What is Digital Customer Service? A Complete Guide

Digital customer service helps businesses offer multiple ways for customers to reach them – and these days, businesses can’t afford to not provide it. In today's fast-paced world, customers increasingly prefer engaging with businesses in other ways besides picking up the phone; our research found that 57% of customers prefer using digital customer service channels.

Unlike traditional phone-based support, which often involves long wait times and complex IVR systems, digital channels offer speed and convenience that align with modern customer preferences. Digital customer service not only enhances the customer service experience but also brings significant operational benefits to contact centers.

Digital customer service refers to the use of digital channels and technologies to provide support and assistance to customers.

Unlike traditional phone-based support, digital customer service uses channels like live chat, SMS, email, and self-service portals to offer quick, convenient, and personalized interactions. This approach not only caters to modern customer preferences but also brings significant operational benefits, such as improved agent productivity, reduced costs, and enhanced customer satisfaction.

By meeting customers where they are and providing seamless, efficient support, digital customer service has become a cornerstone of modern business operations.

Digital customer service is important because it allows customers to get the help they need whenever and wherever they need it. According to our research, 74% of customers expect to be able to do anything online that they can do in-person or by phone. On average, consumers engage with companies across eight different channels, choosing the channel based on their context and activity. A staggering 71% of customers prefer different channels depending on where they are and what they’re doing.

Digital customer service also improves overall efficiency for businesses. Digital channels can handle a high volume of customer inquiries simultaneously, reducing wait times.

And with AI tools like autonomous AI agents that can answer questions, resolve issues, and take action 24/7, service reps have more time to focus on more high-value, complex issues that require the empathy and nuance of a human. Salesforce Agentforce Service Agent is an example of an AI tool that can engage with customers across channels using conversational language, deliver trusted answers that are firmly grounded in your organization's data, and hand off cases seamlessly to service reps.

Some key benefits that digital customer service can bring to companies include:

Improved agent productivity

Unlike phone calls, where agents can only handle one interaction at a time, digital channels enable agents to juggle multiple conversations concurrently. This multitasking capability significantly boosts agent productivity.

Reduced operational costs

One of the key advantages of digital channels is their cost-effectiveness. Implementing digital channels reduces the overall cost-to-serve by allowing agents to handle multiple conversations simultaneously. This increased efficiency helps businesses manage more cases with fewer resources. Additionally, using autonomous AI agents for common queries can further scale service while reducing the workload of human agents, enabling them to focus on more complex issues.

Increased customer satisfaction

Customers prefer digital channels due to their immediacy and convenience. Fast response times and always-on availability contribute to higher customer satisfaction compared to other channels. Digital channels also facilitate more personalized customer experiences. Agents can use customer data and conversation histories to tailor interactions to individual needs and preferences, creating a more effective experience and fostering increased customer loyalty.

Some specific instances of digital customer service in action include:

• Your customers get suggestions and help from autonomous agents. Agentforce for Service is an example that can deliver relevant information to customers in a conversational way, whenever they need it. Cases are resolved swiftly and accurately because every answer is grounded in trusted, secure data.
• A customer wants to find answers and troubleshoot issues themselves. A self-service portal or help center lets them access all of this information without requiring direct assistance from a service rep.
• Your customer sends a message via your website’s live chat feature. Live chat allows for real-time support, ensuring your customers get their issues and questions resolved immediately.

So how can you get started with digital customer service? Consider the following best practices:

Meet customers where they are

Prioritize the channels your customers are already using and focus your implementation efforts on their preferred channels. Channel preferences vary widely depending on geography and demographics, so your choice will depend on where you do business and the profile of your customer.

Develop your channel strategy

Identify the top contact drivers or reasons why your customers reach out to support. Determine which interactions will be most effective in which channel. Then, develop strategies to guide customers to the right channels that require the lowest customer effort and provide the most efficient resolution.

Integrate contact center channels with your CRM

Integrating your contact center channels with your CRM data provides a comprehensive view of your customers across every interaction. This ensures that agents have all the necessary information and conversation history to deliver personalized and effective service.

With Service Cloud Digital Engagement, for example, you can eliminate channel and data silos. This enables customers to seamlessly transition between channels without losing context to get on the fastest path to resolution.

Because you want to meet customers where they are, no matter how they prefer to get in contact, it’s important you seek digital customer service software with omnichannel support. An omnichannel contact center, for example, lets customers connect through voice, email, chat, SMS, and more.

With Service Cloud’s omnichannel customer engagement platform, your agents have immediate access to the same centralized view of the customer they’re going to help — no matter how they contact you.

Digital customer service isn’t just a trend – it’s a necessity in today's business landscape. By using digital channels, businesses can improve agent productivity, reduce operational costs, and increase satisfaction so your customers will buy again and again.