What is the difference between Customer service and Customer experience

Customer service and customer support are the two terms which are used in businesses a lot of the time. But infact these two terms are different and where customer service is one of the categories of customer experience.

While they are both essential to a positive brand image, they are different but co-dependent. The key to the difference between customer service and customer experience is time-relative.

They both have their role to play in the success of a business and their nuances make them different.

In the modern world of technology, the definitions of these two terms have changed. Today, they are not synonymous. And we are here to tell you the difference between customer service and customer experience, so you can excel at both!

What is customer service?

Customer service is the assistance, guidance, and support that a company offers to its customers prior to, during, and following a business transaction. Addressing problems, responding to inquiries, and providing solutions that improve the general customer experience, it guarantees customer pleasure.

A fundamental component of business success is providing excellent customer service, which is essential for fostering long-term connections with customers and for gaining their trust. It can be sent via phone, email, live chat, social media, and other means.

What is customer experience?

Customer experience (CX) is the whole of a customer’s opinions and feelings during their interactions with a company at different points of contact, such as while browsing, buying, and after-sale assistance.
It includes every aspect of the customer journey, such as interactions with services, convenience of use, and quality of the products. A company’s long-term success depends on providing its customers with a great experience because it will build repeat business, customer satisfaction, and brand loyalty.

What is the difference between customer experience and customer service?

Customer service and customer experience (CX) are two different but connected ideas. Customer service is the direct support that a company offers to its customers, usually in times of need, inquiry, or problem. It is problem-solving oriented, reactive, and frequently entails face-to-face communication via chat, email, or phone.

Customer experience, on the other hand, is more comprehensive and includes all of a customer’s interactions with a company, from first awareness until after a purchase.
It encompasses all touchpoints, including marketing, product quality, and website usability, and it forms a general perception of the brand. Customer experience (CX) encompasses more than just customer service; rather, it aims to create a smooth and good experience for the customer throughout their journey.

Singular vs holistic

The number of touchpoints and the length of the conversation is a big determinants in setting the two apart. Customer support is interaction-specific. It’s only affected by your team’s performance within a couple of touchpoints.

Whereas, in the case of customer experience, the scope of measurement is much larger. It takes into account the complete buyer journey into the picture. It holistically involves several teams in your company to ensure a happy CX.

Proactive vs reactive

Another key difference between customer service and customer experience is their nature of initiation. Customer service is usually reactive, which means you react when the user reaches out. You respond to a query, a complaint, a feedback, or a suggestion from the user.

Now, good customer experiences are built for the modern user. Brands are who focus on redefining customer experiences take a proactive approach. This includes reading through the consumer behavior, narrowing down needs preemptively, and taking action before the user runs into a problem. Customer experiences help you build a holistic chain of several interactions that ensure your user is in the know at every turn.

Solitary vs continual

An isolated customer service interaction is one factor influencing the whole customer experience. Singular customer support interactions can be quantified using metrics like First contact resolution (FCR), Average Handling Time (AHT), Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT), etc. Customer experience, on the other hand, is not solitary and not defined by an independent event. As an ongoing event, customer experience is much harder to quantify. The interactions are scattered across the board, and their collective influence on your user is arbitrary. Your users keep coming back, and that keeps defining their experience with you. At one point, it might be sub-par, but with continuous efforts, it may enhance. It’s all related to the complete experience they’ve had with you at any given point in time.

Where should Businesses focus customer service vs customer experience?

Businesses should understand that customer experience and customer service are two unique but equally important goals when choosing which to prioritize.

Businesses that handle a high volume of customer queries, technical support requests, or post-purchase problems should prioritize providing excellent customer service. Having an attentive, competent support staff that can handle issues fast and effectively is essential. This keeps customers happy, particularly when anything goes wrong.

A more comprehensive strategy is needed for customer experience in order to create a favorable impression of the brand as a whole. This is essential for companies trying to improve their brand reputation and foster enduring loyalty.

Businesses should concentrate on delivering smooth, pleasurable experiences at every touchpoint, from follow-up correspondence and after-sale support to website navigation and purchasing procedures.

In the end, companies should find a balance by making investments in both first-rate customer service to guarantee prompt assistance and a comprehensive customer experience to guarantee enduring client loyalty and satisfaction.

While great customer service can assist solve problems when they do arise, a strong focus on CX can help prevent problems from occurring.

How can Chat360 Help your Business in enhancing Customer Service & Support

I think it’s pretty clear as to why they both matter to your brand. Given their differences, it’s hard to say both customer service and customer experience aren’t intertwined. Today, when users are spoilt for options, good service and experience are the only way to move forward.

For that to happen, it’s important to know that unification of user data and on-time delivery reign paramount. Conversational AI is capable of helping you render great customer service at individual touchpoints. And also, merge isolated interactions to ensure foolproof user experiences.

Chat360 helps you build your online presence at scale. Chat360’s AI powered bots can be used in customer service where they can respond to queries in seconds and solve customer queries.
Whereas, these AI powered bots can be used to assist users in terms of marketing and sales thus increasing your customer experience.

Whether it’s Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, or your website, your trained AI is on-call and ever-ready to attend to your customers. Want to give it a go? Schedule a free demo today!