Customer Service

Artificial Integrity:  Trust, AI, and Customer Service
Customer ServiceArtificial Integrity: Trust, AI, and Customer Service

Every interaction with a customer is equally an opportunity to grow trust or a chance to destroy it. So we should be very thoughtful about the introduction of artificial intelligence into customer service scenarios beyond the most limited forms.

Using ChatGPT for Customer Service
Customer ServiceUsing ChatGPT for Customer Service

Could ChatGPT — or something like it, — be used to at least help answer customer service queries? How good is it and in what other ways could it be used in customer service situations?

How Distributed Customer Service Teams Improve Each Other’s Skills
Customer ServiceHow Distributed Customer Service Teams Improve Each Other’s Skills

More is caught than taught, they say. But when your colleagues are in different cities, or on different continents, it's harder to transmit knowledge. Here are some practical ways to bridge the gap.

7 Predictions for Customer Service and Support in 2023
Customer Service7 Predictions for Customer Service and Support in 2023

Here are 7 important trends that will affect your work in customer service and experience for 2023, from supply chain recovery to AI-driven productivity.

Removing customer service accents via AI: The wrong solution to a real problem
Customer ServiceRemoving customer service accents via AI: The wrong solution to a real problem

Sanas claim that their real-time “accent matching” improves understanding by 31% and customer satisfaction by 21%. What does it mean for customer service teams, and how should we think about it?

A Love Letter to Social Media Customer Service Pros
Customer ServiceA Love Letter to Social Media Customer Service Pros

Social media customer service is a skill of its own. Here's our love letter to the people doing the hard work, in public, every day.

Changing a Company Culture
Customer ServiceChanging a Company Culture

What can you do if your company's leadership are not interested in doing the work to become customer-centric and to truly value customer service? In our latest advice column, we offer some suggestions.

If Customer Service Were Really Superheroes
Customer ServiceIf Customer Service Were Really Superheroes

We don't need customer service heroes. We need customer-centric companies producing predictable service outcomes. But what if they really were heroes?

Guiding clients to email support instead of their account managers
Customer ServiceGuiding clients to email support instead of their account managers

Get answers to your most challenging career or leadership questions in Help Scout's customer service advice column by Mat Patterson.

Is Google's LaMDA sentient, and if so would it like a job?
Customer ServiceIs Google's LaMDA sentient, and if so would it like a job?

A Google engineer has been put on leave for breaching confidentiality policies. He claims to have worked with a sentient AI though professionals in the field are dubious. Whether or not this bot has truly experienced feelings it does raise some interesting questions.

03:48
Museum of Customer Support: Ancient Fast Food
Customer ServiceMuseum of Customer Support: Ancient Fast Food

This ancient Roman fast food outlet can teach us how to think clearly about our online customer service today.

Help Scout’s Conversation Corner on Experience This!
Customer ServiceHelp Scout’s Conversation Corner on Experience This!

Links, images, and further reading related to the Conversation Corner segment on the Experience This podcast in 2022.

Teaching Analytical Reading
Customer ServiceTeaching Analytical Reading

Advice on getting your customer service staff interested in writing more help documents and creating space for them to do so.

How to Change Your Team’s Behavior
Customer ServiceHow to Change Your Team’s Behavior

You've identified a change that would improve your support quality, but you’re having trouble persuading your team to change their behavior.

03:51
Museum of Customer Support: The First Shopping Cart
Customer ServiceMuseum of Customer Support: The First Shopping Cart

What can the first shopping cart teach us about implementing online self-service options today?

Measuring Customer Service Success More Broadly
Customer ServiceMeasuring Customer Service Success More Broadly

Get answers to your most challenging career or leadership questions in Help Scout's customer service advice column by Mat Patterson.

Encouraging Support Teams To Write Help Docs
Customer ServiceEncouraging Support Teams To Write Help Docs

Advice on getting your customer service staff interested in writing more help documents — and creating space for them to do so.

12 Predictions for Customer Service Trends in 2022
Customer Service12 Predictions for Customer Service Trends in 2022

A new year means new opportunities to create customer experiences. Here are our predictions for customer service trends in 2022.

Fast Food vs. Fine Dining in Customer Service
Customer ServiceFast Food vs. Fine Dining in Customer Service

What can customer service pros learn from Geraldine DeRuiter’s 'Bros., Lecce: We Eat at The Worst Michelin Starred Restaurant, Ever'?

Dealing With Abusive Customers
Customer ServiceDealing With Abusive Customers

Why let your human team be yelled at when you could hire a robot? Is AI the answer to customer service abuse, or is there another way?

06:27
Museum of Customer Support: The World's Oldest Complaint Letter
Customer ServiceMuseum of Customer Support: The World's Oldest Complaint Letter

In 1750 B.C., a disgruntled customer complained about a bad batch of ingots. Hear his complaint and theoretical apology.

Writing Your Own Customer Service Recipe Book
Customer ServiceWriting Your Own Customer Service Recipe Book

Understanding when to deviate from the recipe is how you develop your own style and grow your career as a customer service pro.

Terrifying Tales of Spooky Support
Customer ServiceTerrifying Tales of Spooky Support

The customer with sharp teeth, the disturbing silence of an empty inbox. Support stories to scare any customer service pro this Halloween.

Annual Planning as a New Customer Support Leader
Customer ServiceAnnual Planning as a New Customer Support Leader

Get answers to your most challenging career or leadership questions in Help Scout's customer service advice column by Mat Patterson.

Visit Sea Sat, the Customer Service Restaurant
Customer ServiceVisit Sea Sat, the Customer Service Restaurant

Some questions are more difficult, but that additional effort goes unnoticed outside the team. What if those costs were shared on a menu?

Why Customers Ask Vague Questions (and What To Do About It)
Customer ServiceWhy Customers Ask Vague Questions (and What To Do About It)

When customers don’t give you the details you need they aren’t being lazy. Here’s how to address the root cause of vague questions.

The Book That Changed My Customer Service Career
Customer ServiceThe Book That Changed My Customer Service Career

Why the 2010 customer service book Exceptional Service, Exceptional Profits by Micah Solomon and Leonardo Inghilerri made an impact on my career.

The Supportive: A Series for Service Professionals
Customer ServiceThe Supportive: A Series for Service Professionals

Here’s the type of content you can expect from the series The Supportive, Mathew Patterson's column for customer service professionals.

What Should I Include in My Cover Letter?
Customer ServiceWhat Should I Include in My Cover Letter?

Get answers to your most challenging career or leadership questions in Help Scout's customer service advice column by Mat Patterson.

Telling My Boss About My True Career Goals
Customer ServiceTelling My Boss About My True Career Goals

Get answers to your most challenging career or leadership questions in Help Scout's customer service advice column by Mat Patterson.

Being Pushed to Offer Service Level Agreements Too Soon
Customer ServiceBeing Pushed to Offer Service Level Agreements Too Soon

Get answers to your most challenging career or leadership questions in Help Scout's customer service advice column by Mat Patterson.

Balancing Soft-Skills With Technical Ability
Customer ServiceBalancing Soft-Skills With Technical Ability

Get answers to your most challenging career or leadership questions in Help Scout's customer service advice column by Mat Patterson.

Breaking Into SaaS Support
Customer ServiceBreaking Into SaaS Support

Get answers to your most challenging career or leadership questions in Help Scout's customer service advice column by Mat Patterson.

GPT-3 and AI in Customer Support
Customer ServiceGPT-3 and AI in Customer Support

GPT-3 has been making news recently, so it’s worth taking a look to understand what it is and how it might help with customer support.

The Best Role for a Second Customer Service Hire
Customer ServiceThe Best Role for a Second Customer Service Hire

Get answers to your most challenging career or leadership questions in Help Scout's customer service advice column by Mat Patterson.

Avoiding Cherry-Picking in the Support Queue
Customer ServiceAvoiding Cherry-Picking in the Support Queue

Get answers to your most challenging career or leadership questions in Help Scout's customer service advice column by Mat Patterson.

COVID-19's Impact on Customer Service Volumes
Customer ServiceCOVID-19's Impact on Customer Service Volumes

See which industries have had the biggest shifts in customer service volumes due to COVID-19, plus tips on managing surging and diminishing workloads.

AI, Curiosity, and the Future of Human Customer Service
Customer ServiceAI, Curiosity, and the Future of Human Customer Service

When AI can answer (some) customer questions, what is the role of humans in support? The answer is bringing human curiosity back into service.

What My Mechanic Taught Me About Customer Service
Customer ServiceWhat My Mechanic Taught Me About Customer Service

4 customer service lessons from a pro who treats people right, and keeps them coming back for decades.

5 People You Need On Your Customer Support Team
Customer Service5 People You Need On Your Customer Support Team

Providing the best customer service starts with the people you hire. These five personality types are essential on every customer support team.

Get started with Help Scout

Want to learn what Help Scout can do for you? See for yourself with a free trial — we'll happily extend you if you need more time.

Try for free