Customer satisfaction can be achieved in various ways. Faster query resolution is amongst the top satisfiers on chart. Live chat support is a great communication tool which allows multi-tasking. To let your business grow, invest in your employees. Your employees can ensure that they serve and retain your customers.
Listed below are some quick tips which can help your customer service staff develop the skill set and improve their interactions and conversations on live chat:
#1. Proactive chatting: If you have been to a shopping mall, you may remember that a customer service staff reached out to you proactively before you solicited their support. In a live chat environment, the scenario is the same.
If you are a customer service personnel, you must identify customers who needs assistance and initiate a chat with them. It may not be necessary that your customer will reach out to you.
On the opposite end, there is also a possibility your customer may refuse to get into a live chat with you. But don’t lose hope. Chat initiation in itself shows that you care about them and you are around there to help them.
#2. Consider the data from pre-chat survey: It is useful if the customer gives some basic information about themselves before beginning the chat.
The basic information and details are referred to as pre-chat survey and may include their name and a small bit of information of what they want. You will be better prepared to offer assistance to these customers and thus enhance the satisfaction.
Yet another advantage of the pre-chat survey is the correct routing. If you know the issue details before hand, you will be able to direct the query to the queue of the agent who has the subject matter expertise in that area and is better equipped to sort them out.
#3. A Typing Indicator: The typing indicator helps the agents see what their customer wishes to seek assistance upon. It is a tool which lets the representatives practically read the mind of their customer. A smart and alert customer representative will be able to prepare the answer and respond to the query in a timely manner.
#4. Automatic chat acceptance: The system should be smart enough to let the customer service agents know that a customer is waiting in the queue for chat acceptance. This wait time should not exceed more than 10-15 seconds and to keep the customer engaged, system can prompt them to fill in the pre-chat survey during this time.
#5. Turn-around time: While you don’t want to rush into solving the query, it is important to ensure the customer is responded to within a stipulated time frame. You should target a maximum of 3 minutes of chat with the customer to come to a resolution. Knowledge on the subject along with good typing speed and skills can be extremely helpful at this time.
#6. Regular update: If there is a need to keep your customer on hold while chatting, it is important you let them know about the same. Customers can happily wait for you to return back and resume chatting with you if you’ve set the appropriate expectation with them
#7. Check-in: There is a slight draw back in a live chat. There is a possibility that your customer may not respond for a while during or towards the end of the chat. You must be proactive and must ensure to check with your customer periodically. You can have multiple chat windows open at the same. This way you can multi-task and also follow up with a silent customer.
#8. Bright and sunny: There are times when you have to give negative information to your customer or may be deny their request. Try and order the negative news is followed by a positive one. This is a natural human nature as per which reiteration of a positive news helps reduce the pain of the negative news and improve the overall psyche.
#9. Finishing effect: The last interaction is what leaves the impact on your customer. While it is important to initiate your chat in a professional manner, it is more important to end it gracefully. Ensure that you have said good bye to your customer and thanked them to have given you an opportunity to serve them.
Customer service is not an easy task or function and it takes immense patience to please your clients. Guidelines listed above can help you and your customer service center grow. Businesses can flourish if they have a strong customer center support serving their loyal clients.