Welcome to the first app round-up for 2019. As you kickstart your new year, here are some of the latest apps in the Freshdesk Marketplace which you could help you enrich the customer support process for you, your agents and your customers!

Customers make decisions based on how easy companies make it to transact with them. From pre-purchase questions through payment and delivery of goods, your customers expect a seamless purchasing experience. That means your company must meet them on the channels they prefer, as well as move with customers from channel to channel.

Artificial intelligence used to only exist in science fiction films. That’s no longer the case. Today, brands are using it to improve efficiency and productivity in all areas of business. In fact, 55% of established companies have either started making investments in artificial intelligence or are planning to do so by 2020. These investments can come in many forms, but one of the most effective is in using artificial intelligence to power chatbots.

Thrun, who founded the famous Google car project and is the chairman of Udacity, is bang on. If you really think about it, all of AI is basically a march towards building machines which can behave, process, and think like humans (but of course, not replace them).

If you’re looking for ways to improve your company’s customer support, you’ve likely come across a solid amount of articles and lists that tell you the things your team should be doing. These kinds of tips can be an excellent starting point for putting together an effective support approach. But it’s equally important to have an idea of the strategies you’ll want to avoid.

Customer support is a make or break service for a business that differs by region. While 24/4 live chats and support phone numbers that connect to skilled agents and managers are the most direct ways to communicate with your audience, it helps to also practice proactive support techniques.

Unsatisfied customers are three times more likely1 to share their negative experiences than happy ones. There’s also the fact that unsatisfied customers tend to cost you. It can take up to 12 positive experiences to make up for just one unresolved negative one. Angry and frustrated customers can tarnish your brand’s name, while satisfied customers mean more great recommendations and reviews for your business.

On any given day, a startup owner might wear a dozen hats, taking on the role of a business analyst, marketer, human resources personnel, inventory clerk, warehouse manager, and customer service agent, among other things. With so many priorities competing for attention, it can be daunting to ensure your customers receive top-grade service without detracting from an already strained budget and timetable.

For many larger businesses, it can often be difficult to keep up with the flood of support tickets and customer issues that flood in – even with a powerful helpdesk. Often, the proposed solution is to hire more support staff to alleviate the extra work, but that’s not always a great solution. For instance, you’ll have to be able to afford the extra staff. That may not always be a possibility.

Growing a successful business requires a strong understanding of your target audience. Beyond knowing the basic demographic information of the ideal customer, marketers also need to be familiar with their needs, interests, and decision-making process. After all, earning loyal customers doesn’t just mean getting your brand in front of a specific group of people.