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20 Quick Tips When Considering Web Chat As a Service Channel

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20 Quick Tips When Considering Web Chat As a Service Channel White Paper 20 quick tips when considering web chat as a service channel puzzel.com About this White Paper Increased ownership of multi-channel communications devices has brought about significant changes in people’s behaviours and expectations. 53 per cent of UK adults are now regular media multi-taskers according to a recent Ofcom study - with around 25 per cent regularly engaging in media-meshing (i.e. interacting or communicating about the TV content they are viewing). 49 per cent regularly media-stack (i.e. conduct unrelated media tasks while watching TV)1. This desire to multi-task across different communications channels has also had a major impact on people’s expectations of customer service. Consumers today expect to be in control of the communications process. Rather than be told when and how they can raise service issues, they expect to be given a full range of multi-channel contact options, as well as efficient service with minimal disruption - each and every time they require help. Over the last few years, service departments and organisations have responded to this challenge by delivering: • More digital customer communications channels (e.g. email, SMS, social media, web chat and web self-service) • More customer self-service options (e.g. via the phone or the web) • An increase in non real-time one-to-one communications options (e.g. via email and SMS) Resolving a service query today is no longer something that has to be conducted in real-time by interacting with a live person. With recent technology advances, it is now something that can be done just as effectively by dealing with a person - or an intelligent automated resource - in non real-time. And often, while the consumer is undertaking other activities. The web chat promise Web chat addresses many of the service issues raised above - i.e. it: • Delivers a one-to-one service experience • Is near real-time while also ensuring consumers can multi-task • Can deliver a seamless digital experience (i.e. it is often an integrated feature of the web site and can easily be integrated with marketing instruments, such as visitor tracking and analytics). No surprise, therefore that web chat is one of the most popular digital channels for customer service today, used by 39 per cent of UK customer service organisations2. However it is not appropriate in every situation. In this White Paper we ask: • Is web chat right for your organisation - and your customers? • What are the potential benefits? • How do you get started with web chat? Is web chat the right tool? Here are some of the advantages and limitations of web chat. On the plus side, it’s a modern, near real-time, Here are some of the benefits of web chat that digital medium that most of today’s digitally-aware customers have reported: consumers are comfortable with. It is immediate • Enhanced customer satisfaction: 73 per cent (i.e. consumers don’t need to fish around for a of customers report being satisfied with live number to call or an email to write to), convenient, web chat as a service channel (compared integrated into other digital channels, and takes to 61 per cent for email and 44 per cent away the hassle of having to navigate automated for phone)3 phone systems and wait on-hold to be answered. There’s also no background noise, involves limited • Increased channel choice: 83 per cent of queuing, and people don’t have to mess around European customers say that live chat is with understanding foreign accents if the contact ‘useful to extremely useful’ when making centre is offshore. purchases online4. • Enhanced online shopping experiences: And of course it’s relatively cheap. According to Giga 44 per cent of online consumers say that having Group, it costs about 10x less for organisations to questions answered by a live person while in handle a web chat than a phone call, while consumers the middle of an online purchase is one of the don’t have to pay for phone charges. It’s also great 5 most important features a Web site can offer for sales conversion according to a number of recent surveys, especially as a result of re-ducing shopping • Increased customer loyalty: 63 per cent of basket abandonment. consumers state that they are more likely to return to a website that offers live chat6. On the downside, it’s not ideal for every type of interaction. If the nature of the query is sensitive, No surprise, therefore, that 16 per cent of UK for example, it’s often easier for the agent to engage contact centre managers have web chat as a top emotionally with the customer by phone than by three investment priority - with 52 per cent of 7 web chat or email. managers actively looking for a web chat solution . It’s also easier for customers to explain complex issues over the phone - firstly, because the phone conversation is real time (not near real time like web chat), and secondly because people can talk faster than they can type! In addition, it’s often easier to make a sale or encourage a customer to up-grade a product/service over the phone than via email or web chat. Overall, web chat is an efficient, effective and low cost method of service delivery that can deliver a rapid Return on Investment for most modern customer service operations. 20 quick tips to get started with web chat TIP Analyse the nature TIP Is web chat of customer the right tool? 1 demand 2 Before starting your web chat journey, step back and Assess whether web chat is the best tool for ask yourself “why are customers contacting us?” the service you are operating. The aim of any Is it a ‘negative’ contact? For example, a customer Customer Engagement plan should be to provide reporting a failed process (such as a missed delivery) customers with the answers they are seeking as or a broken product? Or is it a ‘positive’ contact, quickly and efficiently as possible - regardless such as a customer calling to upgrade, or purchase of the channel used. So assess the potential a complimentary product? Undertaking a root cause value that web chat can bring. Also ask yourself analysis of reported problems and then acting on that whether adding chat buttons on web site product insight could lead to changes in processes, or to new and checkout pages, newsletters, and social media agent training, that eliminates many of the reasons pages would be more or less effective than adding why customers are making contact in the first place. phone numbers or links to additional information Also, examine the potential role that web chat can (given your audience, product portfolio, corporate play in enhancing ‘positive’ contacts by improving objectives etc.). The decision to channel switch conversion rates, customer satisfaction (CSAT) etc. to web chat should be based on customer experience as much as it is on cost. TIP Prioritise pages and TIP Limit the use of make web buttons proactive chat 3 highly visible 4 Not all web chat conversations are of equal If a customer has been hovering around a checkout importance. For example, a chat initiated at checkout or FAQ page for longer than the average browse relating to a product query will probably be more time, it sometimes makes sense to use a ‘proactive’ valuable than one relating to a password refresh. chat option (i.e. to pop a web chat screen on the So provide priority routing for customers arriving from customer’s screen). Proactive chat has a place, key web pages - and make web chat buttons highly for example to resolve concerns over delivery options, visible on these pages. but can be invasive if over used. Simple branding on a pop-up function is recommended rather than anything over elaborate. TIP Consider how web TIP Trial services chat will impact before Go Live 5 resource allocation 6 Forecast how many web chat agents are required It’s key that you test your web chat service, to handle expected future contact volumes at experiencing how it works and understanding various times - and what skills those agents require. the steps that customers go through to resolve In many respects, it’s a similar exercise to scheduling particular queries. Amend your service set-up resources for expected levels of phone contact. in line with good/bad service experiences and In others, however, it’s very different. The average customer feedback. Start with a few services handle time for a web chat, for example, can be very and then bring on new ones over time. different to a call. Also, while a call handler only handles one call at a time, a web chat agent can handle multiple interactions at the same time (usually between 2 and 4 dependent on the nature of the interaction). In a fully blended multi-channel environment, workforce planners will often reduce chat availability during peak call handling times in order to balance the overall workload. Many will also use ‘dynamic availability’ techniques to move live agents between calls, chats and emails to ensure consistent service levels as work loads on different channels change. TIP Use intelligent routing TIP Select web chat to boost customer agents carefully 7 experience (CX) 8 Ensure that the customer’s routing experience is Don’t assume that your best telephone agents as smooth and pain-free as possible. If you ask for will make good web chat agents. Even though customer details up front, don’t ask for too much both deliver live agent service, organisations info - a simple capture of name and email is usually often have agents that excel at one or the other, enough.
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