Call center customer service is changing. As the way we communicate evolves with our ever-changing culture, the way we do business must adapt along with it. Nowhere is this truer than in the call center setting, where communication isn’t just important – it’s the backbone of the entire operation.
One of the critical elements of this evolution in call center communication is the use of live chatting. Here, we look at how this technology has gone from a purely social medium to the future of customer service in a very short time – and how to put it to work in your call center this year.
Why Use Live Chat Technology in Your Call Center?
It may seem odd to add live chatting to your arsenal of technology and communication techniques when you already operate a call center. After all, what do you need with chat technology when you have voice calling capability and more? As mentioned previously, the way we communicate as a society is changing – shouldn’t your approach to contacting and staying in touch with your consumers evolve with it?
Live chat technology allows you to offer an additional option for those who aren't comfortable with phone conversations. Statistics show that an overwhelming percentage of people prefer text conversations these days, as they feel less anxious during these exchanges. Give your consumers one more reason to be happy with their contact from you by offering them something that takes the pressure off them – and continues to make valuable connections for you. It’s truly the future of customer service!
The Benefit of Giving Your Consumer Something to Look At
One of the most awkward things about phone conversations – and one of the reasons so many people hate this type of communication – is the fact that you can’t see the person on the other end of the line. Small aspects of live conversation that can be comforting, such as gestures and facial expressions are lost to the silence of the phone line. This can make callers feel uneasy or even agitated and leave conversations far more tense and awkward than they need to be.
The solution? Giving callers something to look at. Specifically, giving your caller something that they can see that moves in real time with their conversation or that they can control the speed of will give them a feeling of control over the entire situation, putting them at ease with the exchange.
There are two ways that this particular benefit can be applied to your call center operation. If you are using live chat in place of traditional voice conversations or as an alternative option, consumers who are chatting with a representative can see the conversation happening and feel some sense of control during the entire exchange. If you are using live chat technology to supplement your existing voice conversation options, the addition of something for your caller to look at and visually interact with during the exchange can be comforting for them.
Avoiding Other Traditional Call Center Issues
There are many problems that call centers face that seem to be unavoidable. One of the most common is the language barrier. Even though today's call centers are staffed with personnel from around the world with fluency in multiple languages, their accents may still make it difficult for some callers or clients to understand them. Those who are hard of hearing or have other disabilities may also struggle to understand what is being said over the phone, even if the person on the other end of the line has clear, crisp, regionally familiar diction.
How can call centers overcome this common problem? Rather than changing their workforce – and thereby potentially discriminating against hardworking and well-qualified employees – they should implement live chat technology as a supplement or replacement for traditional voice technology. It breaks language barriers, helps to overcome disabilities that clients and callers may have, and offers a better call center experience for everyone involved.
Another common call center issue that live chatting helps to solve is that of inconvenience to the caller or client. Making contact or receiving a call from an agent isn’t always well-timed or convenient for the consumer and starting off on a bad foot this way can make the resulting conversation an awkward and uncomfortable one. To keep the consumer comfortable and amiable, catering to their convenience is a top priority.
How does live chatting help with this? By offering an anytime, anywhere, multitasking solution! Consumers can make contact whenever they are ready, can engage in other activities while they do so, and can still experience all the benefits of that contact – without sacrificing anything to get it. That’s modern marketing made easy. That’s the future of customer service, right at your fingertips today!
Information Collection and Logging Made Easy
Perhaps one of the biggest benefits of text conversations as a supplement or replacement to your company’s traditional voice conversation methods is that they make collecting and storing important information from these conversations easy and intuitive.
If a customer has a complaint and logs into the chat room to express their concerns, these chat messages are automatically archived. This means that should any problems arise on either side, the company and the consumer can both ask to see the archived chats conversations – and quickly access the necessary information therefrom. This is helpful from a legal standpoint, but also from a customer service standpoint; knowing that you have all the information necessary to make a correction if one is needed is a great feeling for a customer service agent.
Want to learn more about how you can harness the nearly-endless capability of live chatting to create your company’s own better future of customer service? Contact the experts at ChaseData and let us guide you through the process of matching our excellent technology to your company’s numerous needs. No matter what you’re looking for, we have a solution to help you improve that aspect of your business in the coming year.
