Heather N. Quinlisk

This is the fifth and final post in a series about using Live Chat for customer support.

It is important to anticipate the success (or failure) of using any new type of customer support tool.  Is it going to help retain customers?  Will it improve your branding?  Is it really going to set me apart from competitors?  Here are three specific questions that can help you to determine whether or not Live Chat could benefit your business:

1. Do you have the necessary means to run a Live Chat service 24/7?

The last thing you want to do is frustrate those who visit your website by displaying a Live Chat option that is closed.  The service is intended to provide all time-zones, work schedules, and emergency situations with immediate assistance at any time.  If you do not have the staff for Live Chat, it is easy and often better to outsource it as this route is frequently more cost-effective than doing it in-house.

1. Does your product or service appeal to younger generations?

Generally speaking, older generations find that traditional customer service routes are sufficient for solving problems and answering questions.  This doesn’t go to say that the service won’t “WOW” older customers.  If you do serve younger generations, Live Chat is quickly becoming the first customer service tool of choice.  Not only that, the service is almost expected now.

1. Lastly, what is the volume of communications you receive?

Live Chat can enhance your customer support efforts if it’s truly needed.  If the phone lines are dead and email is slow, it would not be wise to invest in Live Chat or any other additional forms of communication.  On the other hand, if the current volume of customers contacting your business by phone and email is more than you are prepared to handle, Live Chat could be a very effective tool for your company.

*We want to hear from you!  Post your comments or questions below!*

Heather N. Quinlisk

This is the fourth part of a series of blog posts discussing the benefits of making live chat services available to your customers.

            Here’s a quick summary of what’s been covered so far:

1. Live chat is easy!
   1. It’s a simple customer service tool, even for customers who have never used Live Chat before.
2. Live chat is convenient!
   1. From the customer to the agent to the business, Live Chat is an effective and efficient win-win customer support tool.
3. Live chat is informative!
   1. Lastly, we reviewed how valuable Live Chat can be for the purpose of monitoring your website.

The importance of these points shows that everything comes down to one thing and that is your company’s reputation.  A company’s reputation is one of the most valuable assets or harmful disadvantages it has.  Customers talk about their customer support experiences regardless of if those experiences are positive or negative.  Word-of-mouth can be either a very powerful or very harmful tool.  Give your customers something to talk about by delighting them with your advanced, high quality Live Chat service.

Heather N. Quinlisk

This is part three in a series of blog posts discussing the benefits of making live chat services available to your customers.  Part 1 was an introduction on the topic and an example of how beneficial live chat can be to consumers.  Part 2 discussed the convenience that Live Chat provides for both you and your customers.

            Live Chat provides your business with unique information about the performance of your website.  Some Live Chat services (including Marketing Support Network’s Live Chat Service) have the capability to monitor customers in real time as they are on a website.  Agents can actually see what links the customer has clicked, how long they’ve been on each page, and what items are in their shopping cart.  This provides the agent with current, relevant information so they can be much more effective at their job.  For example, if a shopper has not clicked on his/ her cart in the recent past, this could mean that he/she is having trouble making a selection.  An agent can then initiate a conversation and try to assist the customer.  This is just another way Live Chat can blow your customers away.

Customer questions posed on Live Chat can also be used to evaluate the content of your website.  If several customers have the same question or have trouble finding what they need, it may be that your website needs to improve in certain areas of user-friendliness.  Knowing how customers react to your website is incredibly valuable information to have and just one more of the benefits of using Live Chat.

Heather N. Quinlisk

This is part two in a series of blog posts discussing the benefits of making live chat services available to your customers.  Part 1 was an introduction on the topic and an example of how beneficial live chat can be to consumers, which in turn makes it beneficial for businesses.

            Live chat is convenient for everyone involved.  It’s more convenient than email because the conversation is in real time and communication is instant.  It’s better than simply posting Frequently Asked Questions because customers are able to get exact answers to specific questions.  And it’s certainly more convenient than using a phone service.  When customers call an 800 number, they are typically connected to an automated message with specific options.  Often, after selecting an option, customers are put through another message with more options that they are forced to hear.  This cycle might be repeated several times before being transferred to an operator or agent.  And then the customer waits.  While on hold, many phone services will play music- or worse, advertisements- to try to keep the customers mind off of the clock that’s steadily ticking away.  But that sorry attempt does nothing to prevent the sighing and frustration of the customer.

 Heather N. Quinlisk

Mrs. Jones is looking into purchasing a product online but she has questions.  Based on prior experience, she anticipates spending a significant amount of time clicking through pages of a website to find the answers she needs.  She figures she’ll start with the FAQ’s and if that doesn’t help, she’ll have to click through even more pages to find the number to call the company.  After that she will probably be assaulted by a wordy recording with multiple options, none of which seem to be what she needs.  “Is this company run by robots?” she’ll wonder.  She’ll press zero for the operator, switch her phone to speaker, and attempt to be productive despite the irritating tune droning on and on through the receiver.

      When Mrs. Jones loads the homepage, she notices the words “LIVE CHAT” front and center on the page.  Curious, she clicks on it and a dialogue box opens with text reading, “Good afternoon, my name is Michelle.  How can I help you?”  Interested and curious to know if Michelle is a human or a machine, she types a question about a specific product and sends it.  After a few seconds, Michelle posts a link in the conversation while simultaneously redirecting the home page Mrs. Jones was viewing to that site.  But Mrs. Jones refuses to be impressed so easily.  She begins firing off questions about the product, partially because she needs the answers and partially to see if Michelle would blow a fuse.  She didn’t.

After a few minutes on Live Chat, Mrs. Jones is informed, delighted, and ready to make her purchase.

Marketing Support Network will be exhibiting at the 2010 IRCE in Chicago June 8-10.  We look forward to seeing both customers and future customers, and we will have a full compliment of professional staff to answer questions.  We will be setting up individual meetings for those internet retailers interested in customer support services, inbound call center, live chat, e-support, and internet marketing services.  Can’t wait to see you and to take the newbies to Portillo’s or Harry Carays!  Stop by to get the latest verbal case studies about our work with companies like Gaylord Hotels or BP, and get a chance to win an I-Pad.  Of course, none of that can compare to the chance to get business needs addressed!  See you at IRCE!.