My manager asked me when chat would replace phones as our primary support method. However, she quickly taught me my lesson and showed me how many customers prefer chat support over the phone.
However, the data is allegedly kept in a super-secure file that has been triple encrypted and secured with a dual key lock similar to nuclear launch mechanisms.
Are customers more comfortable with chat support or phone support?
We surveyed over 250 people and found that 69% prefer phone support to chat or other support channels. There are several reasons this is true.
Why do customers prefer chat support over the phone?
Chat is still relatively new as a support medium. Intimate messaging was not popularized until the 1990s, and it wasn’t until the mid-2000s that businesses started using it to provide customer service. Although it is common to have a chat feature on your website, not all people use it. It can be difficult to break bad habits and get people to try new support channels.
Many businesses provide chat support, but there are still many that don’t. Some customers are forced to contact customer service by phone or email. Customers will not use chat support if their favourite brands do not offer it. However, they may be more inclined to try a brand that does.
Even though the survey suggests that chat is more popular than phones, it is not the right time to abandon this channel. You should improve your chat service to maintain a competitive edge as chat becomes more popular.
Here are some tips to help improve your live chat service.
Five Tips to Enhance Your Live Chat Service Experience
Pay attention to how your messages look, sound, and feel.
Chat is a great way to communicate with customers. However, it’s not possible to use your voice or facial expressions when communicating with them. To communicate with customers, you must rely on your writing skills. Your text can dramatically impact the customer’s perception of your message if it looks or sounds certain.
If you want your customers to understand what it is you are saying, then your writing must be clear and grammatically correct. In case your customers don’t know what you mean, it is a good idea to limit informalities such as abbreviations or shorthand. Avoid using all caps. This can make it seem that you are shouting, rather than highlighting a particular section of your text. To emphasize a particular detail, you can use bolding or italics.
Chatbots can be used strategically.
Although artificial intelligence such as Crisp is great for automating customer services, it shouldn’t replace human service reps, even via live chat.
Chatbots are meant to be used as liaisons between customers, support reps, and each other. They can help with simple inquiries but should be primarily used to connect customers to the best support reps. This allows customers to get faster solutions and creates a better service experience.
Multilingual live chat available
A website can be a great way to connect with people all around the globe. If you don’t provide multilingual support, then you will only be able to communicate with them in one way. This means that if your support team doesn’t speak the same language, they won’t be able to read your website or ask questions.
Some chat service providers provide translation tools that can be added to your help desk, or ticketing system. These tools allow customers to communicate with you in real-time and can translate the message for your representatives. Simply type in your message to send it. The translator will translate it into the language you choose. This allows you to overcome any language barriers that might prevent customers calling your support line.
Save Your Chat Records
You can improve the chat experience by saving chat records in your CRM. This will allow you to review the cases of your team and identify which customers have the most problems, which pain points cause friction, and where automation can be added to improve your team’s workflow.
You can also save chat records to help solve future customer problems. A customer can save chat records to help solve future problems.
Send an out-of-office message and offer follow-up resources
A common error that businesses make is to have their chat service open 24/7 but not having someone to handle it during business hours. Customers will wait patiently to hear back from the business after they reach out.
Install an out-of-office message to alert customers to your support hours if you don’t plan to operate your chat service 24/7. This message should also link customers to other support resources such as a 24/7 telephone line or self-service knowledgebase. Customers will always have a backup plan in case your live chat service is unavailable.