Conversational support software, also known as conversational customer engagement software, offers an alternative approach to ticket-based customer service, using the customer and not the incident as the center of action. These solutions facilitate omnichannel customer service that recognizes individuals with an identity and a history, allowing companies to interact with customers through any channel at any time. Customer service teams use this type of software to engage with customers and prospects across multiple channels and offer a more personalized customer service experience. To accomplish this, conversational support software may include features such as proactive messaging, automatic customer lookup, skills-based routing, and customer self-service.
Conversational support software is distinct from help desk software because it does not separate the service process from other reasons for contact. It is used to both aid brands with customers that are yet to complete a purchase and to assist existing customers with questions and queries regarding already-purchased products and services. As a result, some conversational support products include features of conversational marketing software. By means of accurate, intelligent routing, successful use of these platforms will coordinate data from past conversations, metadata, sentiment, and customer data from existing CRM software and e-commerce platforms. Integrations with social media and AI can permit businesses to proactively contact customers based on behavior or triggers.
To qualify for inclusion in the Conversational Support category, a product must:
Apply a common and centralized structure to all customer interactions, service-related or otherwise
Provide a unified view of customer conversations across two or more channels (such as email, chat, SMS, messaging, or social media)
Route customer conversations via algorithmic, or AI-driven sorting, or both
Track customer profiles and conversation history across channels
Leverage advanced automation, AI, or chatbots to improve customer service experiences
