What is customer service?

Customer service spans the whole gamut from very low touch approaches (such as the self-help knowledge base portals commonly associated with self-service SaaS-based businesses) to very high touch approaches (in which there is a dedicated client manager who interfaces with customers for any and every issue and concern).

It is a frequently overlooked function because it is so far down the path for startups, however in order to deliver an excellent holistic customer experience where each encounter between the customer and the startup's products or services is pleasant, it is vitally important to think about how customer service might be delivered, so the startup can build out its staffing plans, vendor partnership negotiations and operating expenses correctly to plan for success.