With the Internet being the primary source of shopping and finding information before making a purchase, offering a customer-friendly browsing experience is paramount for any business website.
A common feature on websites today is the live chat service. Live chat service gives customers the opportunity to ask questions before making a purchase and address concerns efficiently. From a business standpoint, chat support service allows you to strike while the iron is hot and encourage visitors to make a purchase immediately.
If you don’t already have an online chat support service, check out this blog post about the best live chat software. If you already have live chat services in place, here are some of the best practices for delivering superior customer service.
Breathe and Smile Before Chatting
Regardless of if a person can see you or not, your tone can become abrupt or ambiguous during text conversations; if you are feeling frustrated or stressed. The simple act of taking a deep breath and smiling before beginning a conversation can help you transition into customer service mode
If the conversation becomes difficult or the customer is disgruntled, feel free to take five seconds to breathe and reset again before typing. Being in live chat customer service can be challenging, but the last thing you want is to display your frustration to the customer. Even worse, you might carry those feelings over to your next conversation.
Take a Moment to Proofread Before Hitting Send
You may feel rushed as you try to assist a customer. This can result in misunderstanding the issue at hand or making unnecessary grammatical errors. Many people experience the frustration of noticing a mistake immediately after hitting send. Take a moment to scan your words and even read them aloud to yourself before sending. This will ensure that you appear competent and thoughtful.
Keep the Customer Informed and Be Courteous
Solving a problem can sometimes be a timely, arduous process. If you know that something will take ten minutes, let the customer know. Thank them for their patience and apologize for the inconvenience. Repeatedly validating the importance of their time and reiterating your appreciation of them as a customer can help keep their morale up during the call.
Think of it from their perspective. If a potential customer is asking questions about a product, they will be more likely to make a purchase if they feel that their business is appreciated. If the customer is experiencing a problem, knowing that you are working to correct the mistake will make them more likely to buy from you again, despite the issue.
Be Human
Your advantage over an automated program is that you have the ability to make a human connection. Take this opportunity to build a rapport. If a potential customer is wondering if an item will be a good gift for her daughter’s fifth birthday, don’t just say yes or no; comment on how exciting that experience will be for her!
Alternatively, if you have someone who is worried the item they purchased won’t arrive before they need it, empathize with them. Let them know that you understand their frustration and do everything in your power to rectify the situation. Making a human connection in a technology-dominate world is immensely powerful and memorable.
To deliver superior customer service via live chat service, it is important to remember that your job is to help the person on the other end of the chatbox to the best of your ability.
This blog was first published on LinkedIn
