No matter what industry you’re in, you need to provide customers with stellar customer service when they experience an issue. This means creating a dedicated customer support or technical support team to provide those services.
Although these services may seem similar, the types of people that perform best in these roles exhibit different traits and require different skills. To provide the best service to your clients, you should first understand the differences between customer and technical support.
Keep reading to learn the main differences between customer support and technical support that will help you provide the best possible customer experience — every time.
Required Skills
The best customer support agents are creative, out-of-the-box thinkers who have stellar communication skills and are comfortable talking to just about anyone at any time. They’re patient and kind and do everything they can to make customers feel heard and valued. Their primary skillset focuses on improving the customer experience and finding ways to alleviate pain points quickly.
When providing technical support to customers, technical support agents must have a strong understanding of technology and the proper communication skills to explain complex solutions in a language that customers can easily understand.
They need many of the same skills that customer support agents have, but they must also have a solid technical understanding and teaching ability to ensure customers get the help they need.
Availability of Service
Customer support is available to every customer who needs it. This is true whether they’re looking to complain about a product or simply have questions about an outstanding order.
Technical support is typically only available to customers who specifically request or genuinely need it. Why? To answer that, we need to answer, “What do customers want from technical support?” Most customers calling in for technical support help are experiencing issues with a product they can’t solve independently. They need the help of an experienced representative, not just a general customer service expert.
However, customer support agents may recommend or forward callers to the technical support division to further help the customer.
The Goal of the Service
The main goal for customer service agents is to ensure that the customer is happy with the products or services provided by the company they represent. Each call focuses on creating a positive experience for the customer, even if it takes a while to find a resolution.
So what do customers want from technical support when they call in? Well, they want clear solutions.
Technical support agents focus on resolving the customer’s problem as fast as possible. The quality of the customer service they render is less important than their ability to find the right solution for the customer’s problem. Once they identify the right solution, the technical support agent then communicates potential issues with the company to ensure technical problems get resolved.
How to Succeed in Both Roles
The key to succeeding as a customer service support representative is ensuring that agents put the customer first. They need to listen to the customer’s concerns and take the time to ask questions before rendering an opinion or making a suggestion. They need to be calm even when customers are irate and should be able to keep customers’ temperaments and reactions from influencing their moods.
To succeed as a technical support representative, agents must exhibit patience and understanding when speaking to customers. But they must also be able to troubleshoot over the phone and have the communication skills to teach customers how to overcome the technical challenges they’re experiencing.
The Customer Support Experts
There are thousands of customer service options and many factors to consider when choosing an outsourced customer service provider. When you partner with Always Answer, you’ll have a streamlined, effective communications system and a live call-answering service that gives your customers the positive experience they’re looking for.
Get in touch with our team for more information about Always Answer’s services!
