B2B Customer Support: Why it matters and the best practices

For many years, modern and personalized customer experiences based on cutting-edge technology have dominated the business-to-consumer (B2C) sector. However, in the business-to-business (B2B) industry, outstanding customer experiences are becoming more important than ever. Many organizations are developing user interfaces that resemble the personalized experiences found in the B2C market. But what about the B2B customer support? Are the two comparable?

Providing good customer service is a great practice to attract new clients and it helps with retention. It is also a key aspect that sets you apart from your competitors. If your competitors are offering similar prices and items, outstanding customer service can help you stand out from the crowd. From this perspective, yes, B2C and B2B customer support strategies and practices are very similar in their nature.

Maybe the most obvious thing of all this is that B2B customers can be more demanding than those in other industries. You need to pay attention to the details of your target group to meet their expectations, just as you would in the B2C sector. In this blog post, we’ll delve into what makes the two different than each other and the best practices when it comes to B2B customer support.

Customer service needs for B2C and B2B customers are different.

It makes a big difference whether your company caters to corporations or individuals when it comes to customer service. We’ll look at the differences between B2C and B2B customer service to get a better view of how to provide the best customer service to your customer base.

According to The Tempkin Group’s research on B2C and B2B experiences, 86 percent of individuals who have a positive customer experience are more inclined to return to your services. However, only 13% of customers who had a poor customer experience will return, according to the report. Additionally, according to Rosetta, satisfied customers will buy 50 percent more frequently and spend 200 percent more annually. That presents you with more opportunities to upsell.

1. The volume of support requests

In all sectors, the proportion of active consulting with consumers varies significantly. It is more vital to give more active, intense, and tailored consulting to B2B contacts, for a variety of reasons. In B2C customer service, however, the ability to serve large groups of individuals and provide them with a comprehensive self-service offering is increasingly important.

2. Adapting to a variety of roles

There’s a fundamental distinction between B2C and B2B customer service. B2C representatives deal with a single person, whereas B2B representatives sometimes connect with more than one individual inside a single business. Each person the agent communicates plays a specific role in the firm and has specific needs that must be met. To deliver excellent customer service to a B2B company, you’ll need to consider each individual involved in the decision-making process.

3. Relationships with customers

Strong customer relationships are a priority in B2B customer support. Its goal is to establish a personal relationship with a corporate client, as well as to learn their motivations and concerns. It is standard practice for customer success managers at some organizations to reach out to specific potential clients ahead of time. And the ultimate purpose of this conversation is to figure out if you’re a good fit for each other and if the solution can meet the client’s business requirements.

Best B2B customer support practices

Make yourself available to your customers.

Customer service is all about the customer. This is why it is critical for them to know that they can contact you if they have a need, a question, or an issue. Customers should be able to contact a sales representative in a variety of ways: Email, phone, and even social media can be included in these channels. Find out what your client’s preferred way of contact is and work on improving it so that it is simple for them to reach out to you.

Although being available 24 hours a day isn’t always feasible, make sure you answer as fast as possible to any consumer inquiries. If a point of contact will be unmanned at a certain time, set up automated responses to take over when an agent is unavailable. Link to your FAQ page or mention it in automated messages if you have one. This allows the customer to consult the documentation while waiting for a more detailed response. It’s highly likely that the customer will find the answers to their questions under the FAQ section. Despite the convenience of automation and technology, it is crucial that you maintain contact with clients, even if it is simply to inform them that their query has been answered.

Provide customers with omnichannel support

Keep in mind that B2B consumers want useful answers, not quick but unsatisfying responses. When it comes to communication strategies, people have different preferences. Make sure to provide a variety of options so that everyone is happy with your company’s support. Calls and e-mails are the most common and popular channels in the B2B world. Younger professionals, on the other hand, may opt to get advice via a chatbot or self-service.

The importance of self-service

Allow clients who want to hunt for answers on their own to use self-service. You always have the option to utilize a chatbot as an index of a collection of articles, tutorials, and videos. Traditional FAQ pages may not be as intuitive or interesting as conversational FAQs. Don’t forget to tell your customers that, even if you’ve prepared self-service resources, your team should still be available to talk about any issues.

B2B customer support might seem like a daunting task, but you don’t need to shoulder all the burden yourself. This is where Desk360 comes in. With Desk360, you can set up chatbots for your clients, create FAQ pages and expand your knowledge base, and much, much more. To delight your B2B partners with your superb support, check out Desk360’s support solutions today.