Of all the customer service trends in the upcoming year, you can be assured that multi-channel customer support systems will top the charts in terms of necessary customer amenities. Customers are branching out on a frequent basis to get in touch with your customer service agents however they can — that can be e-mail, traditional phone based methods, or the latest trend of live chat support.
Live chat is a category that has seen some pretty incredible growth over the past few years. Younger generations have taken to it as a more comfortable mode of communication for a few reasons: the customer can multitask while they get assistance, the format is laid back and offers a relaxed interaction, and the transcript is a readymade, word-for-word script of what the agent offered and recommended during the exchange. So your company will have to bring its best game to satisfy customers who want to connect via the live chat channel. Here are some of the best chat tricks for your team to use!
1. Take advantage of the team setting. With Live Chat your agents have the unique ability to lean on their teammates in real time for support when necessary — that means that each and every agent can have access to the expertise of his or her deskmates to help resolve what may be a complicated customer inquiry in a quick, efficient way. This relieves the stress on individual customer service representatives (CSR’s), increases the level of service that customers receive, and helps to ensure that your company responses are reliable and accurate.
2. Don’t skimp on the KB. A Knowledge Base (KB) is one of the most powerful, versatile tools you can provide for your company to use. With access to the approved, correct procedures on boundless scenarios, your CSR’s will all become experts within seconds of accessing the KB. PhaseWare is proud to have produced one of the most functional, dynamic, easily searchable knowledge base software systems available on the market today. It’s got an intuitive interface with an endless amount of space, too, so you can continue to grow and update your KB as much as you need to.
3. Make it simple! Customers who come to the live chat option are usually of a mindset that it will be the quickest, easiest way to get the care and results they need. It’s your job as a company to make sure that happens. Keep your chat team aware of their response speeds and stay on top of those notifications to give your customers the happy, fruitful exchange they came looking for!
Live chat is one of the most important trends to focus on for 2017. Your company won’t regret getting its toes wet with web-based service this year!