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. , SMS, , 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 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 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 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. Use technologies such as WebRTC to but not both. Recruit for the behaviours you capture additional information about a customer’s require in your web chat agents and train browsing journey and account history and pass the skills (see tip 9). this through to the web chat agent. Good writing skills and an ability to communicate Where appropriate, consider passing the customer clearly/concisely are essential requirements for through to a specialist who deals with their any web chat agent. Then there are job specific particular type of account/query - or to a person that requirements. If the role of the web chat agent they have dealt with before. This will often provide is to help with checkout conversion, consider hiring the best chance of delivering a successful interaction. people with sales experience. If its a technical Give priority to customers arriving from certain pages role, check out their ability to grasp technical that have the biggest impact on CX or sales, or where information. If yours is a multi-lingual centre, a quick response is essential. Furthermore, consider check out their language skills, and so on. offering the option of an email or eForm if a delayed response would suffice - or even a self-help option. TIP Upskill chat agents TIP Create Guides, appropriately Templates and 9 10 Knowledge Centres

As well as training chat agents with product/service While we don’t advocate the heavy use of scripted specific skills and general customer service skills, it’s responses - as these often result in ‘robotic’ important to deliver skill training appropriate to the answers from agents that negatively impact on channel they are handling. In the case of web chat, customer experiences - the use of Chat Templates that may include teaching agents how to: to handle responses to certain common issues is recommended. So too are Agent Guides that • Put themselves in the customers’ shoes both suggest on-brand words and phrases and during a chat provide ‘how to?’ advice and FAQs to resolve • Identify what a successful customer outcome common problems. may look like • Personalise the conversation Consider incorporating guides and templates into a • Avoid the use of jargon comprehensive knowledge centre that can be updated • Communicate the corporate brand by agents on an on-going basis to share knowledge • Deliver concise answers and positive tips. Maybe even run a competition • Use punctuation and grammar correctly amongst agents where the best new addition or • Adopt the right tone of voice tip wins a weekly prize! • Show and create a warm conversation.

While much of this will be appropriate to any text- based response, additional training may be required for Email, Twitter, and other text-based contact handling.

TIP Keep customers TIP Use web chat to 11 informed at all times 12 extend opening hours

When customers have to wait to be answered, Chat doesn’t have to be just 9am to 5pm. provide a position-in-queue announcement or Many organisations use web chat today to extend an estimated time-to-answer. Also show activity service opening hours by using an outsourcer or indicators on screen - such as ‘agent typing’ - company-employed homeworkers to deliver web chat so that the customer can see progress at services when their main contact centre all times and know that they are receiving operations are closed. your full attention. TIP Optimise services TIP Consider your 13 for mobile users 14 security obligations

With 93 per cent of UK consumers now owning Especially around network security, how data a mobile phone and 66 per cent owning a (such as passwords and personal information) smartphone8, tailoring customer services for mobile is given, how accounts are accessed, and how users is increasingly important - and web chat is no customer and interaction data is stored. exception. Optimise the web chat user experience Wherever possible, keep sensitive information for mobile phone users by keeping the account out of web chats. verification process simple, keeping text responses short and keeping any file attachments small. Also, consider integrating web chat support into mobile applications for regular users.

TIP Ensure that TIP Measure success interactions are from different angles compliant with 15 industry regulations 16 To be compliant with Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) Use a comprehensive range of KPIs to measure guidelines, organisations must have stringent controls success - from Service Level measures around wait in place to prevent data loss or theft by their time, to quality scoring, CSAT, conversion rates, employees or third-party suppliers. To be compliant first contact resolution, customer effort, Voice of the with Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards Customer scores, and more. View web chat results (PCIDSS) sensitive card data must be kept private in conjunction with results from web analytics to to protect users. Compliance with these important evaluate how effective it has been in improving the regulations is possible with the right policies and performance of e-commerce and other web sites. procedures in place. If unsure, always speak to a compliance expert. TIP Incorporate a TIP Combine customer post contact feedback with web 17 survey button 18 site analysis

Solicit ‘Voice of the Customer’ feedback through Don’t just stop at web chat analysis. Look holistically post web chat surveys. Provide a survey button at your service and sales/marketing operation by within your web chat area and use customer combining web chat analytics with CRM information feedback to improve web site user experiences and visitor stats in order to assess who’s visiting as well as your web chat service. Also boost your your site, where they came from, what search engine social media presence by posting positive ‘Voice keywords they used, their navigation history, of the Customer’ feedback from customers online what issues they encountered etc. This will and encouraging them to post their own comments provide an excellent data pool for Customer and feedback on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Journey Mapping and for enhancing your Instagram and other social sites. Customer Engagement strategy.

TIP Offer chat transcripts TIP Consider 19 to customers 20 a ‘chatbot’

Provide transparency and boost customer The latest craze in automated web communication, experiences by offering customers access to full chatbots are computer programs that mimic chat transcripts upon completion of interactions. conversation with people using artificial intelligence. If appropriate, email transcripts to customers Bots can answer questions from web site visitors along with Voice of the Customer survey forms. and proactively send to them, bringing a whole new perspective to the chat experience. Chat transcripts should also be stored in CRM or case management systems to ensure that vital Clothing retailer H&M’s chatbot, for example, prompts information or advice is not lost once the chat visitors to teach it about styles that they like through window is closed. a series of questions, and then it starts to recommend outfits. If someone likes an article of clothing, the bot sends them to a mobile website to buy it. Chatbots are intelligent enough to tailor suggestions to web site visitors based on their account details, pref- erences, previous enquiries etc. Concluding thoughts

We hope this practical guide has provided a framework if you are just starting out or offered a few new ideas if you are a more experienced practitioner. Either way, we wish you well in delivering memorable and valued customer service experiences.

1 Ofcom “Communications Market Report” 2013

2 ContactBabel “UK Decision-Makers Guide” 2015

3 eDigital “Customer Service Benchmark” 2013

4 ATG “Live Help: Global Consumer Views & Trends” 2010

5 Forrester Research “Making Proactive Chat Work” 2010

6 Forrester Research “Making Proactive Chat Work” 2010

7 ContactBabel “UK Decision-Makers Guide” 2015

8 Ofcom “Communications Market Report” 2015 About Puzzel Puzzel is a leading provider of customer interaction solutions. With nearly 20 years’ experience, Puzzel was one of the first to develop a cloud-based contact centre. Highly flexible and scalable, Puzzel can be adapted to accommodate from one to several thousand concurrent agents using any device, in any location and integrates with multiple applications seamlessly.

Puzzel is one of the few contact centre solutions that is completely multi-channel. Puzzel agents can respond to Phone, Email, Chat, Social Media and SMS enquiries all within the one application.

For more information please visit www.puzzel.com

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