Since 2017 is now out of the picture, what can individuals expect customer service to be in 2018? This question is no longer new. Though the shift in customer service trends occurs gradually, through keeping an eye on what’s changing and what stays the same, your business will surely be up to date on the recent development in the industry.
The following are five customer service trends to look out for in 2018 that can help you stay ahead of the competition:

1: CHATBOTS
Chatbots will not completely replace humans but artificial intelligence will become an increasingly popular trend. Artificial intelligence has significantly found its way to social media messaging, live chat and knowledge base systems. Businesses will actually continue to take on advanced and high-performing bots which get smarter with every interaction and can help customers with simple concerns and inquiries.

2: SOCIAL MEDIA INTEGRATION
Many businesses have spent many years trying to engage their valued clients on social media, and now, customers want to engage back. According to statistics, about 63% of businesses provide customer service support through social media – this number will continue to rise in 2018.

3: SELF-SERVICE SOLUTIONS
This year, self-service solutions will turn out to be stronger. One more reason why many businesses invest in customer service technology is due to customer response and demands for self-service solutions. These solutions are now included automatically in the various customer service softwares available in the market currently.
The factor that makes this self-service a trend this year is that it allows businesses to create a more personalized self-service experience for all their customers.

4: MOBILE CUSTOMER SUPPORT
Another customer service trend to look out for in 2018 is mobile customer support and live chat. This trend will continue to become more popular and will essentially change the way how customer service is delivered to clients.
Mobile customer support is far better than traditional support and this is well-versed when it comes to other offerings. Mobile customer support allows you to initiate chat sessions with customers on mobile and is more convenient than other options.

5: SOFTWARE INTEGRATION
Facilitating communication between systems via integration is also another customer service trend. Amount of information can now be shared between systems in real-time making it easier for more and more integrations.

The above mentioned trends are expected to rise in 2018 and embracing these customer service trends will help your business gain some competitive edge.