Do you consider live chat an asset?

We find our clients use the live chat 8 out of 10 times. Offcourse, live chat is not for everyone and some always default to ticket no matter what.
We not only offer pre-sales via live chat, but also live technical support so we can assist some clients on a step by step basis, we find this much more effective for a quick resolution rather than waiting for ticket replies and also invite ticket clients to live chat for immediate resolutions.
The great thing is we also have live chat attached to the clientarea and a signed in client automatically has their account details picked up by the chat software letting the chat rep know whom it is they are transacting with.
Just as with ticket, all live chat tickets can be archived, delegated to a specific support request and tracked.
Live chat also creates a personal bond between our clients and strengthens trust. For our business use, live chat has been the single most important tool we have deployed thus far.
 
DocVM said:
The great thing is we also have live chat attached to the clientarea and a signed in client automatically has their account details picked up by the chat software letting the chat rep know whom it is they are transacting with.
Just as with ticket, all live chat tickets can be archived, delegated to a specific support request and tracked.
Click to expand...

That is a great implementation.

As a client, I would much rather be in a live chat resolving the matter than sitting tight and waiting for a reply to my ticket. It'd give me a peace of mind and a more positive image of the company to know that my issue is being worked on, right now. Even if it means waiting 30 minutes, the convenience of knowing you can fix an issue through conversation, a format way more familiar, is a great add-on.
 
Artashes said:
That is a great implementation.

As a client, I would much rather be in a live chat resolving the matter than sitting tight and waiting for a reply to my ticket. It'd give me a peace of mind and a more positive image of the company to know that my issue is being worked on, right now. Even if it means waiting 30 minutes, the convenience of knowing you can fix an issue through conversation, a format way more familiar, is a great add-on.
Click to expand...

Thank you and agreed!
With tickets, we find that the waiting is on both sides and if too many tickets are coming in at once, the rep assigned to the tickets tends to lose focus on their objective and that is when the replies gets more robotic and less personal as well as taking more time than it should have.
Live chat streamlines all these issues and leads to a much faster resolution on both sides.
I'd personally prefer for all clients to utilise the live chat feature as it eliminates ticket wait times. Also, it eliminates confusion as some clients are not native English speakers meaning they need to submit 4-5 replies in a ticket before the rep thinks they understand the issue and even then it could be hit and miss. With live chat, they can have an understanding in a minute or two reducing frustration and accelerating productivity.
 
As a customer, adding live chat benefits me personally a lot. A quick easy way to ask a question. I usually test the live chat before purchasing to ensure the quality of the support team, response times etc. Sometimes live chat can be a life saver in an emergency (server down etc).

As a host, it has increased my conversion rate highly. After being able to answer pre-sales questions, I noticed conversion rates going up a lot. People tend to just click off if they can't have their question answered instantly.
 
It's definitely a convenient way for a client to contact you. In a competitive market, end users may have too short of an attention pan to send out an email or make a phone call. You have to stay on top of chat messages, though.
 
Live chat should be for sale related queries only because it does not take to much time to reply and leave a good impression on the client. On the other hand for technical queries client should be asked to open a support ticket because usually, it takes time to resolve the issue.
 
stromind said:
Live chat should be for sale related queries only because it does not take to much time to reply and leave a good impression on the client. On the other hand for technical queries client should be asked to open a support ticket because usually, it takes time to resolve the issue.
Click to expand...

That is a waste of the live chat feature and a waste of time for both client and your support reps.
Yes, tickets do take time, mainly because of the wait between each parties responses.
Live chat eliminates this extra time waiting and possibly anxiety. With live chat technical support available, clients are more than happy to wait while their issue is resolved rather than waiting for a ticket that might be misinterpretated 5 times before understood.
 
stromind said:
Live chat should be for sale related queries only because it does not take to much time to reply and leave a good impression on the client. On the other hand for technical queries client should be asked to open a support ticket because usually, it takes time to resolve the issue.
Click to expand...

Live chat is wasted just for sales, you can offer level 1 tech support over live chat with ease and in some cases level 2 tech support can be handled by live chat.

For complicated level 3 support yes tickets is the best option.
 
Live chat for sales is a huge yes.

For support, a hosting company would prefer tickets as it enables a tech to properly troubleshoot any issues and provide a more thorough response. However from a customer perspective, many do prefer live chat so it does make sense to have at least level 1 support available over live chat (if you have the team/resources to do so).

If you are just starting up (one-man band) I would personally recommend having live chat but hiding it when offline. Customers seeing an offline chat system is much worse than them not seeing live chat at all IMO.
 
We have been considering implementing a live chat on our site for fast inquiry and sales and probably will. I'm talking about a front facing one on a site that could be turned on/off on a schedule, easy alert to a phone. Whenever I see them I think it is cool but too good to be true and in this age of instant gratification it could be useful for leads.

As for ticketing and user response I've seen some great reviews of Kayako, might migrate our ticketing system over. Would be useful to have a text chat line open instead of relaying emails and tickets. Thanks for the good ideas guys and gals!
 
Live chat has definitely helped bring in pay clients. It is a shame to lose a client that you paid good marketing dollars for, but left due to an unanswered question, or confusion on how your plans work, etc..
With that being said, make sure that you can handle the live chat by working full time, or if this is a side project, make sure you can afford the staff to handle your core business hours.
 
casthost said:
Live chat has definitely helped bring in pay clients. It is a shame to lose a client that you paid good marketing dollars for, but left due to an unanswered question, or confusion on how your plans work, etc..
Click to expand...

I completely agree. It is quick and so much convenient.

I believe all hosting companies should enable it for Sales, Support & Billing too. Customers love it because it’s so much faster.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Supporters

Back
Top