Integration of live chat to a business website can yield countless benefits. It is true even for other high traffic generating websites. It plays a very crucial role in positively enhancing the conversion rate. While conducting transactions majority of customers these days prefer websites that are backed up by on-site chat support. A study reveals that those e-commerce websites that have chat support for their customers experience a higher conversion rate than those who do not.
However, to reap the best benefits it is vital that the agents are active on the site as the visitors expect an instant response. An unresponsive live chat support is worse than having no chat support at all. It is obvious that human interaction through calls during an online purchase would be an unproductive effort. On the other hand, live chat can answer the visitor’s questions related to the product or service, impart a sense of reassurance, and a sense of value on the product or service that is being purchased. And the best thing is, it can deliver all of these during the buying process itself.
Here, let us explore the various alternatives to effectively optimize the live chat support process.
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Mark your needs and act accordingly
The first step before integrating a live chat icon on the website is to prepare oneself. Make yourself completely aware of the needs and requirements of the website and its visitors. There is various analytical software available in the market that can reveal the stats regarding the activity of the visitors and the peak time of these visits. Google analytics is one such example that is available for free. Every business has their own requirements, for instance, an international business might need 24/7 chat support. Depending on the influx of traffic and the chat frequency details provided by such analysis one can decide the number of resources needed to handle such chats.
Judicial use of canned messages
Train your agents regarding the dos and don’ts of canned messages. When customers initiate a chat they should be greeted professionally and with courtesy. To avoid time lapses, automated canned messages can be used here. It is better to create a set of pre-canned messages that can be used during certain generic portions of the chat. But too much of these messages can devoid the chat of its USP- the human touch and can irritate customers. Therefore, chat support executives should be well-trained and be able to properly assess when and when not to use automated responses.
Employ experienced chat operators
Experience can teach certain things and skills that training might not. It is true for both call operators and chat operators alike. reliable Live chat support executives must be fluent in understanding the features of the website and the chat windows. They must be aware of the different functionalities of the online resources and the operating procedures of the business. Organize on-job training sessions to keep them updated about the latest product features and specifications, innovations and new versions.
A few rules of thumbs
There are a few rules that come handy for operators during a chat. It is intelligible for them to learn a few of these rule of thumbs. Always greet and address the customer with his name. Prompt response is always appreciated. If a certain issue is likely to take a while to resolve, do inform the customer of the same. Proactively engage in the conversation with the customer but avoid encroachments.
Conduct pre and post-chat surveys
During the initiation of a chat session, customers should be allowed to provide a preliminary round of information. For instance, they can be prompted to fill a pre-chat survey form with their names and the things they are searching for. This enables the agents to enter into the conversation pre-informed about the requirements of the customer.
While pre-chat surveys are customer oriented, post-chat surveys are involved in agent assessment. It is a great tool to record the agent’s performance. Negative feedbacks can give you an idea about the lapses and lacunae of the agents and can prove to be a great leverage to improve service.
