Online chat support is a great way for customers to find the answers and solutions they’re looking for in a convenient, modern way. In this article, we’ll look at how online chat support can benefit you:
As a consumer and customer of companies that offer support through chat
As an employee or business owner who interacts with customers using chat
We’ll also give you tips on how to provide the best possible experience for your customers when using chat as a means of communication.
| Takeaways |
|---|
| 1. Understand the importance of online chat support in providing excellent customer service. |
| 2. Learn the step-by-step process of implementing online chat support on your website. |
| 3. Discover effective strategies for managing chat conversations and providing timely responses. |
| 4. Explore tips for optimizing the chat support experience and exceeding customer expectations. |
| 5. Gain insights into common challenges in online chat support and learn how to overcome them. |
| 6. Understand the role of chat support agents and how to train and empower them for success. |
| 7. Learn about the key metrics and analytics to measure the success of your chat support efforts. |
| 8. Find out how to integrate chat support with other customer support channels for seamless service. |
| 9. Get practical advice for troubleshooting technical issues and maintaining chat system reliability. |
| 10. Stay updated on the latest trends and advancements in online chat support for continuous improvement. |
What Is Live Chat Support?
Live chat support is a real-time messaging system between a business and a customer, and it’s arguably the most popular communication channel for customer service.
With live chat, customers can get help with their questions directly from an expert through the website they’re browsing at that moment.
Think of your own experience as a customer. How often have you been visiting a website to learn more about a product or service but found yourself stuck somewhere along the way? You might not know whether what you need is actually available, or maybe you don’t understand whether it’s right for your business.
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What Are The Benefits Of Live Chat Support?
Now that we’ve looked at how to use live chat, let’s consider some of the biggest benefits associated with this popular support tool:
It’s fast: According to research from Forrester, the average response time for emails is 12 hours and four minutes. That’s not particularly helpful if you have a customer who needs help now (or you have an SLA).
Live chat offers near-immediate responses within seconds or minutes of a customer reaching out, depending on your team size. This means happier customers and less time spent waiting for answers.
It’s personal: Emails are impersonal and limited in their ability to go back and forth. Live chats give reps the chance to get personal with customers, whether that means addressing them by name or sending along a bit of extra information from their history or profile (e.g., “Thanks for reaching out today! I see you’re using our free version; did you know there’s also a premium version that includes …?”)
It’s convenient: Chat windows allow customers to easily ask questions without having to deal with email threads or phone calls (both of which can get frustrating when trying to express yourself). Customers don’t have to wait long they can simply type in their question and get an answer in no time flat
It makes customers happy: Studies show that most people prefer live chat over other support channels like email, social media, etc., due largely to its convenience and speed
It’s easy to implement/use/track: Unlike many other support platforms, it can be very easy (and affordable) to set up live chat on your site and it doesn’t require any difficult training sessions for reps either
It’s cost-effective: Your company will save money on overhead costs because agents can handle more than one chat simultaneously without affecting the quality of service
How To Create A Live Chat Experience Your Customers Will Love
Determine the type of live chat software you need. Sit down and make a list of the requirements for your business. Do you have more than one website? How many agents do you need to manage the chats? Are any additional features required? These are only some of the important questions to ask yourself before choosing a live chat tool for your business.
Make sure that your chosen system can be customized, allowing you to change color themes, language options, and other elements to match your brand’s look and feel. It’s also important that it can integrate with other tools, like CRM systems, so all conversations are tracked in one place instead of being scattered across multiple platforms.
Once you’ve found an appropriate platform that meets all these needs (and others!), then it’s time to set up! A few steps include configuring the widget placement on each page where visitors could initiate contact; customizing greeting messages with emojis or GIFs; creating content for FAQs and canned replies; testing everything well before going live; training staff properly – they should know how best respond when people reach out via chat; integrating your CRM with your live chat software (if possible).
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Step 1: Create Your Customer Avatar
The first step in creating a successful online chat support strategy is to create your customer avatar. A customer avatar is a fictitious representation of your ideal customers based on market research and real data about your existing customers.
By creating an accurate customer avatar, you can gain insight into the motivations and desires of your ideal customers so that you can design a personalized online chat strategy to get more sales and expand your business.
A customer avatar should be detailed enough to include the demographics (age, gender, income level, etc.) as well as psychographics (values, attitudes, interests, lifestyle) of your ideal customers. In addition to demographic information about the people in question, their pain points are also important for understanding how to serve them better through chat support.
Step 2: Define Your Business Objectives
A goal is an objective that is specific and measurable. If your goal, for example, is to “lose weight,” you don’t have a good idea of how much weight or how quickly you’ll lose it.
That’s why it’s important to set goals before you start: so that you can measure your success against them later. It’s also unwise to look at what other people are doing and use that as the benchmark for what you want to achieve. Instead, be ambitious but stay realistic when setting your goals:
If your company uses chat support tools like Intercom, then it’s time to get more proactive with your customers. If they use live chat software like Intercom in their own businesses (as over 30,000 do), they know just how effective online chat can be in increasing customer satisfaction and sales.
With online chat support, companies can reduce the number of customer emails they receive while still ensuring that communications with their clients remain personal, friendly, and efficient. And if they manage these conversations correctly? Well, then the sky’s the limit
In this guide, we give you everything you need to make online chat an integral part of your business communication strategy from setting up a support team for success to building killer FAQs for self-service chats that save everyone time and energy.
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Step 3: Define The Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) You’ll Track
Chat volume and average handling time: How many conversations are you starting in a given timeframe? Divide that number by the total number of agents to get an idea of the current load.
A number of chats per agent per day: This metric is useful because it shows how many chat conversations each agent can handle.
Chat satisfaction: Are customers satisfied with your services? Ask them at the end of every conversation and determine which areas need improvement.
Average response time: The average amount of time it takes for your customer support team to respond to an incoming message.
A CRM system like HelpCrunch makes it easy to keep track of these KPIs in real-time, making quick changes if needed and doing away with the grind of manual data gathering and analysis. Want more info on how this works? See Step 6 below.
Step 4: Define The Metrics You’ll Track
To make good decisions, you need to see the right numbers.
Metrics are the quantifiable values that tell you your performance. They help you determine whether or not your chat support program is succeeding, and if not, what needs improvement.
Metrics can be split into two groups: financial metrics and non-financial metrics. Both are equally important to track as they both have a direct impact on your company’s bottom line.
Financial Metrics: There are many different financial metrics you could look at when measuring chat support’s success with finance, including cost per hour of live chat and cost per ticket closed via live chat.
Each metric should be directly tied to the business objective so that it supports tracking progress towards achieving that goal. This can help us understand the impact of each metric in relation to overall business goals as well as see how it aligns with our KPIs (Key Performance Indicators).
Non-Financial Metrics: Non-financial metrics might include the number of tickets closed via live chat, average response time for customer inquiries through email versus phone/live+chat, or customer satisfaction rating after using live+chat/email vs phone calls or in-person visits (these ratings should also be tied back directly into an existing ticketing system so they’re easy to track over time).
Other useful indicators include a number of chats completed in an hour by each agent (and whether their quality ratings increase during this period) – these numbers provide an overview of what’s going on with agents’ efficiency when handling multiple conversations simultaneously.”
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Step 5: Decide On The Type Of Chat Software To Use
One of the most important steps to take before you begin your online chat support is to decide on the type of software you’ll use. There are a number of different options, each with its own benefits and drawbacks.
The first step is to determine your budget: if funds are limited at this time, free software may be a good fit for you. If you have more money available, paid software allows for more features and functionality as well as less downtime and technical issues.
Once you’ve considered the price, it’s also important to review what types of services or items can be integrated into the chat platform. Some platforms integrate very closely with CRM tools such as Salesforce or Zoho; others may integrate with social media sites such as Facebook or Twitter; while still others can be used in conjunction with email systems such as Gmail.
You should also consider how many people in your organization may need access to the chat platform (and whether they’ll need access all at once). Can multiple agents talk with customers at once? Will multiple languages need to be supported? Does the platform work on mobile devices? These factors may help guide your decision-making process about which type of software ultimately fits best for your business needs.
Step 6: Define Your Chat Support Process
In the previous step, you’ve identified the goals and objectives of your chat support service. Now, it’s time to map out how you will achieve those goals and objectives.
Let us look at some questions that can help you develop your process:
What are the steps involved from start to finish? For example, a customer sending a message via Facebook Messenger would be the “start” and the agent providing an answer would be the “finish” of your process.
What happens in between? How do you capture that data so it can be entered into your CRM system and analyzed for feedback? Make sure to include every step in your process so nothing gets missed when everything goes live!
How will you communicate with customers? Will it only be through Facebook Messenger or should you also use email or phone calls as part of this service level agreement (SLA)? If other channels are used, how will they fit into this particular SLA? Ideally.
if one channel is used, all others should also be included since this gives customers multiple ways to reach out when they have issues. This also helps ensure that they don’t have any missing information needed for later follow-up by another representative who may not know what was communicated on another platform.
That said; if there is no reason why different channels shouldn’t work together seamlessly under this SLA then go ahead and use them together without fear! Just make sure everyone knows about it beforehand so confusion doesn’t arise down the road with overlapping responsibilities between teams or people who aren’t aware of what’s going on behind closed doors at their company before something happens because then suddenly everyone has questions again…and again…and again…
What else does your company need to do in order for these steps to take place successfully? You may need new software installed on computers so agents can access messages from customers while sitting at their desks (or log into any device
Step 7: Set Up Your Chat Widget On Your Website
In this step, you’ll embed your newly created chat widget on your website or other web property. You can do this by adding a few lines of code to the HTML of your site.
You might want to show this post to whoever takes care of your company’s website (a freelancer, employee, IT department, etc.) and ask them to take care of it for you. Or if you’re comfortable working with CSS and HTML yourself, go ahead and give it a shot!
The chat widget should be placed in a prominent location so visitors will know that they can reach out for help. For example:
- at the bottom right of each page
- on the homepage
- as part of the navbar menu at the top
But definitely don’t hide it! The goal is to make sure visitors know that someone is available for assistance whenever they need it, after all, that’s why you set up chat support in the first place. It also helps if you set up an automatic message welcoming users when they engage with the widget (e.g., “Hi there! How can we help?”) it makes it clear that they’ve come to the right place.
As users progress through their chat sessions, make sure you collect what information you need from them so that whatever questions or issues they have to get resolved as swiftly as possible (and please don’t request sensitive information like passwords until absolutely necessary!).
You might decide not to require any user info at all; some companies keep their chats anonymous because they trust their agents’ ability to solve problems based solely on what gets typed into the chat window itself.
To wrap things up: once a session is over, send users an email follow-up messaging thanking them for getting in touch with any feedback about how helpful their interaction was and asking if there’s anything else that needs addressing. This helps create goodwill between customers and companies: customers know their time has been well-spent, which makes them feel respected; companies get
Step 8: Create Content For The Faq Knowledge Base Of Your Chatbot Scripts And Autoresponders (If Any)
If you want to provide quality live chat support, building a knowledge base is key. This FAQ guide can help your agents give customers quick and accurate answers to their questions.
An FAQ section is the first step toward creating a comprehensive knowledge base for your company. It can be useful in another way: if automated chatbot scripts are running on your website, you can use this content for them as well.
Including an exhaustive FAQ section in your knowledge base will benefit all of your agents, both human and virtual. And every customer who finds their answer without having to wait for a reply or fire off yet another email will also appreciate it.
A well-thought-out FAQ section will save time and effort for everyone involved while also providing an exceptional level of customer service. Now let’s see how it works in practice here are some guidelines on what belongs there, how to organize it, and how to write the copy that goes along with each question or topic.
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Step 9: Integrate Your CRM With Your Live Chat Software, If Possible
Now that you’re ready to integrate live chat into your daily operations, it’s tempting to start looking for solutions and that’s exactly what we encourage. However, one thing you should pay particular attention to is your CRM software integration options.
Your CRM (customer relationship management) is a software system designed to help you manage and interact with current and potential customers. It provides vital information about your contacts, helping you keep track of their history and preferences so you can provide the best possible customer experience.
In other words, if you have a business that offers products or services which benefit from personalization or customization, then your CRM is one of your most important tools.
So what happens when there’s a disconnect between the data in your CRM and the information collected by live chat? The answer: poor experiences for customers and lost opportunities for sales. Integrating the two systems ensures that all the information gets shared seamlessly, allowing both teams to work together efficiently for better results all around.
Step 10: Test Everything Well Before Going Live
We’ve talked about the importance of testing many times already, but it’s important enough that it deserves its own section. Testing is a great way to see how your chat support is working in real-time and identify any potential problems before they cause real problems.
If a customer ends up disconnected from a chat agent because of some kind of technical issue, they are not going to be happy with your service. Make sure you test everything well before going live, especially if you’re switching over from an existing platform.
For example, let’s say you’re switching over from an old chat platform to a new one. Before fully integrating the new software into your website, make sure to test every aspect of the changeover:
- Can customers still connect to agents?
- Can agents still connect with customers?
- Can customers initiate chats directly on the website?
- How does everything look in terms of aesthetics on the site?
- Does everything work exactly as intended across all browsers and devices?
Final Thought
Setting up a live chat program is really worthwhile, but it’s also a lot of work and you will need to be prepared to make some changes and do testing before you see meaningful results!
Setting up a live chat program is really worthwhile, but it’s also a lot of work and you will need to be prepared to make some changes and do testing before you see meaningful results!
Here are the steps:
Test your chat system before going live: Don’t just leave everything as default after setting up your account, test out the system and see how it works for you. You can do some mock chats with friends or staff members first to see how the tool works, what kind of response times there are when people are chatting online, etc.
Make sure you have a good workflow in place (or create one!): A good workflow involves having rules in place that tell your team members what they’re supposed to do when they get a chat request from customers. It also keeps them from being too overwhelmed by multiple chats at once and ensures that everyone who wants help gets some sort of response within 24 hours or sooner if possible!
Make Sure You Have An Faq Page On Your Website: this will help answer common questions about shipping options or contact information without having someone else look up those answers every single time someone asks them online via Live Chat support software like Kayako Fusion Live Help Solutions’ LiveChat Professional Suite which includes AnswerDesk for more than just answering questions though
answering specific customer issues is one example where having an FAQ page would reduce time spent looking up answers so employees can focus instead on other aspects such as providing service with their individual skill set while still providing valuable information through automated responses according to predefined queries set up beforehand.
Further Reading
Here are some additional resources for further reading on live chat support:
Live Chat Best Practices: Learn about the best practices for implementing live chat support on your website and providing exceptional customer service.
The Ultimate Guide to Live Chat Support: Dive into the world of live chat support with this comprehensive guide that covers everything from chat etiquette to integrating live chat into your customer support strategy.
Creating an Effective Live Chat Strategy: Discover how to create a successful live chat strategy that enhances customer satisfaction and boosts your business’s overall performance.
Frequently Asked Questions
The following are a few of the most frequently asked questions regarding how to provide online chat support.
What’s The Best Live Chat Software?
The best live chat software is based on your company’s specific needs. For example, some types of businesses will require very specific features and integrations, so it may be worth it to spend extra time researching which one meets all of those requirements. On the other hand, for an e-commerce site whose main purpose is to sell products or services, you’ll want the quickest, most secure option that doesn’t require a lengthy set-up process.
What Are The Latest Trends In Live Chat Support?
Live chat software has come a long way since its early days as an “IM” tool used mainly by teenagers who wanted to communicate with friends while they were away from home.
Today’s new trend is in providing technical support through these tools and because many customers are already familiar with them (or at least have seen them before), it makes sense for companies to take advantage of this familiarity when interacting with their customer base.
What Are Some Good Practices In Live Chat Support?
One practice that can make life easier for both employees and customers alike is setting up an automatic response system so that all incoming messages will receive immediate attention instead of being placed on hold indefinitely until someone manually responds to them later on (which may never happen).
This gives people time to complete other tasks while still staying connected via text message win-win situation!
How does live chat support benefit businesses?
Live chat support offers several benefits to businesses, including increased customer satisfaction, improved conversion rates, and reduced support costs. It provides real-time assistance and personalized interactions, resulting in enhanced customer experiences.
What are some key features to look for in a live chat software?
When choosing a live chat software, it’s essential to consider features such as real-time messaging, customization options, chat routing, chat history, proactive chat invitations, integration capabilities, and analytics for performance tracking.
How can live chat support be effectively integrated into a website?
To integrate live chat support into a website effectively, businesses should strategically place chat widgets on their website, offer proactive chat invitations, provide clear and concise messaging, ensure quick response times, and train their support agents to handle chat interactions professionally.
What are some best practices for live chat etiquette?
Some best practices for live chat etiquette include using polite language, being proactive in offering assistance, responding promptly to customer inquiries, avoiding jargon or technical terms, actively listening to customers, and thanking them for their time at the end of the chat.
How can businesses measure the success of their live chat support?
Businesses can measure the success of their live chat support by tracking metrics such as response time, chat duration, customer satisfaction ratings, conversion rates, and the number of resolved issues. Analyzing these metrics can help identify areas for improvement and optimize the live chat support strategy.
Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.
