high-touch customer service

High-touch customer service is a category of contact center interaction that requires human interaction. High-touch customer service can be contrasted with low-touch customer service, which uses automated phone systems an online self-service portals to answer customer questions and process business transactions. Some contact centers train specific agents to deal with high-value customers and complex problems.

Consider the triage system for consumers in or software technical support. Simple, low-touch requests may be handled by low-touch communications, such as an online community FAQ section or a customer self-service portal, but complex issues may require the high-touch approach of a customer service agent who is well-trained in resolving these kinds of problems. While low-touch customer service often enlists FAQ sections or knowledge bases of articles with how-to answers, high-touch solutions almost always require the white-glove approach of human intervention and guidance from a customer service agent.