Recommendations for proper live chat support
Recommendations for proper live chat support
Providing excellent customer service via live chat isn't easy, but it doesn't have to be complicated. We've spoken with customer service professionals about their experiences and compiled some recommendations.
Improve live chat support
If you are responsible for setting up and managing the live chat support channel, there are some steps you can take to improve the experience for your staff and customers.
Keep the volume of incoming messages manageable. Your customers expect chat to provide quick and easy interaction with your team. Use reports to monitor overall volume and response time, and take action as needed. Consider offering chat only during specific times or to specific customer groups to control volume.
Don't overload your individual support agents. A typical support agent can handle two or three simultaneous chats without compromising service quality, but this largely depends on the type of questions they're answering and the experience levels of both the customer and the agent. You should be able to set a maximum number of chats so that no single team member is overwhelmed by chat requests.
There are tools that can help you facilitate this process, such as transferring rooms to other agents. Did you know that iKono Chat allows you to transfer chats to groups or rooms? If you want to learn more, click here. click here.
We'll tell you 6 great live chat customer service best practices for your agents
These are the six best practices that any live chat support agent should follow to consistently provide good service.
1. Manage the conversation
Just like phone conversations, chats can get out of hand. Being able to refocus a conversation on its original purpose is incredibly helpful. Here are some professional tips:
- Get in tune: Make sure that both you and your client are talking about the same thing.
- Set expectations: Let them know if you need to step away or if they'll have to wait.
- Set limits: Have prepared responses for difficult situations, such as abusive customers.
- Change channels seamlessly: If you have to move a chat to email or phone, do it gracefully.
2. Increase speed
In live chat, responsiveness is key. It's better to share the first part of your response and build trust with the customer than to wait until the entire answer is ready. Follow these professional tips to streamline your chat support:
- Improves typing speed
- It is not necessary to write everything out every time.
- Build a self-service – A well-stocked knowledge base, with text and video searches, can save a lot of time.
3. Write concisely
Live chat isn't the place for lengthy explanations. Writing clearly is a skill you can learn. Get started with these tips:
- Know your material: With a solid understanding of the product and the domain, you can quickly decide what is important for this customer to know and what can be safely omitted.
- Use simple language: Avoid using internal names, industry jargon, and marketing phrases.
- Be specific: Refer to what your customers can see for themselves, using words they will recognize.
4. Information about the conversations
If you're an email support professional, you've probably learned to include all relevant information at once to avoid long back-and-forth exchanges. Live chat is a conversation, so information sharing is an advantage. A couple of key points:
- Ask small questions: You can extract the information you need piece by piece.
Present one idea at a time: Keep it simple and short.
5. Teach your customers
Don't just answer the customer's specific question. Look for opportunities to understand what they're trying to do and why, and share your expertise. For example, offer an alternative solution that might be more suitable or provide configuration tips tailored to their particular needs.
6. Close it
Don't mislead your customers; always tell them the truth. Make sure to bring each chat to a clear and helpful conclusion. A good live chat ending should:
- Confirm that the customer has what they need.
- Give them clear instructions (if they have to do something).
- Thank you for your time.
- Let them know how to get more help if they need it.
Improve conversations with your customers through chat support at
straight
A high-quality service goes beyond simply providing the right information to understanding what a customer is trying to achieve and being able to help them achieve it.
Live chat support can speed up that process by allowing a more natural conversational style, where a trained support agent can ask the right questions at the right time and quickly direct the customer to where they need to be.
The right live chat support software will allow you to combine real-time chat support with self-service options and an email point of contact, enabling you to offer many different support experiences based on customer preferences and support team capabilities.
We've recently seen how chatbots have become increasingly common in online conversations, which has been a huge help to businesses, saving time and providing effective and concise responses. Our iKono Chat platform lets you communicate with your customers through various channels directly with your contact center agents. Learn more iKono Chat.
Fountain: iKono Telecommunications supported by AI
#We invite you to read our blog post «"Bots will dominate communications"»
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