If you had an issue, what kind of support would you pick first for customer service? Social Media, phone, e-mail, or chat? Live chat conquered customer’s preferences over the last few years and became the number one option because of its convenience. The chat is the favorite choice of channel for 41% of consumers. Now you might ask: do the perks of live chat for customer support go beyond the “efficiency” factor?
They sure do! With good performances, the chat can help develop a long-lasting relationship with customers, give valuable insights into their needs, convert sales and boost agent’s productivity.
Customer support teams can only benefit from a better experience through chat. This article will explore some of these advantages and how you can put them to fair use for your business.
Customers Rather Text Than Call
Think about a basic situation in everyday life. When you wish to invite a friend over for dinner, you probably text them. The person may be at work or busy doing something else. When you text, you give them time to think about the proposition and their availabilities and answer when they can. The same goes for online businesses. A survey from TextMagic points out that 68% of consumers text more than they talk on their phones. Customers can’t stop everything they are doing just to give a call and expect to have their problem solved. For instance, with the chat, customers can use it quickly while they enjoy their lunch break or do something else at home!
Live Chat Enhances the Support Experience
According to our statistics, the average first response time in the chat is 28 seconds. Some issues might indeed need more time to be solved, but customers feel relieved with instant feedback. There’s no need to wait on an automatic recording before talking to a real person when you use the chat. Additionally, we can’t ignore the fact that technology can be a bit tricky for some people. Millennials and Generation Z have a perfect understanding of the internet, but we mustn’t ignore older generations.
They increasingly embrace the digital world indeed, but browsing a website can be tricky for them. The same goes for new visitors. They need time to understand how the page is structured and to find then what they look for. Therefore, the chat comes in handy because if they feel lost somehow, instant help comes when the chat window pops up.
Customers Can Have a Personalized Experience
It is impossible to read the customers’ minds. And we all know that an agent can’t prevent everything before the conversation starts. However, some tools allow them to adjust the tone and provide a tailored solution for the situation. The software shows the support history of the chat. Maybe the customer had asked something about the shipping cost a week ago, and now they want information about the return policy. It is possible to know which page the customer lastly checked when they opened the chat, their location, and which web browser they were using. Through the chat, the agent has access to this sort of basic data.
While the agent answers the questions, they can anticipate some answers by checking the customer’s activity. Most platforms display a preview of what the customer is typing. For instance, if an agent notices that the customer is typing something about training pants, they can open the dedicated section to gain some time. Thereafter, they can filter the results according to the information provided by the customer, such as color preferences and sizes.
Customers can likewise get extra help by sharing their screen or sending screenshots using the live chat platform.
Live Chat Is Cost-Efficient and Favorable for Customer Acquisition
So far, we focused mainly on the benefits for the customer. Nevertheless, live chat is also a cost-efficient solution for the business. It offers certain leverage already if competitors don’t have it. Moreover, one agent can handle multiple chats, whereas they cannot answer two telephone calls simultaneously. A solid knowledge base is vital to reach better performances when it comes to managing numerous chats. The customer support team can map the most common questions and put them together in this knowledge base. This allows faster answers and efficient service.
Agents can use a tag system to facilitate internal communication, so they will have an easier way to escalate requests appropriately. This data can be an essential guide on what customers expect from your services.
Lastly, remember that Live Chat is not an imposition. A new visitor can choose not to use it. However, they like to have the possibility to chat if needed. Hence it can be an excellent way to convert this visitor into a worthy customer. Website visitors who chatted first are 82% more likely to convert to customers.
Communication had to evolve with the constant changes caused by the digital era. Thus customer service needs to adapt and follow this evolution. In a fast-paced world, live chat can only help you to improve the relationship with consumers. Why not give it a shot?
