Chat Support Series: What NOT to Do [Part One]
Before the digital age, customer service came in the form of face-to-face interactions, snail mail, or phone calls. Nowadays, with tech innovations aplenty, customers can contact businesses through a vast selection of channels. Support requests can be submitted via social media DMs, comments and tags, live chat, AI/chatbots, SMS P2P messaging, OTT messaging apps such as WhatsApp, and many more.
As these tech innovations are so accessible and cost-effective, the demand for a diverse toolkit of support services has risen. Customers want more than just online alerts and updates via Application-to-Person (A2P) messaging. Instead, customers expect businesses to have convenient Person-to-Person (P2P) communication solutions available 24/7, providing various support options round the clock. With such high expectations, it's no wonder people are often disappointed.
What is chat support?
An online instant messaging service, chat support offers direct contact with a business for customer service purposes. Options to chat with a customer service representative can usually be found on a company's website, mobile app, and social media channels.
Chat support services can be implemented in various ways. Namely, live chat, chatbots, and AI and machine learning are commonly utilized by businesses. As live chat is operated by individual employees, chatbots are perfect for answering minor requests outside of business hours.
Live chat: during business hours, customer service representatives are available to provide direct assistance through the company's chat support channels.
Chatbots: a sophisticated algorithm that is preprogrammed and automated to attend to customer service requests over chat support. Chatbots can provide essential online assistance outside of designated business hours.
If a chatbot cannot find the appropriate resolution or the customer requests a human during business hours, a customer service representative can transition across to address the concern without interruption.
AI and Machine Learning: while artificial intelligence and machine learning are not the same things, they allude to similar chat support outcomes. It is expected that by 2025, almost 95% of customer interactions will be supported by AI technology. The idea is that AI and machine learning have the capacity to communicate with humans in natural language and intuitively reach a resolution.
Natural Language Processing (NLP) is a category of AI that focuses on the interaction between computers and humans. Particularly, it's the computer's ability to read, interpret, and derive meaning from human languages.
Chat support features for efficient business operations:
- Easy pop-up chatbox with notification options
- Fast response time
- Transcripts for documentation
- Connection to customer account
- Track past interactions
- Interactive elements such as FAQ menu, buttons, forms, and attachments
- Smooth bot-to-human transition
- CRM integration
- Bespoke industry solutions
- Robust reporting features
How to avoid brand-damaging pitfalls:
This is the ultimate checklist for what not to do when implementing chat support for your business.
1. Do not dawdle
"This is taking too long."
When it comes to instant messaging, customers expect a response that is just that—instant.
According to LiveChat's 2020 Customer Service Report, the first response time per chat takes 50 seconds on average. That means once the customer sends their message, within 50 seconds, a chatbot or customer representative has answered.
But timely replies don’t just apply for the first response. Throughout the whole exchange, it is crucial to inform the customer if there might be a delay or wait time to resolve their issue. Checking-in throughout that time is also helpful; it shows the customer that you respect their time and determines whether the customer is still present.
2. Do not make it difficult
"Why is this so hard?"
Chat support should be easy. The process should be more manageable than picking up the phone or sending an email or going into a store.
Excessive hurdles and touchpoints can deter prospects and annoy customers. Too many bells and whistles can be overwhelming. Fortunately, pop-up windows are ubiquitous for chat support on websites. They are small, collapsible, and present message alerts. This makes chat support accessible and user-friendly.
3. Do not automate every interaction
"Hello, am I talking to a robot?"
Setting up keywords and trigger responses can be exceptionally efficient for automating and filtering chat support queries. Here are a few reasons for implementing keywords and trigger responses:
- Provide an immediate response and welcome the customer
- Filter urgent requests by identifying target keywords and phrases
- Present relevant resources currently accessible on the website (i.e., FAQs or tutorials)
- Provide a menu of options that align with specific keywords and phrases
- Follow up on a conversation if the chat box is open, but there has been no activity for a period
- Offer opportunities to rate or review the experience once an issue is resolved or a conversation is closed
However, automated responses can also confuse and annoy customers if it doesn't address the initial concern. Instant messaging has become one of the most popular ways to communicate, so it's quite jarring when an automated response replies with something irrelevant or even rude. Ensuring your automated response aligns with customer queries is vital.
In addition to this, approximately 71% of consumers express some level of frustration when they have an impersonal brand experience, according to Segment's 2017 State of Personalization Report. Live chat is similar to phone calls. Customers seek assistance through either of these support channels to obtain a deeper level of help and personalization. Something that a basic automated chatbot could not provide.
4. Do not hire the wrong staff
"I explained the issue three times already!"
Without an in-depth knowledge of the business and understanding of their role, employees can cause more damage than good. Hiring low budget customer service representatives is tempting. But, it's vital to know that they will represent your brand and overall work ethic. For many customers, these staff members are the first point of call to your business.
Not everyone is trained before they start a new job. In fact, a lot of people learn on the job and with hands-on experience. But it's the business' responsibility to hire the right person for the job, provide the proper training, and develop relevant skills. In this case, someone with proven customer service skills, a willingness to learn, and enthusiasm to grow in their role.
5. Do not underestimate peak times
"Why isn't anyone online when I need them?"
Office hours might be 9 to 5, but that doesn't mean that customer support ceases to exist outside of those hours. Likewise, 24/7 chat support may not be possible for your business, particularly if resources are tight. If it's still not enough, consider getting best business phone service to keep the good communication going more smoothly.
Depending on your industry, target audience, and customer base, chat support's peak times will vary from business to business. Especially for international companies with office locations and customers across the globe.
Analytics and reporting can determine the average peak times over a week, identifying when chat support is in the highest demand. That way, you can allocate staff and appropriate resources to attend to these requests. Avoid missing opportunities to help your customer with a purchase. If it's still not enough, consider getting a telephone to keep the good communication going more smoothly.
6. Do not close too early
"Wait, don't go! I have another question."
Assuming that every single customer has only one question or concern is naive.
This one is simple; closing a conversation as soon as possible can lose opportunities. A customer might have one big issue caused by many others, a few minor unrelated issues or just the one concern plus a question about a future product launch.
By closing a conversation too early, the opportunity to provide value to your customer is lost. And so is the chance to upsell and promote new products and services. Concluding with the question, "Can I help you with anything else?" doesn't immediately end the interaction. Instead, it provides the customer with the chance to raise other concerns and ask questions, allowing your brand to add value.
7. Do not overshare
"Um, that's a bit creepy. How did you know that?"
Most chat support systems gather and store customer information according to their interactions with a brand. Some of this information is sensitive and confidential, and should not be repeated back to the customer.
Obviously, any personal data collected should be compliant with laws and regulations. But it is also best practice to be transparent about what data is collected and how it benefits the customer.
When a customer service representative brings up privileged information, it can put people off. Especially if the customer doesn't immediately remember sharing that information. The representative should only discuss sensitive data for the required instances and practice all the necessary security measures accordingly.
8. Do not disengage and lose opportunities
"Do you have any upcoming promos or product launches?"
Similar to 6. Do not close too early, it's easy to miss upsell opportunities if you disengage.
Providing helpful assistance is the main priority of chat support. By understanding and engaging with customers, your business can go the extra mile. Adding value to the customer's experience can do wonders.
For example, if a customer were unsure about which product to buy, providing a link to all the stats and comparisons would help. But providing additional links to reviews/recommendations and suggesting useful pairings would be going the extra mile.
9. Do not overlook follow-ups
"So, it's still not working..."
Polite and straightforward follow-ups show your customer that you care.
Whether the experience was positive or not, a follow-up gives the customer a chance to speak up. If the outcome was not ideal, this moment offers you the opportunity to remedy the situation. If it worked out well and your customer is happy, you can document this chat support experience for future interactions and training purposes.
10. Do not forget customer service etiquette
"Wow, rude much?"
Involving high energy, a fast-paced environment, and constant priority stacking, customer service representatives need to provide the best service. All the while remaining calm and helpful during difficult situations.
Quality customer service etiquette must be upheld for every customer. One negative customer experience (CX) can mean a loss for the business: in customer loyalty, brand reputation, and revenue. PWC reports that 32% of consumers will leave a brand they love after only one bad experience.
When calculating Net Promoter Score (NPS), customers categorized as Detractors can potentially ruin a brand's reputation through negative word-of-mouth. By consistently providing courteous and helpful customer service, the impact of Detractors can be minimized.
The ten 'what NOT to do 's', alongside the Sephora example in part two of this series, will assist any chat support strategy.
It's essential to adapt your customer service strategy with the ever-evolving globalization of the internet, social media, and communication channels. Providing assistance and accessibility to your customers through chat support is easy and efficient with a strong communication strategy and customer success team.
