Customers, nowadays, seek immediate solutions whenever they encounter product-related issues. Hence, providing support services over multiple channels is essential for businesses.
Since the beginning of the digital era, companies have devised various ways of reaching their customers and offering support. Emails and phones are great examples of these. But no other channel can surpass the popularity of live chats.
With lower response and resolution time, Live Chats are being embraced by every customer-facing team.
Let’s understand the importance of live chat support in today’s modern business environment:
1. Ensures High Customer Satisfaction
Customers prefer to be involved in a live chat interaction because it gives them respite from long queues or waiting periods. By opting for live chat support, they can get answers immediately.
Notification announcements are undoubtedly one of the best features of a Live Chat. Whenever chat support sends a message to the customer, they receive a pop-up notification. Hence, customers can go about routine tasks without thinking about when a response is likely.
Live chat support agents can secure a high CSAT score by simply sharing FAQ links, instructional videos, and other resources to help customers fix the issue.
In case of complicated issues, customers can share screenshots with live chat support agents to explain the problems in one go. As we understand, Live Chat enables representatives to deliver perfect solutions in record time.
2. Reduces Expenses
Another reason to draw attention to live chat support services is that they help save significant money. The cost of live chat support is much lesser than telephonic support, despite being faster and more reliable. All we need to do is make a one-time investment in hardware and software.
Plus, telephone support agents cost more money because they can only manage one customer at a time. On the contrary, live chat support agents handle multiple customers at once. Conversations are closed more effectively thanks to pre-written messages and a central repository of solutions.
Moreover, if the shift of one support agent is over, another can seamlessly take over an ongoing chat. However, this is not the case in telephone support operations.
3. Customers feel Encouraged to Fix Issues On Their Own
Chat support encourages self-sufficiency by enabling customers to fix the same issues next time on their own. It is possible because live chats are recorded and thus stored in the system for the customer to access later.
Wondering how? Well, the chat transcript is in text format without having any layer of encryption. Customers can press Control + F (Windows) or Command + F (Mac) to locate the conversation where the support agent provided the solution last time.
On the other side, live chat support agents can easily access chat histories whenever customers struggle to fix the problems on their own or are confused about any particular step or file. They use filters and other powerful search features to extract the desired information from the previous chat and provide solutions to issues.
4. Helps Agents Build Rapport with Customers
During Live Chats, agents can observe the sentiments and tones of customers. They then adjust their styles to meet the customer’s requirements. By mirroring the formality to match the end customer, the reps build rapport, establishing a beneficial relationship.
Compared to traditional channels, chat systems allow agents to showcase themselves better.
5. Round-The-Clock Support
With careful scheduling, businesses can provide round-the-clock support. By expanding their instant availability to cover the entire day, customers will have no reason to complain.
With each query heard and problem solved, customers will feel a sense of loyalty towards the brand, leading to better customer retention for the business owner.
Wrapping Up
Living up to customer expectations has never been easy, whether related to product quality or support services. Companies know that and do not make things more complicated by handling everything in-house.
They opt for call center outsourcing services because reputed third-party companies ensure they get the best infrastructure for customers. To guarantee the same, they keep investing in modern technology and improving their infrastructure.
With the help of this blog, we have tried to explain the importance of live chat support in today’s modern business environment. It is swift and pocket-friendly when compared with other support mediums.
However, this should not be taken as a signal that live chat support will wipe off the existence of other support mediums. Every channel has its importance, making them all the more irreplaceable. For example, people who are not comfortable with smartphones, and laptops, are likely to get support over the telephone.
So, yes, if you are a business owner willing to offer customer support over various mediums, investing in live chat support solutions and others would be better. It will help you build fantastic customer support experiences.
Equipped with a Bachelor of Information Technology (BIT) degree, Lucas Noah stands out in the digital content creation landscape. His current roles at Creative Outrank LLC and Oceana Express LLC showcase his ability to turn complex technology topics into engagin... Read more
