Customer support quality is the primary factor that motivates clients to choose a specific service. A live chat is an integral part of the client care process. During a 2022 survey among consumers from the United States, 56 percent of responding millennials stated that they used a website or application chat function to contact brands. That is why studying what is a live chat, how it works, and how your business can benefit from using this tool is critical.
What is live chat support?
1. The first step is setting up a chat instrument on your site to obtain the benefits of live chat for customer service. Depending on the type of chat you need, there are two types of views: the agent and the user, as well as different installation instructions.
2. After you finish the installation, you open up all benefits of live chat for business. Accordingly, your users see the particular widget on the website, and the live chat support representatives access the dashboard with requests.
3. The agents will view the conversations based on their significance. The live chat automatically prioritizes incoming queries based on the issueβs urgency. Visitors will access message channels that act like an IVR by clicking the widget.
What Are the Benefits of Live Chat?
Quality live chat support can play an essential role in attracting customers. According to numerous surveys and polls, there are several features of good customer care service:
- Quick response time;
- Ability to multitask;
- Effective communication methods;
- Accuracy and quality of the information provided.
- Now, letβs look closer at the advantages of live chat support.
1. Assist More Customers
One of the first advantages of live chat support is reaching more customers. No one likes waiting in lines. Modern busy people need instant answers. It doesnβt matter how good your product is β you risk losing clients if your response to requests is slow.
Most of the customers are willing to wait up to one minute. Therefore, organizations that prioritize chat conversations can respond within seconds. Additionally, you can hire a chat agent to handle up to five sessions simultaneously.
2. Integration with CRM to Offer a Personalized Service
Ask the clients to provide their contacts before starting a chat. It will make the responses more personalized and help the CRM database find clientsβ info faster. It saves time for both parties and makes interactions more effective.Β
Access to this information will also let the client know about any pending requests. It conveys the importance of live chat for customers to stay updated on all the recent news about your product.
3. FAQ as an Extra Helping Hand
Before contacting the live agent, customers may find the answers to the most common questions with corresponding keywords in Frequently Asked Questions. However, if a customer canβt find the solution, a representative steps into chat. Thus, the tool assists both customer service outsourcing agencies and in-house teams.
4. Positive Post-Service Experience
One of the last benefits of live chat customer service is that clients can obtain a copy of the conversations. You should inform your customers that phone calls may be recorded and messages can be saved. Transcripts can be used as tutorials for future problem-solving for similar issues.
Top 5 Live, Free, and Best Chat Apps
1. Live chat of HubSpot
Itβs integrated with HubSpotβs CRM system, meaning all chats are logged to customersβ contact profiles. It allows agents to see a customer history and interactions with your company. A free app version includes a universal inbox, up to 1 million contacts, canned responses, a chatbot builder, and more benefits of live chat.
2. Tidio
Tidio is a live chat solution integrating various software, including WordPress, Shopify, etc. Tidio offers different features: all-in-one shared inbox, message automation, and canned responses. For zero dollars, you get 500 automated emails per month and chats with 100 visitors a month.
3. Olark
Its free plan offers offline messaging, a website chat widget, chat routing, unlimited domains, and more. The tool has reporting features to help you track and analyze customer satisfaction, chat volume, and agent activity.
4. Pure Chat
Pure Chat is a live chat software offering chat widget customization. It is very user-friendly and can be easily installed. Some main features include chatbots to help you capture leads and book appointments.
5. JivoChat
JivoChat is one of the top-rated live chats allowing support teams to simultaneously handle interactions from different platforms. The app offers canned responses, hotkeys, unlimited chats for up to 5 agents, color-coded chats, etc.
Top Live Chat Etiquette Tips For Outsourced Customer Support
Dealing with people can be complicated, so the soft skills of support representatives are instrumental in building meaningful communication between a brand and clients. Here are some useful live chat etiquette tips for raising customer care to a new level.
Be personal
Many users feel icy cold when chatting, like messaging with a robot. It is significant to let them know they are in contact with a breathing human. Uploading a photo, using a real name, or sending a customized message with a friendly welcome change the impression.Β
Be friendly
All customers want and need to be treated respectfully. Listening carefully and showing interest in customers’ needs will establish a connection in the chat room, even if you must deal with an angry and frustrated one. Allow a customer to explain the issue in detail and show you are on their side while finding the best solution.
Be honest
Playing fair is worth more to a customer than a price cut. If your company promises something such as a discount, keep that promise and be sure of it. Well-trained and qualified staff is an excellent way to impress people.
Use proper grammar and spelling
Tons of typos and poor spelling make your entire business look unprofessional. Remember that customers donβt have to know any specific terminology, so avoid jargon. Use precise questions and be as clear as possible.
Never leave a customer unanswered
Why live chat is important? Customers want you to provide them with a quick and effective solution. Live chat informs that you see their question and prepare the reply. A phrase like βJust give me a second Iβll quickly find this out for youβ wonβt reveal your helplessness. They will show your effort to help and take care of the problem.
The Final Word
So, what is a live chat? It is your direct way to loyal and happy customers. At Wow24-7, we train chat representatives to be empathetic and enthusiastic with leads and clients.
As a leading company in the customer support outsourcing industry, weβve developed unique live chat etiquette to help brands worldwide wow customers and stand out from competitors. Our customer support representatives know how to choose words correctly. They successfully balance between providing leads with quick responses and giving them answers that address their concerns.
Have any questions? Contact us today to get qualified answers to all of them.Β Β
