and many of them came to fruition. The shift in perception of AI and automation was arguably the most significant. Once a thought of the distant future, many companies began adding these concepts to their workflows and roadmaps.

Once again, for the third year in a row, here are 7 customer service trends to watch in 2019…

1) B2B self-service will become more interactive – Thanks to an increase in on-demand video content in their personal lives, customers are more frequently asking for the same in the business world. As a result, more companies are doing less telling through text and more showing through interactive guides and customer service video content to get messages across.

It’s no surprise that AI (Artificial Intelligence) is really starting to make an impact in the customer service industry. How companies interact with customers is being strongly influenced by this emerging technology. Sure, the “chat bot” comes to mind immediately, but even that has taken a backseat to larger uses of AI which still involve (and improve upon) the human element.

Customers often seek out service because they have a problem and they want a person to empathize with them and make it right. Even with extremely sophisticated AI, a chat bot won’t be able to relate to a human experience, especially if it’s fueled by an emotional attachment.

So, how is AI changing the customer service industry to enable agents to make these human-to-human moments more impactful? Here are a few ways…

It usually requires a special kind of person to succeed in customer service. These individuals are in constant contact with customers, which makes them symbols of how a business performs. Good customer service employees are eager to help; bad ones are eager for the day to be over.

If you’re a customer service manager looking to hire new agents, or if you’re an agent looking to do better at your job, there are certain traits to look for and improve upon. Here, we’re going to break down four of the best customer service traits, so you can optimize your service strategy and improve the overall customer experience.

If you’re new to customer-focused industries, you may look at the title of this post and think “what is a web based help desk solution”? It’s an online system help desk teams use to not only stay organized but to become more efficient. Many emerging companies rely on emails and spreadsheets or even a small in-house solution to keep track of customer information. But what if there’s a better way?

Thanks to modern technology, web based help desk solutions make it easier than ever before to meet the increasing needs and demands of your customers. Let’s look at the steps companies should take to be successful in switching to these solutions.

There are A LOT of features available for companies to choose from when deciding what’s important in their Business to Business (B2B) customer support software solution. We made this list to help companies think about the key features these solutions offer and their value.

When it comes to the specifics of working with customers, you’ll see a wide variety of terms thrown around. Phrases such as “customer care”, “customer support”, and “after-sales service” are all frequently used, but there are a few terms that truly stand out in their meaning (despite the confusion surrounding them).

Far too often, companies are forced into a solution that doesn’t meet the needs of their business. You don’t want to use an exhaustive enterprise tax software for your individual filing, nor does a corporate audit business want to be forced into using software focused on personal finance. The needs of a consumer and business are unique and very different.

Company growth is a great thing and it puts a buzz in the air that is tough to match. With this increase in revenue and customers, however, often comes a higher volume of help desk tickets. Before you know it, your lone help desk employee is working overtime to keep up. After adding a couple people to truly make your own help desk “team”, you realize that spreadsheets and emails aren’t the way to go.

It’s no secret that the SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) industry is on fire right now. More businesses are moving their technology stack from silo'd, on premise software installs to cloud instances with improved accessibility and reliability. Given so many companies are making this switch, why should you care at all about customer loyalty? After all, so many businesses are evaluating SaaS options that even if they churn, there will be five more waiting and ready to sign up, right?