With customers today exposed to the gold standard of customer service, excellent customer experience has become the need of the hour for businesses. It would be best if you delivered nothing short of a 5-star customer experience through every channel every single time. Live chat has become an excellent customer interaction channel through which it can deliver a great customer experience. Want to know how? Here are nine easy steps to achieve excellence in customer experience using live chat.
Excellence in customer experience using live chat
Step 1 – Make the Chat button visible
Please ensure your customers can easily find that chat or contact button on your website. It only amounts to a great customer experience if the customer has to look for it. Setting up an automated and customized message that engages your audience is a great way to get noticed. A prominent and colorful chat now button will do the trick, too.
Step 2 – Don’t let the customer wait
Once the chat starts, make sure your customers get an answer. The point of chatting is not having to wait in a queue. Have your live chat agents talk to a few visitors at a time. This way, you will always have somebody ready to chat.
Step 3 – Personalize
Personalizing results in incredible experience. You can use live chat software that integrates with CRM to gather information about the customer, including their location, chat history, etc. The information will give you an insight into the customer. You can also find important insight about the customer from the notes you and your colleagues made.
Step 4 – Lend an Ear
While chatting with a customer, live chat agents should be more precise when providing solutions, as they have customers’ questions that must be written in front of them. Listening to their problems first will help you find an accurate solution much quicker.
Step 5 – Let the customer know if you need more time
There will be times when a ready solution is not available. So when you need research or expert advice, communicate the same to your customer. Please give them a time frame and get back to the customer within the timeframe.
Step 6 – Take it easy on canned responses
Use simple language while talking with customers. Having a personality while interacting via live chat will help you provide a great experience to your customers. It is better not to use too many canned responses. Use them only when you need to speed up the interaction while staying consistent with customer satisfaction.
Step 7 – Empathy is everything
Empathy is a must-have skill for everyone who wants to work in customer support. Without the ability to imagine what the customers go through and how it makes them feel, your reactions won’t be genuine. Knowing the customer’s situation will help you find a solution quickly.
Step 8 – End a chat on a positive note
You have probably heard the phrase – “All’s well that ends well.” It is valid for your live chat interactions as well. The way you finish your interaction will have a lasting impression. If handled poorly, it can create a bitter memory for the customer. Ask customers if they’re satisfied with the solution you provided or whether there’s any part of the conversation that they didn’t understand and need further explanation.
Also, you need to ask if there’s anything else that they need help with. You can end the chat to hear from them. Saying this will remind them that you are there for them.
Step 9 – Follow up with the customer
Remember to send a follow-up to the customer -it is the best way to finish fantastic customer service. Please don’t hesitate to use email for follow-ups and ask if everything works as it should.
This way, you can give your customers a great live chat experience.