Live chat is considered to be one of the most dynamic ways to communicate and interact with customers. Companies are under constant pressure to exceed customer expectations and delight them by delivering exceptional customer experiences. Keeping that pursuit in mind, customers have responded well to live chat and the entire process it is accompanied with. It makes experiences memorable and helps build loyalty and customer-friendly relationships.
Source: Econsultancy
Why is Live Chat considered to be one of the most trusted channels of communication amongst customers
Live chat is an online communication tool that allows customers to engage with the brand in real-time, providing customers with instant gratification. Live chat tends to have a faster response rate when compared to standard communication channels such as social media and email which can take up to a maximum of a few days.
This is fundamentally why eDigital’s Customer Service Benchmark states that live chat has the highest levels of satisfaction with 73% compared to 44% for phone and 61% for email. This is because live chat is the combination of the best parts of email and phone minus the pain of staying on hold. Live chat presents agents with the opportunity to have frictionless and quick conversations with multiple customers at the same time. Customers view live chat as a way to get one step closer to the resolution they want with just a few taps.
With live chat, agents have the opportunity to reinvent responses as they encounter the same situations and also have the chance to get accustomed to new situations as they learn from them. Live chat has earned the reputation of being more responsive and proactive to customers; among agents, it has gathered the reputation of being smoother and harmonious. Kaye Chapman, Comm100’s learning and development manager says, “Together, statistics like wait time, chat volume and length, and satisfaction score paints an interesting picture of contact centre maturity, showing the pains that come with nurturing a contact centre into a mature operation that balances quality and productivity”.
So is Live chat support the end all be all of customer service?
Not at all! Different people prefer different platforms and channels for different reasons. Live chat acts as a massive driver of happiness as it provides customers with another contact option without risking the replacement of email, social media, and phone support lines.
Source: Econsultancy
According to the statistics above, the phone is the preferred channel for general queries but is less popular when it comes to recording feedback or making a booking. Therefore customers tend to choose channels based on the nature of their issue, query, etc.
According to Kayako, how it makes customers happy is that:
- Increase in purchase: 38% of customers are more likely to purchase from a brand that offers live chat support.
- Increased positive feedback:29% of customers have told their friends or family members about a positive live chat support experience.
- Decreased hesitation in spending more: 63% of customers are more likely to purchase from and be loyal to brands that offer live chat.
- Increase in brand loyalty: 51% of loyal customers are most likely to repeat purchases or continue staying with a brand that offers live chat support.
Here are a few reasons why customers are big fans of this support channel.
Source: Kayako
- Live Chat is quick
What customers adore about live chat is that it offers instant gratification without experiencing any form of prolonged delay. According to Superoffice.com, chatting in real-time is 100X quicker than any other digital support channel which enables customers to get help now rather than later. Waiting aggravates customer frustration but instant responses are registered by customers that the brand cares for them.
- Live Chat is accessible, predictable and far from complicated
Customers have an issue, they want it resolved. They don’t want to go through hours of searching for the customer support contact number or email address. They want to get connected with customer support right away and preferably on the website. Live chat is easy to use and extremely accessible as they must’ve encountered it while purchasing itself. It’s easy-to-use and that makes it all the more appealing as it is right there on the website; waiting for a question to be punched into it.
- Live Chat allows customers to multi-task
Live chat is particularly favoured as it allows customers to engage in other things. They can chat while they are at work, or while browsing other websites etc. Live chat allows customers to concentrate on other work while having someone answer their questions in real-time. Consumers favour the fact that they have the ability to multitask with this support communication channel.
- Live Chat is personalized
Live chat makes people feel special. With no hold or wait time and with quick addressing of issues, customers feel more connected to the brand as they are treated like they expect to be treated. Live chat agents are trained to make customers feel that way by personally addressing the customer, understanding their problems and gathering any information they may need to fix the issue. The interest that is shown towards customers during the entire chat interaction makes them feel important and relevant as personalized attention further provides customers with a sense of validation and purpose.
Wrapping up
Live chat has proved more than once to be one of the most effective communication tools that need to be implemented if you haven’t already! If you want each customer interaction to be great and keep your customers happy and coming back for more; then get started by setting up your live chat offering and get ahead of your competitors and watch your revenue and sales steadily grow. VOIZ can help you staff your live chat customer service team with our trained and experienced customer support representatives. Sign up with VOIZ today to get started!