When people think of “customer service” sometimes they think of call centers. Sometimes they think of the people they get on the chat with when their internet or credit card stops working. Maybe they think about being at an automated machine that’s not working and calling the hotline number they found on the peeling sticker on the machine.

At the end of every year, managers and executives alike need to look into the future to plan their next steps. What new technology do you need to budget for? What are customers asking for now? What new skills do your agents need to develop – or do you need to hire for? The top trends in customer support can help illuminate a path forward.

We have found time to squeeze in yet another feature release before the end of a very successful year. Read receipts are now available on all platforms and devices!

When it comes down to it, each employee at your company is working towards the same overarching goal: to serve your customers. However, because the roles they play in reaching that goal are extremely different, it’s easy for individual teams to feel disconnected from one another. This isn’t ideal.

Freshworks had a rocking year in 2018, and we are taking a moment to look back at what happened in a year that was filled with so much activity. There were product launches: Freshconnect and Freshping came alive this year, to much fanfare and excitement. Freshconnect is going to play a crucial role in our Freshworks 360 platform, and Freshping will help organisations prove their credibility to their customers free of cost.

A community forum is one part of a self-service portal where customers can interact with each other, as well as your team, and it’s the perfect place to allow your user community to take shape. Customers can ask questions and get answers quickly from other community members, or search for older posts to find previous answers or workarounds to their current question.