Know the difference between customer service and customer experience

Are you among the people who take “customer service” and “customer experience” to be one and the same thing? While these two terms are closely related, they are not the same thing. Because they are often confused or used interchangeably, we will be taking a look at customer service vs customer experience in more detail.

What is Customer Service?

Customer service can be defined as “the assistance and advice provided to a customer for your product or service as needed,” according to HelpScout. A good customer service team ensures that a customer is fully satisfied with a product or service.

What is Customer Experience?

Customer experience, or CX, “refers to the broader customer journey across the organisation and includes every interaction between the customer and the business,” says HelpScout. Customer experience involves all the interactions a customer has with your establishment, such as when contacting your contact centre for assistance with something.

The difference between Customer Service and Customer Experience

The main differentiating factor between the two terms is that customer experience entails the entire customer journey, including customer service. Customer service and customer experience are both important factors for the success of any establishment, and you can’t really draw hard lines between the two. Customers look at the whole picture when it comes to your offerings, making it important for your contact centre team to ensure they are offering a great customer experience and not just service.

One way you can ensure you are giving your customers a great customer experience is by investing in technology to improve the customer experience journey, such as:

• Chatbots

These virtual assistants have recently become very popular. Businesses use chatbots to provide immediate assistance to their customers. As chatbots ensure quick response times, they enhance customer satisfaction and the customer experience.

• Social Media

Social media has made it possible for customers and businesses to communicate 24/7. Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter enable businesses to interact with customers in a way that customers prefer. Customers can approach you through social media, which is a good way for businesses to acquire and retain their customer base.

Technologies like these enhance communication, minimise errors and enable you to be consistent – three factors that are essential to a good customer experience, which includes customer service.

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