E-Support

What Does E-Support Mean?

E-support is a general term for customer service and customer support activities that now take place over the Web or over digital systems, where they previously would have taken place on the phone or in person. The growth and evolution of the Internet has facilitated e-support, along with cloud models and other advancements that enhance the abilities of digital service centers.

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Techopedia Explains E-Support

Many companies are starting to adopt e-support services, partially for cost cutting. Although some experts estimate that moving to an e-services platform can decrease costs by 1000% or more for every customer interaction, that is not the only reason that companies are moving toward e-support models. Traditional problems with telephone support involve long wait times, labor-intensive models, and the challenge of handling emotional interactions. For many firms, e-support is a great way to mitigate some of these problems.

On the whole, companies are looking to improve e-support systems. One of the biggest limitations is the lack of personal interaction that the customer experiences. Many e-support services come in the form of a chat box on a webpage. It can be hard to convince someone that there is actually a “real person” responding, even if the e-support services are in real time. Also, those who are staffing the e-support service can be overwhelmed by excessively technical or in-depth questions. Companies will continue to work on making e-support more capable and comfortable for customers.

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Margaret Rouse

Margaret Rouse is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical, business audience. Over the past twenty years her explanations have appeared on TechTarget websites and she's been cited as an authority in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine and Discovery Magazine.Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages. If you have a suggestion for a new definition or how to improve a technical explanation, please email Margaret or contact her…