4 Customer service models for 2021 that help you and your clients be successful

Considering your company’s current customer base, will serving everyone the same way or offering the same channels help them to achieve the desired results?

More specifically, with regard to the different phases and needs of your consumers, there are 4 different customer service models.

The customer service models are part of the Customer Success strategy and are essential in helping your customers achieve the expected level of success with the products and/or services they purchase from your company.

It is worth remembering that customer satisfaction is a way to increase your company’s retention rates, reduce the churn rate, improve the image of your brand and, as a result, sell more.

Find out which customer service models are focused on customer success and when to use each one.

The 4 customer service models

The notion of Customer Success basically has two main challenges: making sure that the customer achieves the expected results regarding their purchase and keeping them with the company.

Maintaining interaction with the customer is one of the ways to achieve these goals. Therefore, depending on the product or service, calls, face-to-face meetings and other approaches are necessary.

However, direct and frequent human contact is not always necessary to ensure customer success.

For example, depending on the stage of the purchase process that the consumer is in, providing different service channels may already be enough to help them on their journey.

In other cases, however, the customers may only achieve their goals if they have more timely and active contact with the professionals at your company.

With these possibilities in mind, which customer service models can be applied to generate more results for your audience and your business?

Tech-touch, Low-touch, Mid-touch and High-touch are the options. 

Tech-touch

As the name suggests, this type of service does not involve human contact and relies 100% on technology in order to handle customer interactions.

With Tech-touch, automation is essential for establishing communication, so tools such as email, SMS, WhatsApp etc. are used.

Tech-touch is indicated for services that do not require human intervention, or which only require humanised contact in very specific situations.

Consequently, this customer service model is also used for scalable actions aimed at reaching and serving a high number of customers simultaneously.

Low-touch

The second in the list of customer service models is the Low-touch, which implements a little more human interaction than the previous one.

In this case, the agent’s interaction complements the service provided by the automation tools.

In general, Low-touch is indicated for situations in which customers are able to use remote service channels by themselves to resolve their issues. However, it also allows for easy access to human assistance if necessary.

Mid-touch

Mid-touch differs from the previous customer service models in that it relies on more expressive human contact.

This type of service is characterized by a lower volume of automation and more service from an agent.

In the context of Customer Success, it is very common for Mid-touch interactions to be predicted. For example, this approach can be used for periodic meetings with customers to check on engagement, points for improvement etc.

High-touch 

The last one on the list of customer service models is High-touch, which, as you may have guessed, involves the highest amount of human contact.

With High-touch, customer interactions with automation systems are greatly reduced, prioritising direct conversations with professionals – many even in person.

And it is precisely because it requires more attention and availability from the Customer Success Manager that the number of customers under their responsibility is usually reduced.

Additionally, this type of service is indicated for more complex processes of a high value which require a closer customer-company relationship and more of an advisory position.

Choosing between customer service models

But which of the 4 customer service models is the most suitable for your company? Well, it depends!

To answer this question, it is essential to first bear in mind that the objective of Customer Success is exactly what the name suggests, that is, to ensure that the customer achieves the expected success with the product or service offered by your company.

With that in mind, it is easier to understand how the customer service model used has a direct impact on the results, don’t you agree?

Thus, a good way to choose which type of interaction to use is:

• Assess the customers’ profile

• Identify the objectives they wish to achieve with the solutions offered by your company

• Analyse what stage of the consumer journey they are in and check if they require more or less attention from professionals

• Take into consideration the staff available at your company, as well as the service tools at your disposal.

In addition to these points, it is also very important to consider the level of complexity of your product or service, as well as the average ticket. After all, the bigger they are, the more they will require close and personal customer service.

Additionally, it is important to know that you don’t have to use just one of the customer service models.

According to the survey, 1 in 3 companies mix the types of services, with the most used being:

• High-touch + Low-touch + Tech-touch (14%)

• High-touch + Low-touch (12%)

Now that you know more about customer service models and when to apply each one, how about taking a look at some of the customer success trends in 2021?