3 Key Differences Between Customer Support & Technical Support

No matter what industry your business is in, you’ll 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. You need to understand the difference between customer support and technical support if you want to provide the best service to your clients.

Keep reading to learn the main differences between customer support vs customer service that will help you provide the best experience every time.

1. 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, kind, and do everything they can to make a customer feel both 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 communication skills to be able 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 strong technical understanding and teaching ability to ensure customers get the help they need.

2. 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 a question about an outstanding order.

Technical support is typically only available to customers who specifically request it or are identified as truly needing 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 that they can’t solve on their own. They need the help of an experienced representative, not just a general customer service expert. That said, customer support agents may recommend or forward callers to the technical support division to further help the customer in question.

3. Focus or 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? They want clear solutions.

Technical support agents focus on resolving the customer’s problem as fast as they can. 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 make sure technical problems get resolved once and for all.

How to Succeed in Both Roles

The key to succeeding as a customer service support representative is making sure 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 be able to 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.

Is technical support an IT job? It can be. Some technical support agents work directly with customers, while others work with businesses. Regardless of who they’re assisting, technical support agents need to prioritize finding solutions to technical issues in each call.

Finding the Right People Can Be Tough

Finding the best candidates to take on both types of calls can be tough for business owners, even if you understand the difference between customer support and technical support roles. Instead of trying to find new team members, outsource your call center needs to ROI Solutions. Contact us for a free, no-obligation quote today.