The benefits of live chat services

A live chat service can help online businesses supports sales and customer satisfaction. This feature allows customers to type questions in text format and receive replies in text format from a customer service representative. Live chat services are customer-driven.

During a live chat session, the customer may get a fast answer to his or her question. If not, the customer service rep is there to clarify information or answer additional questions. Because effective live chat assistance requires well-trained customer service representatives, it’s important to provide training and access to a product or service information the rep might need to assist a customer in a live chat.

Customer Channel Integration

The business or organization can add live chat to its menu of “contact us” options, including FAQs, email or telephone assistance. Oracle Corporation research shows that customers prefer live chat or help other than reviewing FAQs or sending an email to support.

J.D. Power’s most recent wireless customer performance study shows that the most consistently satisfied customers use live chat and prefer it to other contact options. In addition, customers like the fact that it’s possible to save the live chat session and review conversation content later.

Rules and Training for Live Chat Agents

It’s obviously essential to train live chat agents to provide the best customer experience possible. Some of the most sophisticated live chat systems software allows customer reps to access the customer’s service or purchase history.

The rep must know how to begin the chat session. For instance, he or she should offer a welcome greeting and their name as a start. In the session, the rep will probably need to ask clarifying questions to discern the type of support or assistance the customer needs.

Then, the rep needs to obtain the customer’s responses before deciding the next steps. The customer service rep may use a script that includes standard information about the company’s products, services or pricing but, most often, he or she will be asked to address a specific customer question or concern.

Reps must also be trained to close the live chat session. He or she should ask the customer if additional information is needed and thank the customer for the contact. At that point, the rep should tell the customer that the live chat session will be closed.

Timely Live Chat Service

If a business decides to include live chat to its other contact options, it’s important to provide fast and responsive service. Research shows that customers who choose live chat over other contact methods want quick responses. They don’t want to wait.

To ensure that the customer’s expectations are met, research studies say it’s important to open the chat in a minute or less. If the customer needs additional information, the rep should advise the customer about wait times. He or she should let the customer know that the information or outcome they’re looking for will be available within a short time.

Establishing a Live Chat Facility

It’s possible to purchase software to establish a live chat facility but there are other options if a business doesn’t have time or resources to fully train customer service reps for its live chat service.

The decision to engage a fully trained off-site live chat facility can be a smart, cost-effective move for many teams. It’s also possible to access additional services as needed from live chat facility providers, including back office, vacation, or seasonal support.