Live chat support is gaining popularity among online retailers and stores because of the ease, swiftness and convenience it provides. Moreover, the software has the potential to drive sales and increase existing customer base, which makes it a valuable tool for online businesses. However, many still question the effectiveness of chat over other communication channels. Here we have debunked 3 common myths about live chat service that will reveal the truth and show why the support channel has gained success.
MYTH #1: Robots Answers Customer Questions on Live Chat
Live chat agents gets this question a lot – “Are you a robot?” The answer is for sure NO. Yet, the stigma is still glued to the live chat service even after so many years.
Here is one instance:
CSR: Hello, welcome to ……… I’m a real person! What brings you to our site today?
Visitor: How real are you?
CSR: As real as you are. 🙂
Visitor: I’m just a wooden boy. : )
CSR: I am not 0’s and 1’s, I am carbon based.
Visitor: Hahaha! That was quick, I must admit.
It is due to this notion live chat agents have to strive hard to be as human as possible when communicating with their website visitors. In fact, at times they even get sidetracked when they have to share their interests, pets’ photos etc. to convince the visitors.
However, this doesn’t mean at all live chat software providers don’t like robots. All it means is they want the conversations to be more engaging and have the touch of real human. As a study by NewVoiceMedia showed that 40% customers gets annoyed if they are unable to speak to a real person instantly when in need of support.
And it’s not just the telephone conversations which consumers hate to have with automated or robotic systems. Email and live chat systems have a similar situation as often companies programmed them with canned or scripted messages which puts them among the excruciating service exchanges.
In brief, your visitors wants a real human interaction when they require assistance and when you fulfil this requirement it turns the customers journey into an emotionally-positive experience. Most of all, it persuades them to have good feelings towards the brand or firm in general.
MYTH #2: Only Millennials Prefer to Use Live Chat
Numerous studies have affirmed that live chat is gaining popularity among millennials, but this appreciation is observed across all demographics and not just the younger generation. Owing to the immediacy this help desk software brings, even older generations have now started adopting this technology.
This trend is only going to rise since more and more mainstream brands are adding live chat service to their list of communication channels.
Having said that, one cannot ignore the millennials as they are the future. So no matter what your current customer base looks like, you will have to adapt to this generation’s preferred communication means and we suggest sooner than later!
MYTH #3: You Need Someone Behind the Computer 24/7 for Live Chat
Although the real essence behind the success of live chat is its power to allow website visitors and CSRs converse in real-time, but this doesn’t means that you need to have a person behind the computer around the clock. There are many businesses out there that cannot afford to run support and sales functions 24/7, and that’s alright!
One shouldn’t shy away from integrating live chat software into their site juts because they can’t staff enough agents to proffer the service. Instead, they should emphasis on setting customer expectations by clearly making the live chat support hours visible on their website so the visitors know when exactly they can get in touch with the support staff.
You can also a display offline message when your chat agents are not available. And if that doesn’t suffice you, then opt for a live chat software that allows you to interact with customers even on the go. There are several live chat operators out there that are proffering this service, which allow you avoid any inconveniences when it comes aiding your customers.
Brian Smith is a business consultant at hourstv.com with a particular interest in live chat support for businesses. He particularly likes to use his passion for technology to empower online entrepreneurs to realize the true potential of their ventures.
