Exceptional customer service is crucial for any business to succeed in the long term. It builds customer loyalty, leads to positive word of mouth, increases sales, provides a competitive advantage, and strengthens your online reputation. With the rise of online reviews and social media, investing in excellent customer service is a critical business strategy that can bring long-term benefits, including increased revenue, customer loyalty, and a positive online reputation.
Benefits of live chat for customers
Evolution of client communications
Nowadays, when we think about any successful business and its customer support, we think of various digital communication channels, such as website live chat, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, etc. The main reason behind the multitude of these channels is to ease and capture the entire lifecycle of client communication, from pre to post-sales. As a result, a consolidated client is expected to reach a business in any way to send a query, request, feedback, or complaint. The latter is quite crucial when it comes to maintaining solid customer satisfaction. You want to be up-to-date about ever-evolving technological means of keeping track of clients’ signaled issues. Let’s dive in and see what is live chat customer service exactly.
What is live chat customer support, and how it works
Live chat is a real-time communication channel that allows customers to engage with businesses via chat software on their websites or apps. It enables customers to ask questions, request support, or provide feedback; customer service representatives can respond immediately through the chat interface. Customers prefer live chat as a communication channel, and it may be connected with other channels like social media, mail, and call to give a seamless customer experience. By using live chat as part of a multichannel communication strategy, businesses can provide customers with various communication options, improve customer satisfaction, and ultimately increase customer loyalty.
6 Reasons why live chat is a game-changer for your business
- Utilizing live chat allows customers to communicate with businesses in real-time, resulting in a satisfaction rate of 73%, whereas email only generates a satisfaction rate of 61%, and phone communication generates a satisfaction rate of just 44%.
- A survey indicated that 63% of consumers are inclined to revisit a website that provides live chat functionality.
- 79% of customers prefer live chat because it resolves queries in less than one minute on average, making it significantly faster than email or phone support.
- According to a Harvard Business School report, live chat can increase customer retention rates by 5% and boost profits by 25%-95%.
- A survey at Forrester found that 73% of customers consider valuing their time as the most crucial factor in providing good customer service.
- The ICMI reports that 62% of customers expect mobile-friendly live chat, with 82% willing to use it if available.
Let’s start with the best live chat for small businesses right now
How live chat help businesses:
Improved Customer Service
Live chat allows businesses to offer real-time customer support, which can improve customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Customers appreciate the immediate response and personalized attention they receive through live chat.
Increased Sales
Live chat enables businesses to engage with customers in real-time, which can help them address any questions or concerns that may be preventing a sale. Businesses may boost their chances of turning website visitors into regular customers by offering timely and reliable information.
Reduced Costs
Live chat can be more cost-effective than other forms of customer support, such as phone or email support. It allows businesses to handle multiple customer inquiries simultaneously, which can reduce the need for additional staff.
Better Data Collection
Live chat can also help businesses collect valuable customer behavior and preferences data. This data can be used to improve marketing and sales strategies, as well as product development.
Competitive Advantage
Offering live chat support can help businesses stand out from their competitors who may offer something other than this service. It can also enhance the overall customer experience and create a positive brand image.
Increased Efficiency
Live chat allows businesses to handle customer inquiries and support requests quickly and efficiently. Compared to phone or email support, live chat can help businesses resolve issues faster, improving customer satisfaction.
24/7 live chat support
With live chat, businesses can support customers 24/7. This is especially useful for companies with consumers in multiple time zones or customers who want service outside of typical office hours.
Improved Customer Insights
Live chat gives organizations important information about client behavior, preferences, and problem issues. This data may be utilized to improve marketing techniques, create new goods, and make other business decisions.
Personalization
Live chat enables businesses to provide a more personalized customer experience. Agents can use customer data to tailor their responses to each individual customer, which can help build trust and loyalty.
Increased Engagement
Live chat can help businesses engage with customers more meaningfully. By offering a convenient and accessible support option, businesses can establish a rapport with customers and build stronger relationships over time.
Open source helpdesk ticketing system
Unlike many others, Tiledesk offers a unique solution to a common problem: an obsolete ticketing system. But first thing first: what’s a Ticketing system? It is an automated system that prioritizes client requests in a shared inbox. An agent can respond to a message from the helpdesk ticketing platform in real-time without having to switch to the appropriate digital communication channel.
Tiledesk offers an open-source ticketing system that can merge with live chat and chatbot for evolving customer service levels. The goal is to provide a nearly impeccable product that has customer satisfaction at heart and support agents.
Ultimate customer support combo: live chat and ticket system
Time is of the essence when dealing with customer service. Not only do you not want to keep your clients hanging, but you also want to be quick and focused. Ideally, you would like to keep your client-related communication in one place, including your ticketing system. Regardless of your business size, dealing with all clients’ issues in real-time is nearly impossible. This is why it’s crucial to effortlessly retrieve clients’ messages and respective issued tickets exclusively on one platform. How? By combining live chat support with email ticketing to create conversational ticketing.
Still not convinced? According to Hubspot’s updated research, 93% of customers will likely make repeat purchases with excellent customer service companies. Moreover, customers are also getting more impatient, demanding, and independent.
Why is Tiledesk the best live chat for businesses?
Here are some other interesting features:
Email ticketing
Since no human agent is available 24/7, email notifications of your issued tickets are additional reassurance that you won’t be missing out on clients’ messages while offline. Importantly, you can switch from the chat channel to the email channel simply by replying to the notification emails when you receive a chat message from your client outside office hours. You can also easily switch from email to chat again by clicking on the link at the footer of the email, as below. You can learn more about how your clients can issue email tickets through live chat and email here.
Add notes for agents
Do you have more than one agent assigned to your customer service? If you answered yes, you’d be delighted to hear that your agents’ ability to make notes ensures that no useful information is lost. These notes can be public (visible to your team) or private (visible to agents dealing with a specific thread). An agent can leave a brief message regarding anything relevant for their colleague after a shift. Scroll down at the end of a chat to find this feature.
Add a follower
If you’re a supervisor or interested in a thread potentially useful in the future, you can follow the thread. Just add your or a colleague’s name in the relevant field on the left side of the conversation toolbar, as below.
Final thoughts
Adding a live chat feature to a business website can significantly impact its success. It improves customer experience, increases engagement, and boosts sales conversion rates. Studies show that 92% of customers are satisfied with their live chat experience, live chat increases website engagement by 50%, and customers who use it are three times more likely to make a purchase. Additionally, live chat is cost-effective for businesses, as it reduces the need for additional staff.
Check out this insightful customer story that emphasizes the importance of prioritizing customer satisfaction in business!
The Live Chat Advantage: Harnessing the Power of Real-Time Communication for Business Success
Jovana Ugrinic
From a legal background to being a newbie in the AI world. Content creator and language aficionado. Effortlessly bad singer.
3 Comments
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