B2B customer service: What it is and how to do it right in the AI era

What is B2B customer service?

B2B (business-to-business) customer service is the assistance or guidance a business provides to another business using its products or services. The goal is to build trust in your company and its offerings, helping clients to succeed so you can retain them long-term.

B2B customer service can involve answering client questions, troubleshooting issues, and providing resources to help businesses achieve their broader goals and maximize their investments. Increasingly, this happens through AI-powered tools, which create new levels of efficiency for service teams. AI also enables teams to deliver proactive support, detecting and addressing issues before they escalate to reduce churn and provide a superior customer experience (CX).

This guide walks you through B2B customer service in 2025, including what it is, why it’s important, and the growing role of AI in B2B customer service. 

Specifically, you’ll learn:

• Why is B2B customer service important?

• B2B vs. B2C customer service: Key differences

• The role of AI and technology in B2B customer service

• Best practices for B2B customer service

• The 5 best B2B customer service tools

• B2B customer service examples

• The future of B2B customer service

Why is B2B customer service important?

B2B customer service is mission-critical to organizations because the success of each client relationship carries extraordinary weight. B2B companies typically have fewer customers than their B2B counterparts, so losing even one account can have an outsized impact. The stakes are further heightened by the nature of B2B products and services, which tend to be more complex, costly, and deeply embedded in a customer’s operations.

According to an Accenture report, over 90% of B2B leaders believe customer experience is the key to achieving their company’s goals. To protect and grow these valuable relationships, B2B companies must consistently deliver proactive, hands-on customer service that builds trust and strengthens partnerships over time.

Here are the key benefits of B2B customer service:

Customer experience (CX) is a competitive advantage

According to Gartner, 80% of B2B buyers say the experience a company provides is just as important as its products and services. When solutions are complex and switching costs are high, a positive CX builds trust and strengthens relationships, while poor CX leads to churn or reputational damage. This comes down to service quality.

Greater retention and renewals

In B2B, losing a single account can mean losing millions in recurring revenue. Strong service is what keeps clients from shopping around at renewal time. In fact, Deloitte reports that businesses spend 140% more with companies that provide positive experiences compared to negative ones.

Improved revenue and expansion opportunities

Satisfied B2B clients often expand usage across teams, regions, or business units. One SaaS industry study found that top-performing companies generate 60%+ of their monthly recurring revenue from expansion. Good service, like training or identifying new use cases, fuels this growth.

Reduced churn and business risk

Poor service in B2C might mean a bad review. In B2B, it can threaten contracts worth millions, disrupt operations, and tarnish reputations by word of mouth. Zendesk Benchmark Report data shows that 73% of customers switch to competitors after more than one bad service experience.

Enhanced trust and loyalty

Clients who feel supported are more likely to stay loyal and recommend you to their peers. Research shows 83% of customers are more loyal to companies that resolve complaints effectively, making quality customer service a direct driver of lifetime value.

B2B vs. B2C customer service: Key differences

In both types of support, you’re helping a customer using your products or services. However, the complexity and expectations for B2B customer service are much greater. Specifically:

Stakeholder complexity and decision-making

• B2C: Typically focused on solving one person’s needs quickly to ensure satisfaction, making speed and clarity the focus.

• B2B: Involves multiple stakeholders across functions (tech, finance, operations), each with different goals and concerns, and decisions may require consensus, approvals, assessments.

B2B example: A CRM vendor selling to a bank must satisfy IT on integration, finance on cost, and frontline staff on usability. This requires B2B service teams to coordinate across departments and adapt communication to each audience so every decision-maker feels heard and supported.

Complexity of issues and problem-solving

• B2C: Most requests are straightforward (returns, password resets) and can be resolved in a single interaction.
• B2B: Issues are often complex, involving technical integrations, large deployments, or compliance concerns that span multiple departments and require deeper expertise.

B2B example: A retailer deploying AI for B2B support may need help integrating APIs with ecommerce platforms, ensuring data security across payment systems, and training staff across regions—requiring tight coordination and advanced problem-solving.

Contracts, SLAs, and compliance needs

• B2C: Service level agreements (SLAs) are standardized if present at all, with low stakes if commitments are missed.
• B2B: Clients sign custom contracts with SLAs covering uptime, response times, and penalties. Many industries also impose strict compliance requirements with meaningful penalties.

B2B example: A cloud provider supporting its healthcare clients must maintain HIPAA compliance, data security, and provide audit-ready documentation, risking legal, operational, and reputational consequences if they fail.

Urgency and business impact

• B2C: Delays may frustrate customers but rarely disrupt daily life.
• B2B: Even a short period of service downtime can obstruct operations, reduce revenue, and erode trust, making an immediate response and escalation essential to a satisfactory outcome.

B2B example: If a large retailer loses access to its CRM, it risks missed deals, compliance failures, and weakened client relationships.

Technical integrations and onboarding

• B2C: Rarely requires outside help or complex coordination, making onboarding a simple and self-service process (e.g., download an app, create an account, start using).
• B2B: Often requires integrating new tools with existing systems, providing training across departments, and managing organizational change to ensure adoption.

B2B example: When a retailer implements an AI agent for customer service, IT must integrate it with existing platforms, store managers must adapt daily workflows, and executives need fluency with new dashboards to track performance and CX—all of which benefits from hands-on training and support.

Relationship depth and lifetime value

• B2C: Customer loyalty often hinges on price, convenience, or brand preference. A shopper makes a purchase, receives support if needed, and may or may not return for repeat business.
• B2B: By contrast, a single B2B account can last for years. Every customer service interaction, from onboarding to technical support to a quarterly review, can strengthen or weaken that long-term relationship, having a direct impact on its lifetime value.

B2B example: A retailer might partner with an AI agent platform for years, continually refining the agent with new training data, and evolving with customer expectations to offer new capabilities like voice AI agents with help from a dedicated account manager and service team.

The role of AI and technology in B2B customer service

Modern technology—especially AI—has become central to enhancing both the efficiency and quality of B2B customer service. This is critical because customer expectations are rising. According to a PwC study, 80% of B2B buyers want their experience to match the quality of B2C interactions, and 86% say they are willing to pay more for excellent service.

Traditional, ticket-only support models just can’t keep pace in a world where fast, personalized, and scalable service is the norm. So it’s no surprise that 56% of B2B customer service professionals see AI and automation as essential to their strategy.

Nor is it surprising that AI-driven solutions for customer service are fast-replacing traditional B2B support tools. These new tools offer greater capabilities in automation, personalization, and omnichannel data management—all of which translate into improved operational efficiency, reduced costs, and enhanced customer experience.

Here are six key ways AI is reshaping B2B customer service:

AI-powered predictive analytics and proactive alerts

By detecting problems early and surfacing the right recommendations, AI enables teams to act before dissatisfaction strikes and thus reduce churn. Research shows predictive personalization can drive up to 25% revenue growth and cut customer acquisition costs by as much as 50%.

Automation for routine workflows and ticketing

AI automation frees human agents from repetitive, high-volume tasks so they can focus on high-value interactions. This ensures urgent issues are prioritized and routine requests are resolved immediately for greater efficiency and CX. In fact, AI-enabled service teams save 45% of time spent on calls and resolve issues 44% faster.

Self-service portals and AI-driven knowledge bases

AI knowledge bases with documentation, tutorials, and FAQs give clients instant access to help, while also enabling AI support agents to surface the most relevant answers based on context and usage patterns, automating ticket resolution. A full 92% of surveyed consumers say they would use a knowledge base if available.

Client health scoring and churn prediction

By analyzing login patterns, feature usage, support interactions, and satisfaction scores, AI generates actionable client health scores. These help teams identify at-risk accounts early. ZapScale, for example, reports 94% accuracy in predicting churn with its AI models.

Integration with CRMs and ERP systems

Agentic AI integrates seamlessly with CRMs like Salesforce or ERP systems, creating a unified client view. With a complete profile at hand, support teams respond faster and more intelligently. Companies with a unified customer view see a 24% lift in customer satisfaction scores (CSAT) and a 21% boost in revenue growth.

Compliance monitoring and risk management

In regulated industries like healthcare or finance, client trust depends on compliance. AI support automation helps companies monitor regulatory requirements, generate audit-ready reports, and flag risks before they escalate. Over half of organizations (53%) report faster issue detection thanks to compliance automation.

Recap: AI is a strategic enabler in B2B

AI doesn't just handle routine queries like traditional automation—it strengthens long-term account health, reduces back-and-forth, and supports complex decision-making. As a result, most modern B2B support platforms now embed AI by default, reflecting its game-changing advantages over traditional, non-AI solutions.

AI agents for B2B support—which act autonomously on behalf of users without human intervention—are particularly helpful to support teams, as they can independently:

• Retrieve and surface technical or compliance documentation.

• Tailor responses for different stakeholders.

• Monitor account usage for risks like declining engagement.

• Escalate issues to customer success teams based on real-time context.

Capable of acting across business systems in pursuit of the goals set for them to automate various tasks—AI agents open the door to a new level of B2B service that's more proactive, efficient, and relationship-driven at scale.

Best practices for B2B customer service

By adopting proven best practices for B2B customer service, you can create an outstanding customer experience that drives retention and positions your company as a trusted long-term partner.

Personalize the experience

B2B clients bring multiple stakeholders and complex requirements, so a one-size-fits-all approach often leaves decision-makers unsupported. The best service adapts to each client’s business context, strategic goals, and compliance needs. In fact, 53% of B2B buyers say that personalization drives revenue growth, making tailored service not just a nice-to-have but a key growth driver.

Best practices for personalizing B2B customer service:

• Tailored onboarding and training: Address the needs of different departments with role-specific training and integration support so every team—from IT to operations—can adopt the product smoothly.

• Dedicated account management and success teams: Assign consistent points of contact who understand the client’s history, goals, and challenges, and who can anticipate needs before they arise.

• Client-specific dashboards and insights: Provide customized reporting that aligns with each stakeholder group’s priorities, from high-level ROI summaries for executives to detailed usage logs for technical teams.

• Industry expertise and compliance readiness: Demonstrate knowledge of the client’s sector, including regulatory frameworks and best practices, to build trust and ensure operational alignment.

Provide proactive service

Proactive B2B service means monitoring accounts, identifying risks, and engaging before issues escalate. Research shows that for B2B companies, proactive service reduces churn by 36% and increases revenue by 22%.

Best practices for proactive customer service:

• Use AI or analytics to flag accounts with declining usage or satisfaction scores.

• Schedule quarterly business reviews (QBRs) that include performance metrics, ROI, and forward-looking roadmap discussions.

• Share benchmark data so clients can see how they compare against peers.

• Provide training or resources when adoption lags appear.

• Deploy proactive AI customer service agents that can intervene in real time based on user behavior or system triggers.

Offer omnichannel support

Some B2B clients prefer fast answers through self-service, while others need direct contact for complex issues. If your support channels aren’t connected, you risk forcing customers to repeat themselves and creating frustrating handoffs. Reports confirm that omnichannel service boosts customer satisfaction scores (CSAT) to 67%, compared to just 28% for multichannel.

An effective omnichannel strategy gives clients multiple ways to get help, such as:

• Knowledge bases and self-service portals for quick answers to common questions.

• AI-powered chatbots and omnichannel AI agents that provide 24/7 coverage and escalate seamlessly to humans when needed.

• Email support for detailed inquiries and record-keeping.

• Phone and video support for urgent or complex issues that require live interaction.

• Integrated systems that connect every channel so context, history, and insights follow the customer from one interaction to the next.

Close the feedback loop with customer insights

It’s not enough to collect customer feedback. You have to act on it and show clients how their input leads to tangible improvements. In fact, 59% of consumers believe businesses should use the data they collect to personalize their experiences.

Examples of ways to close the feedback loop:

• Share updates when customer feedback directly influences product features or service improvements.

• Provide clients with personalized reports showing how their input has shaped roadmap priorities.

• Follow up after resolving a ticket to ask if the solution met expectations and note any additional concerns.

• Use AI analytics to surface common feedback themes and proactively communicate changes to clients.

Use modern technology to enhance service

AI and automation can scale support, personalize experiences, and predict risks before they impact clients. But technology without guardrails can erode confidence just as quickly as it creates value. To succeed, companies must pair cutting-edge tools with accountability and transparency.

Best practices for using technology in B2B customer service:

• Leverage AI agents and automation for routine questions, ticket routing, and proactive alerts, while escalating complex issues to human experts.

• Adopt predictive analytics to identify at-risk accounts and recommend interventions before churn occurs.

• Build trust into AI systems with frameworks like Sendbird’s Trust OS, which provides observability, governance, and oversight for safe deployment.

• Ensure seamless human–AI collaboration so clients experience fast responses without losing the empathy and expertise of human support.

• Communicate openly about AI use so clients know when they’re interacting with technology and can trust the information they receive.

Customize contracts and SLAs

Contracts and service level agreements (SLAs) set the tone for trust, accountability, and long-term partnership. A customized SLA provides clear performance benchmarks that hold both sides accountable, whereas a customized contract shows clients that their unique needs are understood, which builds confidence in the relationship. That confidence can translate into longer commitments. Data shows that companies with longer average contract terms have 30–50% lower churn rates.

Best practices for customizing contracts and SLAs:

• Tailor terms to the client’s priorities, such as response times, uptime guarantees, or dedicated support hours.

• Define measurable KPIs in the SLA so performance can be tracked and reported objectively.

• Include flexibility for growth, such as pricing models that scale with usage or additional support for expanding teams.

• Review and update SLAs regularly during renewals or QBRs to ensure they evolve with the client’s business needs.

• Use SLA performance as a trust-builder by sharing transparent reports and proactively addressing any missed targets.

Focus on after sale support

After-sale support is what helps clients expand adoption, realize ROI, and deepen their partnership with your business. Strong post-sale engagement also creates opportunities for growth. Research shows that 65% of a company’s business typically comes from existing customers.

Best practices for after-sale support:

• Guide rollout to new teams or regions, ensuring smooth adoption across the organization.

• Offer training and resources that help clients get more value from advanced features.

• Look for upsell and cross-sell opportunities that align with the client’s goals.

• Stay engaged with customer success check-ins to monitor usage and identify roadblocks early.

• Celebrate client milestones (e.g., hitting usage goals or compliance certifications) to reinforce the value of your partnership.

Invest in your team

Behind every successful B2B customer experience is a skilled, motivated service team. Even the best technology falls flat without people who are trained, supported, and empowered to deliver value.

Best practices for investing in your team:

• Provide ongoing training on industry standards, compliance, and new technologies.

• Equip teams with the right tools to manage accounts efficiently and collaborate across departments.

• Empower staff to make decisions that resolve client issues quickly without unnecessary escalation.

• Offer career development opportunities to retain top talent and reduce turnover in customer-facing roles.

• Encourage cross-functional knowledge sharing so every client interaction feels consistent and connected.

The 5 best B2B customer service tools

With the right tools, businesses can integrate AI, streamline workflows, and deliver a seamless experience across every channel. Here are five leading solutions worth considering.

Sendbird

Sendbird is an AI agent platform built for enterprises that need scalable, secure, and proactive customer service. With Sendbird, B2B customer service teams can deliver conversational support across every major channel, including in-app messaging, websites, SMS, WhatsApp, email, and proactive chat.

With the no-code AI agent builder, even non-technical service teams can create and train AI agents using their company’s knowledge base, support playbooks, and policies. That means AI agents are tailored to your workflows, industry requirements, and customer expectations.

Sendbird also makes it easy to balance automation with human support. AI agents can resolve routine inquiries instantly, then escalate complex issues to live agents with full context. A unified dashboard and detailed analytics give support teams complete visibility into agent interactions and performance.

Sendbird is also built on enterprise-grade communications infrastructure that already powers more than 300 million monthly active users. That scale comes with robust security, compliance, and reliability.

Combined with white-glove onboarding, professional services, and localization support, Sendbird helps B2B service teams deliver proactive, personalized experiences that reduce ticket volume, improve CSAT, and strengthen long-term client trust.

ServiceNow CSM

ServiceNow’s Customer Service Management (CSM) is a platform designed to automate and orchestrate end-to-end B2B service workflows. The platform bridges customer support with operations, enabling teams across departments to resolve complex issues seamlessly and in real time. It’s designed for enterprises seeking coordinated, scalable service delivery.

At the heart of ServiceNow CSM is its ability to centralize case management and self-service under a unified interface. The system offers tools like AI-powered virtual agents, omnichannel messaging, knowledge management, service catalogs, and personalized self-service portals.

ServiceNow also helps teams automate routine tasks and enhances agent productivity using AI and predictive intelligence. Features such as real-time SLA tracking, guided workflows, smart routing, and dashboards equip support teams to act faster and more accurately on client concerns.

Zendesk

Zendesk is one of the most widely used customer service platforms, trusted by many organizations for its ability to centralize support across multiple channels. It brings email, chat, phone, social media, and self-service portals into one place, helping teams manage client interactions more efficiently.

The platform includes automation and AI features designed to streamline workflows, such as ticket triage, intent detection, and conversation summaries. Zendesk also offers robust reporting tools, allowing teams to track key metrics like CSAT, SLA compliance, and agent performance.

For B2B service teams, Zendesk supports essentials such as account-level organization, SLA management, and custom fields, which make it easier to serve multiple stakeholders within the same client. Its cloud-based design makes it relatively straightforward to deploy and scale.

RingCentral RingCX

RingCX is an AI-first, omnichannel contact center solution built directly into the RingCentral ecosystem, designed to streamline customer service and internal communication.

At its core is RingSense AI, which powers features like intelligent virtual agents for voice and digital self-service, real-time AI coaching for agents, automated quality management, and post-interaction summaries and analytics. These tools help teams deliver faster, more accurate support while guiding agents during calls or chats.

RingCX consolidates communication across over 20 channels—such as voice, chat, SMS, email, social, and video—into a unified workspace. This solution works well for businesses seeking a modern, integrated contact center with AI enhancements, reliable scalability, and clear value.

WhatsApp for Business

WhatsApp’s business platform extends the personalization and immediacy of messaging into the B2B world, letting support teams engage clients on a platform they already use daily. With open rates around 90% within the first three minutes, compared to much lower visibility in email, WhatsApp ensures your messages stand out and get seen.

B2B customer service examples across 6 industries

Below, we look at six industries and highlight best practices for each, along with examples of companies that are setting the standard.

SaaS (software as a service)

SaaS companies need to make sure clients not only have access to the software but also know how to get measurable results from it. That means keeping a close eye on product usage, stepping in early if engagement drops, and providing proactive education.

Best practices for SaaS customer service:

• Track feature adoption across teams and departments.

• Offer role-specific training and self-service resources.

• Use AI to identify accounts at risk of churn.

• Assign consistent account managers for stronger client relationships.
  

Example: Atlassian, the maker of Jira and Confluence, is known for pairing self-service knowledge bases with proactive support and account management. Their community forums, tutorials, and customer success managers ensure clients get value from their tools at every stage.

Consulting

Customer service for consulting firms is less about troubleshooting and more about maintaining strong, trust-based relationships over time. Clients expect high-touch support, personalized guidance, and a partner who understands their business challenges.

Best practices for consulting customer service:

• Assign dedicated account managers or relationship leads.

• Hold regular check-ins to align services with evolving client goals.

• Provide clear documentation and recommendations tailored to each client.

• Build a feedback loop to show how client input shapes future work.

Example: Deloitte exemplifies strong B2B customer service by combining expert consulting teams with advanced tools to manage complex client interactions at scale. One standout innovation is their Relationship 360 (R360) platform, built on Salesforce. R360 brings together account history, stakeholder data, and interaction insights into a single, AI-enabled dashboard.

Manufacturing

B2B customer service in the manufacturing sector needs to be proactive, predictive, and highly responsive. A late shipment or equipment breakdown can shut down an entire supply chain.

Best practices for manufacturing customer service:

• Provide real-time order tracking and shipment updates.

• Use IoT and predictive maintenance to prevent equipment failures.

• Offer 24/7 technical support for mission-critical operations.

• Build industry expertise into support teams to solve complex problems quickly.

Example: Siemens supports its industrial clients by offering predictive maintenance through IoT-enabled platforms like Senseye. These tools monitor asset data in real time, allowing teams to spot issues early and schedule maintenance before failures occur.

Marketing

In marketing, B2B customer service is about enabling clients to run effective campaigns and prove results. Agencies and software providers are expected to act as partners, offering education, insights, and hands-on support to help clients get the most from their investment.

Best practices for marketing customer service:

• Provide clear onboarding and training on campaign tools.

• Share regular performance reports tied to client KPIs.

• Offer strategy sessions or QBRs to align marketing goals.

• Create educational resources like webinars, templates, and guides.

Example: HubSpot has built a reputation for exceptional marketing support by combining a large knowledge base with dedicated account managers. Clients benefit from self-service resources, training academies, and ongoing strategy guidance that ensures marketing teams achieve measurable ROI.

7.5 Fintech

Clients depend on fintech platforms to move money securely, remain compliant with regulations, and deliver uninterrupted access to critical services. Even a small failure can damage credibility and drive customers elsewhere.

Best practices for fintech customer service:

• Provide 24/7 support with clear escalation paths for urgent issues.

• Ensure transparency around compliance, security, and fraud prevention.

• Use AI to monitor transactions in real time and flag anomalies.

• Offer proactive communication when service disruptions or risks occur.

Example: Stripe is recognized for pairing robust developer resources with responsive customer support. Their API documentation, fraud detection tools, and dedicated account teams give clients confidence that payments will be secure and reliable at scale.

Healthcare

Customer service for healthcare is directly tied to patient safety and compliance. Providers depend on reliable technology and services to deliver care, which means downtime or errors can have serious consequences. Support teams in this industry need deep expertise, strict compliance processes, and a high degree of empathy.

Best practices for healthcare customer service:

• Ensure 24/7 support with rapid escalation for urgent cases.

• Maintain compliance with HIPAA and other healthcare regulations.

• Provide proactive monitoring to prevent service disruptions.

• Train support staff to communicate with empathy and clarity.

Example: Epic Systems, a leader in electronic health records, provides comprehensive training programs, hands-on go-live support, and 24/7 technical assistance to ensure smooth onboarding and continuous operation of its EHR systems. Their focus on reliability and compliance helps hospitals and clinics keep critical systems running without interruption.

The future of B2B customer service in the AI era

B2B customer service is about more than solving problems. It’s about taking a consultative approach with clients, building partnerships that help clients grow, adapt, and maximize their success over time.

In crowded markets or uncertain times, excellent service is also what convinces clients to renew or expand services—or switch providers. Sendbird CEO John Kim recently highlighted this point in a recent LinkedIn post, noting that customer expectations rise even as budgets tighten. One poor support experience can be enough to lose a valued customer for good.

His advice: consider your customer experience as a point of competitive advantage, not an afterthought, because that’s how customers see it. Leveraging AI agents is a powerful starting point to “turbo charge your CX.”

Even the best support teams need the right tools, and this is where Sendbird can help. 

With AI customer service agents that handle routine interactions, Sendbird gives enterprises the infrastructure to scale AI support for B2B service, without losing transparency or control.

B2B clients expect more from customer service than ever before. With Sendbird, you can deliver the proactive, trustworthy, and scalable support that sets your company apart.

Book a demo today and see how AI agents can help your service team lead the way.