Support Channel Mix

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What is support channel mix

Support channel mix tracks the proportion of customer support requests received through various communication channels like email, chat, phone, and social media.

Impact of support channel mix in customer support

Understanding channel mix helps optimize staffing, technology, and experience. Each channel has different expectations—chat is fast but resource-efficient, phone is personal but costlier. The mix also reveals customer preferences and how well you're meeting them.

Formula + Example/Use Case

Formula:
Tickets per channel ÷ Total tickets × 100 (calculated for each channel)

Example:
If out of 1,000 tickets, 600 came via chat, 300 by email, and 100 by phone, your mix is: Chat = 60%, Email = 30%, Phone = 10%. A rising phone share might indicate complex issues not solvable via chat.

What affects support channel mix

Customer demographics: Older users may prefer email or phone, younger ones prefer chat.
Channel availability: If chat is disabled during off-hours, users switch to email.
Onboarding communication: What you promote influences what customers use.
Issue urgency: Urgent issues gravitate toward live channels like chat or phone.

How to manage support channel mix effectively

Optimize underused channels: Improve UI/UX and agent workflows to boost adoption.
Ensure consistent experience: CSAT shouldn't drop on certain channels—train accordingly.
Guide users to best-fit channels: Use banners, prompts, or chat triggers to route them.

Benefits of managing support channel mix effectively