What is Live Chat?

When a business provides support, they need to offer it in a way that appeals to the customer’s preferences. These days, you’ll find that companies offer multiple support channels such as phone, email, or even social media.

Of all these options, the most preferred channel is often live chat support. This is because people don’t want to wait on the phone or speak to someone with their voice. They might have a hard time understanding the person on the other side and this can lead to all kinds of misunderstandings. On the other hand, live chat allows you to leave a message now and then, it doesn’t demand much of your time, and it offers a bit more privacy.

But that’s not the only reason why live chat is preferred.

What exactly is live chat?

Live chat typically refers to an online chat support system that is focused on text instead of voice. It’s essentially like a chat box that you use to communicate with your customers whenever they have a support-related query. These systems can be managed by the company itself, but they can also be a cloud-based service that is managed by another company. Users can log on to a dashboard and then answer customer queries or assign operatives to specific tasks. The information can also be saved for reference or training purposes in the future, and customer data can be saved into different kinds of customer management software.

From a customer’s perspective, live chat is usually a small button at the bottom right of a website. This button can then be pressed to open up a chat window. Messages entered are sent directly to the live chat system which is usually visible to all support staff of a company. A customer support specialist is then assigned to that chat and will proceed to help the customer with their problems.

Why is live chat preferred by customers?

Customers prefer live chat for a number of reasons.

• They don’t need to speak over the phone. Many customers prefer to speak over text chat because they might have a hard time understanding the operative on the other side of the phone, or they just don’t want to commit time to speak over the phone.

• They don’t have to wait in long lines. There are often long queue times for phone-based support because there are a limited number of operatives and conversations can often last a long time, especially if there are occasional misunderstandings due to poor audio quality.

• They can easily communicate their message. Customers are given the chance to open with their query, meaning they can instantly be directed to the right support staff to manage their problem.

• They can send and receive images and links. Since it’s based entirely online, customers can easily send and receive images or links. For example, if a customer support staff needs to see a picture of a product to confirm the problem this is easy to do with the help of a live chat service.

• They can ask simple questions and get immediate answers. Lastly, customers won’t feel bad asking questions because they don’t need to wait in line for someone to pick up the call. They can just ask a question through live chat and eventually get a response.

Around half of all customers say they would switch to a new brand if they had a bad experience. If you can’t provide high-quality customer service, then there’s a good chance that you’re going to lose your customers.

In short, live chat services provide plenty of flexibility in how a customer receives support. It’s an effective system that can help them get their queries answered quickly and efficiently, meaning they spend less time trying to get in touch with your company and more time enjoying your products and services.

Why is live chat preferred by businesses?

Live chat for websites is a great way for businesses to handle customer support. Instead of needing to answer calls and make customers wait on hold due to a lack of staff, a single person can handle multiple support queries thanks to the help of a dashboard. These dashboards are excellent for managing multiple threads, and a support operative can escalate problems to senior staff if necessary.

The entire system is a lot cheaper and easier to manage than most support systems too. There’s no need to set up multiple phone lines and you don’t need to hire an entire team of staff that waits around on a phone. You also don’t need to hire staff local to you. You can recruit support staff from around the world because it’s a job they can do remotely.

In short, businesses enjoy having a live chat for websites because it’s an effective way to offer customer support, and it’s surprisingly affordable if you choose the right services.