The quick exit: keeping customers happy is more crucial than ever

There's a business trend on the horizon that Zendesk chief executive Mikkel Svane says is putting businesses of all sorts in a vulnerable position - and his own company isn't exempt.

The move to subscription and on-demand models mean businesses now must make sure customer needs are met the minute they need assistance. If they don't, it's incredibly easy for consumers to just drop the service. "So many are dependent on return business - and we are a subscription system.

Most businesses are gravitating towards that kind of relationship, where it's all about return business," he says. This presents a big challenge for entrepreneurs, he believes, because if their services fail to hit the basic markers of responsiveness, transparency, and trust, customers simply walk away.

And as the pressure rises for businesses to provide real-time customer service or risk losing them, Svane says Zendesk's customer support suite is just the ticket.