From Deevra Norling
According to JD Power, consumers these days prefer live chat over more traditional channels for solving customer service issues. It has become – or at least it should be – a quick and efficient way to solve problems. If your live chat is not handled properly it can result in frustrated customers who will leave your website and never return.
In order to keep customers happy, there are seven ways to improve your customers’ live chat experience:
1. Be responsive
The main reason live chat is so popular with customers is because of its immediacy. When it comes to customer service, 82% of customers rate an immediate response as very important when reaching out to a company with a query. Anything longer than 10 minutes is too long.
Offer quick response times, immediate redirection to the appropriate department and quick resolution of complaints. You can use tags to quickly categorize, find, and resolve queries. Make sure you have a team big enough to avoid long queues, especially during busy times.
2. Ask visitors with a question
If you are not ready to start a conversation with a visitor to your website for fear of chasing them away, then you shouldn’t. Research shows that 52% of customers are receptive to a live chat prompt.
Chats are a great lead generation tool when used effectively. New visitors to your website may be looking for information. Using live chat to initiate a conversation and offer support can prevent them from leaving the conversation before they find what they are looking for.
3. Be human, not robotic
During a live chat, customers should feel like they are talking to a real person rather than a bot. This is a chat, so it should be conversational and in the first person. Communication shouldn’t be too formal or appear as script. “Now let me investigate” is more personal than “We at XYZ are here to help.”
Train your chat agents to create a human connection and bring your brand’s personality into chats. You should be happy, helpful, and empathetic with customers who are struggling. Agents should be able to read the tone of the customer. Some customers may enjoy friendly jokes, while others may prefer a business-like approach.
4. Add the option for video chat
If you really want to spruce things up, implement live video chat. Through personal interaction, agents can record customer behavior based on their facial expressions and body language and react appropriately.
Because video chat is more personal than text or voice chat, it can help spread tense or angry customers. It’s easier to shout via text or voice chat, but when customers see a human face, their aggression tends to subside.
Video chats offer another advantage. They are useful when visual instructions are more effective than text in helping a customer.
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5. Integrate live chat with other platforms
For the most efficient customer service possible, choose an omnichannel system that can be integrated with other business systems and platforms. Customers contact your company via phone, email, social media, and the chat widget.
A multi-channel CRM system can retrieve customer interactions from multiple channels and centralize everything. It uses a ticket system that allows agents to easily view all previous interactions and quickly provide assistance.
If you run an ecommerce store, integrating your ecommerce software with your CRM system allows you to respond to sales inquiries instantly and keep track of customers who have not completed a sale. Imagine what this could mean for your revenue?
6. Integrate automated chatbot responses
While live chat is always preferable to a chatbot, automated chatbot responses are sometimes required. Chatbots can be filled in during times when live agents are not available and provide standard information about your company.
If your live chat is only available during office hours, set up a chatbot after hours to let customers know when you can process their request. Make sure you actually respond when you say this, as nothing can make a customer lose trust in a brand faster than false promises.
You can also use a chatbot to automatically answer frequently asked questions. Finding the answer to their question saves a customer time and reduces the number of customers in the live chat queue.
7. At the end of a chat, ask for feedback
Some companies offer great live chat services, but they skip an important step: soliciting feedback. You will be surprised how many customers like to share their opinion and appreciate the opportunity to do so. Asking customers for feedback is a great way to further improve your customer service, alert you to product or business weaknesses, and identify potential opportunities.
Keep your questions short for a higher response rate at the end of a live chat – a maximum of five. Multiple choice questions are quicker to answer, but include an open-ended question so customers can provide additional feedback in their own words.
Why it is important to improve your live chat experience
Real-time chats are fast becoming the preferred method of communication between companies and customers. Not only can live chat improve customer service, it can also increase conversions and increase sales.
A survey by Anderson Consulting found that 62% of online customers say they would buy more products from a company with live chat support. Another survey reported by Invesp found that shoppers who use live chat tend to spend 60% more on purchases.
More customers are shopping online than ever before. Therefore, it makes sense that you want to have online support immediately, both during and after your purchase. The more robust, seamless, and efficient your live chat service, the more customers will want to come back and shop with you in the future.
RELATED: 9 Ways To Use Facebook Chatbots To Grow Your Business
About the author
Contribution by: Deevra Norling
Deevra Norling is a content writer covering entrepreneurship, small business, careers, human resources, e-commerce, auto insurance, travel, pets, freelance and personal development. She also runs a thriving small pet care business.
Connect with me on Facebook and LinkedIn.
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