The B2B guide to different types of customer support

Today’s B2B customers want the option to talk with your support team wherever they prefer, from email and chat to Slack and Discord. They expect fast, reliable support across all those channels. It can be a challenge to make that happen, but it’s worth the effort — when you offer top-tier support, you increase customer satisfaction and trust.

Let’s look at the main types of customer support, and talk about how to choose the right channels and manage them all in one place.

3 traditional types of customer support

Newer tech is transforming customer support, but historically, B2B and B2C customers relied on in-person, phone, and email support. 

1. In-person support

In-person customer support is most common when you offer physical products that need servicing. For example, if you sell hardware or products for field operations, your team might need to visit customers’ workplaces to help.

B2B SaaS companies use in-person support more rarely, but this channel can still be relevant for complex products or high-value customers. You could offer in-person onboarding and training, or visit important customers to give personalized help.

Face-to-face customer contact is a great way to develop trust and build long-term relationships. It can be easier to avoid misunderstandings and make time for questions when you talk in person. But this is the least convenient and most time-intensive support option for most B2B companies, so it’s best used sparingly.

2. Phone support

Phone support is most common in B2C or B2B2C support. It offers some of the same benefits as in-person meetings, but is more practical to offer at large scale. Phone support can be labor-intensive — customers don’t want to be kept on hold, so teams need enough staff to cover busy periods.

That’s why most B2B companies prefer to use customer support software and handle most interactions online, with phone support as a backup option for complex issues and specific customers who need that channel.

3. Email support

Email works well when customers want to write out detailed explanations and ask complicated questions, and your customer support team can reply with similar detail. This makes email a good fit for multi-part questions and troubleshooting that relies on shared attachments and links. And because it’s a slower medium, email is best for non-urgent messages.

To keep email support manageable, don’t send all customer requests into the same general inbox. Instead, automatically route emails to support software so your team can organize and track everything.

5 modern and AI-driven support channels

Digital and AI-driven customer support channels help support teams work smarter and handle larger ticket volumes. Here are five modern support options.

1. Messaging platforms

Most B2B customers already use messaging platforms like Slack and Microsoft Teams in their day-to-day work, so if you offer support through those channels, you make it easier for them to get help. Messaging platforms require less context-switching for accounts and help you offer a smooth customer experience.

These tools are also great for informal interactions, so they’re helpful for customers who have quick questions and need fast answers. Just be sure to keep these conversations organized so your team can reply quickly — you could use a dedicated Slack channel for each customer and track conversations in your support platform.

2. Live chat

When customers need instant help, they tend to reach out through live, in-app chat. Customers ask their questions in a chat widget embedded on your website or app, and your team can track those messages right away in your support platform. Live chat is a good way to engage customers in conversation and make connections, because it feels more natural and informal.

Like phone support, you typically need a well-staffed team to keep up with live chat volume. But you can use automation and AI to help. For example, with Pylon’s chat widget, you can set up automated routing and AI agents to deflect simple tickets.

3. Chatbots

On the customer’s end, support chatbots are similar to live chat, but the answers come from programmed software instead of your team. Chatbots can be a useful way to give customers instant answers to simple questions and point them in the right direction — to knowledge base articles or documentation. And because chatbots are an automated form of support, customers can use them 24/7.

But chatbots are limited in scope, and typically better suited for high-volume B2C service. Teams have to program in each possible question and reply, so they struggle with complex or unexpected messages. Don’t rely on chatbots as a standalone solution; instead, use them like an FAQ to answer the simplest and most common customer issues.

4. AI agents

AI agents work like supercharged chatbots. They also function similar to live chat and answer questions on their own, but they use conversational AI to understand customer needs and fix problems. They can hold more natural conversations, learn over time, and take actions like resetting passwords and troubleshooting technical issues.

AI agents take a lot of pressure off your support team. These agents can manage easy interactions 24/7, and hand over whatever they can’t solve with context already attached. 

5. Self-service resources

Self-service options help customers solve problems on their own. A knowledge base is a good example, since it lets customers search for info about your product 24/7. Lots of customers run into the same issues, so self-service is a good way to answer common questions once and make the answers accessible to everyone.

How to choose the right support channels

Consider these factors when choosing your support channel toolkit: 

• Industry standards. Think about what support channels are best suited to the kinds of questions your customers have, and look at competitors to see what they offer.
• Customer needs. Use surveys to ask customers which channels they prefer, and let their preferences guide your decisions where possible.
• Budget and team size. If you have a generous budget, you can invest in a large support team that offers personalized help. When your budget or headcount are limited, automated solutions can help you scale.
• Scalability. If your company grows fast, you need a support solution that will expand with you and is easy to integrate with more channels and tools.

Build a complete customer support solution with Pylon

You don’t have to use every possible support channel — you can offer a great experience with a few relevant options.

For the best results, use an omnichannel support tool that brings tickets and messages from all channels together. This setup helps your team manage high volumes and offer consistent, quality support every time.

Pylon is the modern B2B support platform that offers true omnichannel support across Slack, Teams, email, chat, ticket forms, and more. Our AI Agents and Assistants automate busywork and reduce response times. Plus, with Account Intelligence that unifies scattered customer signals to calculate health scores and identify churn risk, we're built for customer success at scale.

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FAQ

What are the different types of customer support? 

Support includes phone, email, live chat, and messaging like Slack or Teams. Self-service options like FAQs and community forums also help customers find support answers. 

What are the different levels of customer support? 

Support is typically tiered from Level 0 (self-service) to Level 3 (high-level technical experts). This structure ensures complex issues reach the right specialists. 

What type of customer support should you choose? 

Choose a mix based on your audience's preferences and budget. High-touch businesses benefit from live chat or messaging over Slack, while smaller startups often prioritize self-service. 

What are the most important customer support skills? 

Key skills include active listening, empathy, clear communication, and patience. Problem-solving and technical knowledge are also important for effective resolution.