Call center customer service is typically done via inbound calls or chat sessions. Typical customer service requests include bill inquiry, trouble ticket management, simple disputes and adjustments, changing contact information, and technical support.

Case management is a broad term that can include issue management, trouble ticket management, exception or approval management, and dispute management. It is simply a mechanism for creating, managing, and completing requests initiated by or on behalf of a customer.

Case management allows cases to be captured and distributed to the right individual or team for resolution while providing visibility of its ongoing status. There is typically a complete audit trail to document what was done, when, and by whom. Effective case management provides an excellent opportunity to take a potential negative with a customer and turn it into a positive.

Another core component of the modern customer service environment is knowledge management. CRM and knowledge management were once considered entirely different disciplines, with the two areas sharing little in common but perhaps the same data warehouse hardware and a vague understanding that both efforts were meant to improve business efficiency and customer satisfaction. It has become clear, however, that the two disciplines were really working toward the same goal, and to deliver continuous improvement to business clients, they would have to start speaking the same language. Thus CRM, knowledge management, and data search-and-retrieval solutions are converging – out of necessity and out of customer demand.

Knowledge management focuses largely on finding the right solution to a problem that requires detailed insight, be it locating the right expert at the right time or ensuring that the solution to a complex problem can be written once but reused many times. It is not difficult to understand why that capability is of great interest to CRM strategists. Industry estimates suggest that upwards of three-quarters of variable support costs come from the time and energy put into the resolution of customer support inquiries, rather than routing and post-call management.

Better knowledge management and CRM integration can help companies navigate complex support problems more easily. Many manufacturers, such as computer companies, sell a single product that may incorporate dozens or even hundreds of other components. Being able to cross-reference the entire collected library for technical support and conflict resolution can make the difference between first-call resolution and a lingering headache.

Customer success is emerging as a key enabler of differentiation for forward-thinking enterprise clients. The evolution of reactive customer service to proactive customer success is one of the most profound changes that is impacting the enterprise space.

Call center agents are often able to manage inbound requests for payment or to handle disputes that may lead to credit adjustments to the customer’s balance. For payments, this could be receipt of one-off payments, changing the method of payment (for example from credit card to check), or simply updating credit card information.

Adjustments are changes to the customer’s accounts receivable or balance. Adjustments that are in the customer’s favor, end up being a credit to the accounts receivables, hence are called credit adjustments, or simply credits. Credit memo is another term that is used.

An adjustment that is made which is not in the customer’s favor and adds to their balance is called a debit adjustment. Although rare, it can be used to correct erroneous bills or to handle other things – a penalty for not sending a set-top box back, for example. Some enterprise clients have a concept of a dispute, which is simply a higher order object that opens a case which will be investigated but could lead to a credit adjustment.