B2C vs B2B customer support: What’s the difference?

Faith Ocampo Published on June 14, 2016

businessman-looking-up-surrounded-by-coworkers

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to making customers happy. In delivering excellent customer service, you have to consider the type of your business and what clients expect from you.

B2B companies—businesses that provide products and services to other businesses—must adopt a customer strategy that’s different from that of firms that cater to consumers (B2C). This is because managing a clients’ problems often entails higher-priority responsibilities compared with individual customers. When B2B managers fail to assist their clients, they put on the line not only their revenues but also their business partnerships.

Most B2B firms thus prefer to have their own in-house team of agents to assist their clients. This way, they can keep a close eye on their performance. However, availing outsourcing services is also a viable option, as long as you can clearly communicate your expectations and requirements to your provider.

To deliver excellent customer service to your clients, keep in mind these key differences between B2B and B2C customer care.

  1. B2B companies have fewer customers.

    female call center agent with hanging phones

    B2B firms usually have tens to hundreds, or sometimes thousands, of clients, which is considerably smaller than the customer base of B2C companies. Although this is the case, however, every B2B transaction involves vast amounts of money. Therefore, each client is a vital business lifeline.

    From a customer care perspective, this highlights the need to ace every customer interaction. Remember that you’ll be speaking not to individual customers but to an organization that’s much like yours. Every mistake can be costly and can threaten your business partnerships.

     

  2. They encounter more complex issues.

    multitasking businesswoman using laptop

    Typically, the services that B2B companies provide are technical and highly specialized. It won’t be surprising to find that the first-call resolution rates of B2B customer support providers are much lower compared with B2C, because of the more complex issues in the B2B environment.

    Therefore, you must see to it that your agents can match the level of expertise of your clients. You may also want to use different call center metrics to measure your performance more accurately.

     

  3. They know their customers.

    smiling male customer service agent client in the back

    In the B2B marketplace, business-customers aren’t treated as consumers but more as business partners. Brands know who exactly their clients are, and most probably, they have interacted with them many times in the past. In contrast, B2C firms have only a vague idea about their customer, so it’s harder for them to personalize their services.

    This means that customers of B2B companies have higher expectations when it comes to the services they get. They expect agents to know who they are and what they might need.

     

  4. It’s harder to deal with recurring issues.

    landline phone on small grassy planets

    When you’re providing customer support to B2B firms, remember that you may get calls from multiple people who are part of the same organization. They’re using the same product, which means that they may be experiencing the same issues.

    For agents, this sounds like a lot of hard work, since they’ll be repeating the same information to different individuals. And because they may be from the same company, you need to ensure consistency. To make this easier, you should create an organized protocol on how to handle repeat issues being raised by members of the same company.

     

  5. Less social media, more email and phone.

    female customer service representative in a call using laptop

The clients of B2B companies are also businesses, which means that they mainly use the products or services they purchased for work. For them, therefore, social media is less relevant than it is for customers of B2C firms. Customer service providers that cater to B2B firms therefore should focus more on email and phone-based solutions. This way, they can reach customers more easily.

 

Faith is a digital media enthusiast aiming to become an active part of the tech world by sharing her insights. She likes to blog about everything digimarketing, technology, and social media.
Join us on facebook
Open Access BPO 6 days ago
Aside from the location advantage, the 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐮𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 in Southeast Asia because of these Filipino qualities:
• neutral accent;
• multilingual proficiency;
• dedicated work ethics;
• resilience and adaptability; and
• close affinity with Western cultures.

Read: https://buff.ly/47sGAKD

----------
Partner with a #CallCenter with strong #CustomerExperience expertise: OpenAccessBPO.com/get-started

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#CustomerSupport #CustomerService
#CustomerSatisfaction #CSat #CX
Open Access BPO 6 days ago
𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘆 is a valuable metric to determine the challenges your #CustomerSupport team will face.
It allows you to manage your team and distribute the workload accordingly, paving the way for an efficient operational output.

Read: https://buff.ly/3R0VCk2

----------
Effective employee and ops management ensure high #productivity for optimal 24/7 coverage.

So, only partner with an #outsourcing specialist with robust and foolproof ops strategies that will make your brand soar: OpenAccessBPO.com/get-started

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#CustomerExperience #CustomerService
Open Access BPO 7 days ago
Creating culturally diverse teams in #CallCenters is not just a moral imperative but a strategic advantage.

Here are 6 more compelling reasons for ensuring #CulturalDiversity in the workplace: https://buff.ly/3MYaCO6

----------
Choose an #outsourcing partner with diverse teams and cultures:
OpenAccessBPO.com/get-started

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#diversity #inclusitivity
Open Access BPO 7 days ago
This expansion is a strategic move that signifies a major milestone in 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗕𝗣𝗢's continuous growth and dedication to serving its expanding international clientele.

It enhances the company's capacity to manage additional programs, grow its teams, and create job opportunities for Davao-based

more via KRON 4 News
https://buff.ly/3sVKUD7
Open Access BPO 8 days ago
𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐥𝐠𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐦-𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 #𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬.

It's humans vs algorithm in this blog post! Read all about it now: https://buff.ly/3uybgeN

----------
Outsource content moderation and other business or knowledge process needs: buff.ly/3sJxKJl

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
Open Access BPO 8 days ago
#CallCenter Team Leaders drive progress and ensure exceptional #CustomerExperience.

Want to unlock the secrets to becoming an extraordinary leader for your team?

Here are the 5 biggest enemies of great leadership, along with a few tips on how to be a good leader: https://buff.ly/3G7P2Dc

----------
Partner with Open Access BPO. We have great call center agents and team leaders to guarantee your brand's growth: https://buff.ly/47MoEKX

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
Open Access BPO