Customer support is crucial for success. With so many options available, consumers have high expectations for responsive, personalized support across channels. Choosing the right customer support tools for your text marketing strategy helps you stand out from competitors and create long-term loyalty. 

In this article, we’ll explore the top 11 types of customer support tools for text marketing and how to select the best options for your business.

Why Customer Support Matters

Before getting into specific tools, it’s important to understand why customer service is so critical for success:

• Drives loyalty – Positive experiences make customers more likely to trust and stick with your brand over competitors.
• Reduces churn – Keeping existing customers happy is far less expensive than acquiring new ones.
• Increases referrals – 71% of customers will recommend a business after receiving good service. (Truelist)
• Boosts conversions – 94% of consumers are more likely to make another purchase after a positive customer service experience. (Hubspot)
• Provides insights – Support interactions give you valuable feedback for improving products and services.
• Creates advocacy – Customers who receive exceptional service become influential brand promoters.

As you can see, using customer support tools isn’t just a good idea – it’s a crucial strategy. 

Top 11 Customer Support Tools

Here are the essential categories to consider when building your customer service tech stack:

1. Help Desk Software

Help desk software is the hub of your customer support operation. It centralizes customer tickets and support requests, enabling your team to manage, track, and resolve customer issues efficiently. They consolidate various channels into a unified inbox that’s accessible to your entire sales team.

Help desk systems like Zendesk, Freshdesk, and Intercom offer a wide range of features, from ticket management to automated responses and knowledge base integration.

Zendesk, for example, provides advanced analytics to help you understand customer trends and improve your support process, while Freshdesk offers a multichannel support platform, allowing you to engage with customers across various communication channels seamlessly.

2. Live Chat

Live chat tools are invaluable for providing real-time assistance to customers. These tools allow your support team to engage with website visitors instantly, answer questions, and guide them through the decision-making process. 

Leading live chat tools, such as LiveChat and Rocket.Chat, provide these features. Additionally, they offer customization options to match your brand’s identity. They provide visitor tracking, allowing you to see which pages your customers are on, which is valuable for providing more relevant assistance.

3. Knowledge Base

A knowledge base is your self-service hub, where customers find answers to common questions on their own. With these tools, you can build a collection of articles, FAQs, and guides, allowing customers to find answers to common questions on their own. Creating an effective knowledge base reduces the workload of your support team, is cost-effective, and scalable.  

Platforms like Zendesk and KnowledgeOwl provide user-friendly interfaces and search functionality for easy navigation. They also provide analytics to understand which articles are most popular and which need improvement.

4. Ticketing Systems

Ticketing systems are essential for organizing and prioritizing customer requests. They ensure that no question gets lost in the shuffle, providing a structured approach to handling customer issues. The analytics offered by ticketing systems can help you identify bottlenecks in your support process and streamline it for greater efficiency.

Tools like Jira Service Management and Freshservice offer customizable ticketing workflows, automation, and analytics for efficient issue resolution. They allow you to tailor your support process to fit your business needs, making sure that no questions are left unaddressed. 

5. Social Media Management

It’s crucial to monitor and respond to customer inquiries on platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Answering customer questions on social media keeps your company visible and shows that you’re responsive. 

Social media management tools like Hootsuite and Sprout Social provide a centralized dashboard for tracking brand mentions, messages, and engagement metrics. They also have scheduling features that help you optimize your social media presence. These tools make it easier to stay on top of social customer support and engage with customers in real-time.

6. Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

Customer relationship management (CRM) tools are powerful softwares for managing customer interactions, tracking sales, and providing personalized support. They give you a comprehensive view of each customer’s journey, allowing your team to deliver tailored assistance. 

Leading CRMs like Salesforce and HubSpot integrate with other customer support tools, providing a unified view of customer interactions and making it easier to access data to make informed decisions. 

7. Email Support

Email remains a popular channel for customer inquiries, and email support tools like Freshworks and Help Scout streamline email communication. They offer features such as shared inboxes, email routing, canned responses, and performance analytics. Performance analytics can help you measure the effectiveness of your email support and identify areas for improvement.

8. Text Support

You need to offer customer support via text. Customers want immediate responses and texts allow your sales team to provide those immediate responses. Texting lets your sales team engage with customers, answer questions, and provide support immediately in real time.

Skipio is the most efficient and effective automated text marketing tool available. Store and segment your contacts within the software and send targeted messages to your leads and customers. With the many integrations available, you connect with new leads & build a community of dedicated customers. 

Sending personalized texts with Skipio to boost replies, increase meeting show rates, and grow revenue. Check out all of Skipio’s features to see how it best fits your business’s needs. 

9. Surveys and Feedback Tools

To gauge customer satisfaction and gather feedback, survey and feedback tools like SurveyMonkey and Typeform are indispensable. These platforms allow you to create and distribute surveys to collect insights about your products, services, and customer support experiences. Analyzing customer feedback helps you make data-driven improvements to your support processes.

10. Call Center Software

For businesses that provide phone support, call center software such as RingCentral and Talkdesk is essential. These tools provide features like call routing, call recording, and analytics to manage inbound and outbound calls effectively. Advanced call center software can also integrate with other customer support systems for a seamless experience.

RingCentral, for example, offers features like virtual call queues and real-time reporting, enabling efficient call handling and monitoring.

11. Chatbots and AI-Powered Solutions

AI-powered chatbots have revolutionized customer support by handling routine questions 24/7. These bots can quickly and efficiently assist customers, reducing response times and freeing up your support team for more complex issues. Chatbot solutions can be customized to match your brand’s tone and style, providing a personalized support experience for users.

In addition to the mentioned features, advanced chatbot solutions also offer natural language processing, allowing them to understand and respond to a wide range of customer questions.

Related: Customer Service Models: What You Need to Know

How to Select the Right Customer Support Tool

Choosing the right customer support tool or tools requires careful consideration of your business’s specific needs and objectives. Let’s explore a step-by-step process to help you make the right choice:

Step 1: Identify Your Needs

Start by understanding your customer support needs. What channels do you want to support (e.g., email, chat, text, phone)? Do you need a comprehensive CRM, or is a basic ticketing system enough? 

For instance, if your business deals with complex technical questions, a comprehensive CRM or advanced help desk software might be necessary. On the other hand, if you have a small customer base, a basic ticketing system would work. List your needs and requirements and prioritize them based on your business circumstances. 

Step 2: Consider Your Budget

Set a budget for your customer support tools. While some tools offer free plans, others have monthly or yearly subscription fees. Evaluate the cost against the features you need, and consider the potential return on investment. 

Step 3: Scalability

Consider the future growth of your business. Will the tool be able to scale with you? Make sure the tool can handle increased customer support demand as your business expands. Look for options that offer flexible pricing and scalability features.

Step 4: Prioritize Integration Capabilities

To enhance efficiency, look for tools that can integrate seamlessly with your existing systems. A seamless connection between your customer support software, CRM, and other platforms will save time and reduce the risk of errors by providing a unified view of customer interactions.

Step 5: Consider a User-Friendly Interface

A user-friendly interface is vital for your team’s productivity. Consider the learning curve of the tool and whether it has training resources. An intuitive, easy-to-navigate interface will help your support team adapt quickly and provide fast and efficient assistance to customers.

Step 6: Customer Support and Documentation

Examine the level of customer support provided by the tool’s vendor. Timely and effective customer support ensures you can resolve any issues or questions swiftly. Additionally, robust documentation, including user guides and video tutorials, can be a lifesaver for your team, helping them make the most of the tool’s capabilities.

Step 7: Read Feedback and Reviews

Take time to read reviews and gather feedback from businesses similar to yours. Real-world insights into a tool’s performance and any potential shortcomings can provide valuable guidance in your decision-making process. Look for reviews that highlight the tool’s strengths and any limitations that may affect your specific use case.

Step 8: Start a Free Trial

Most tools offer free trials, and it’s crucial to take advantage of this opportunity. Testing the tools with real-world scenarios allows you to assess their usability. You gain insights into its efficiency and ability to meet your requirements. This firsthand experience will help you gauge if it’s the right solution for your business. Involve your support team in the decision-making process and gather their feedback to help make the final decision.

Improve Your Support Process

By following these suggested steps and carefully selecting the right customer support tools, your businesses can significantly improve their support processes. This, in turn, leads to happier customers, reduced churn, increased referrals, higher conversions, and the creation of loyal brand advocates.