Most businesses claim to have excellent customer service and support – after all, they have a phone, email as well as social media support round the clock. And a couple of years ago, this would have been enough.
However, in the digital age, competition and buyer empowerment are stronger than ever before. While this is fantastic news for customers around the world, it also means that businesses now need to do more to match and exceed the expected levels of customer experience. This is where live chat services come in.
Live chat provides you with a platform to seamlessly connect and communicate with your customers on your website in real time, making it an integral part of good customer experience today.
In fact, live chat has the highest customer satisfaction rating of all other available channels at 73%. And it is not just customer satisfaction, customer retention as well, with over 63% of customers reporting that they are more likely to return to a website that offers live chat. So, what exactly makes live chat so important for customer satisfaction?
Live Chat is Convenient for Customers
At 43%, live chat is currently the most preferred digital contact channel for online customers and it is not difficult to see why. Most of all, it is very convenient. It connects customers instantly with an agent without having to dial a number or press a button or even having to be stuck on hold for hours.
Typically, live chat ensures that customer queries are resolved quickly but in case of a short wait, they can multi-task in the meantime. The ability to instantly connect with an agent while making a purchase and have first contact resolution (FCR) is very helpful to customers which translates into fewer shopping carts abandonment.
Live Chat Provides a Competitive Advantage
Although website chat services are growing in popularity, live chat is still relatively new. Herein lies a great opportunity for businesses that take action and get ahead of the curve. In fact, of the 80% of companies that believe that they deliver ‘superior’ customer service, only 8% of their customers think that they deliver ‘superior’ customer service. Using live chat for customer services will take your business to another level.
Live Chat Boosts the Customer Service Team’s Productivity
Unlike other channels such as phone calls where one agent is tied to one call, live chat allows agents to juggle between several chats at once. Even in the cases that require research and reporting, agents can handle one or two chats. Additionally, there are some live chat services that can handle emails, chats and other customer support channels within a single tool making it possible to increase productivity and lower costs.
Live Chat Increases Customer Engagement
Customers are more likely to follow up on a query or on issues they face when the customer service platform is quickly and easily accessible to them than when they have to pick up a phone or find your email address.
This increase in customer engagement gives you a chance to make a good impression and give your customers a reason to stick around or come back. Together with quick response and first contact resolution, customers will perceive your business to be approachable and reachable.
Live Chat Allows You to Build Better Customer Profiles
Data is the most desired and valuable commodity in the digital age. Live chat makes it easier to responsibly gather all relevant customer data such as their name, location and email address. In turn, this allows you to build in-depth customer profiles so you can target your market more precisely with future promotions and offers.
Additionally, customers are more willing to rate and give feedback on your products and services which gives you valuable insight on what you need to improve.
IMPROVing Customer Satisfaction with Live Chat
Customers today almost expect live chat services on the websites they visit. With the changing demands on digital communication, Yomdel offers a managed live chat service that allows you to deliver the real time support that your customers expect. Beyond improving customer experience, we help you increase the productivity of your customer service department, lower costs and build customer loyalty.
If you would like to learn more about our live chat services, and the benefits they can bring to your business, get in touch with us for a chat.
