The steady rate of growth in how technology is a part of our everyday lives exploded in light of recent events. We’re looking at you 2019 and 2020. You know what you did. These years, more so than previous, brought us to a place where going online or on an app is second nature to most consumers. One of these main features is the incorporation of Live Chat where we can instantly assist your consumers!
As demand for online options have increased exponentially however, there is a gap emerging between the consumer’s expectations and what brands and organizations are offering in terms of support. A recent article from Forbes shared that 83% of customers expect to interact with someone immediately upon contact on a digital channel. But the latest customer service industry data shows that the average response time on a digital platform right now is over 10 minutes.
That means that brands who offer live chat or text-to-chat on their websites or direct message options on their social media are rarely meeting the demand and expectation that their customers have in getting answers or resolutions to issues and that is having a huge impact on the brand experience.
In an age where research already shows digital channels are the top preference for consumers under 50 and where those over 50 have been thrust into technology usage over the last few years, we are seeing an ever increasing demand for support, it’s time for everyone to be rethinking their service strategies so here are a few things to think about for your organization:
What platforms should we focus Live Chat on?
Organizations that have any sort of site where people place orders or complete transactions should strongly consider adding live chat to those pages to assist with any issues so that you don’t lose revenue to a technology glitch or frustrating experience. Companies or organizations without online sales sites may want to consider just using social media direct messages instead to focus on brand experience. Whatever platform you chose, be sure to have a plan for responding across ALL channels quickly!
How do we measure the impact of Live Chat?
Online service channels can be goldmines of data for your organization if you are tracking it all correctly. Here are just a few:
- Look for tagging tools within your platforms to be able to track trends for what pages cause the most questions or which pages drive the most revenue.
- Use a pre-chat form to collect names and email addresses to build your email marketing list.
- Quickly learn from customers if your site has a page that isn’t working, a broken link, or any sort of issue so that can be fixed quickly.
- Learn where your customers are chatting from to help focus your online ads to certain markets or demographics.
Who is going to do all this?
For many companies or organizations the thought of adding more to anyone’s already overloaded plate can be a daunting idea. As you evaluate the workload, consider what days or hours it’s feasible for your internal team to provide a quick response on these channels and if needed find an external partner for support.
The demand for online support across multiple channels will only continue to grow over the next few years so now is the time to make sure you have a plan in place to deliver top-notch support wherever your consumers interact with you!
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