10 Myths About Live Customer Service Chats Handled

Image by Yan Krukov from Pexels

Customer service chats are an invaluable tool for businesses. It’s a way to communicate with customers without waiting for them to pick up the phone, but some common misconceptions about live chat customer service need addressing. 

Here are ten myths about live chat we’re busting:

Myth #1: Customer Chat Is Expensive

You’ve probably heard that chat is expensive. After all, there’s the cost of the tool and training your agents on how to use it. But guess what?

You can reduce costs by using live chat!

In fact, many brands have found that live chat customer service has helped them increase conversion rates, sales, and an overall lift in revenue. In addition, customer satisfaction dramatically increases when you have a live customer service agent available 24/7 via chat.

Myth #2: All Chat Software Is The Same

The second myth is that all chat software is the same. In fact, there are many different chat software options available to you, depending on your business needs. This means that it can be difficult to know which one is best for your business.

The good news is that you don’t have to choose a specific option for your business! Instead, focus on what matters most: finding a solution that meets those needs and being able to use it easily.

Myth #3: You Need A Dedicated Team Of Agents For Chat

Actually, it’s not necessary to have someone specialising in your chats 24/7. In fact, you can have one agent handle multiple chats at once by simply being trained on how to deal with different types of customers and their problems. You don’t have to house your own team either; it can be cheaper to outsource your live chat customer service to companies that specialise in them.

Myth #4: Online Chats Are Slow

You might be surprised to learn that a fully-fledged, in-depth live chat can be completed in less than five minutes. And as long as you have the right tools, your customers will hardly notice any delay.

The focus of live chats, however, should be on quality over quantity. A few minutes of engaging customer service can hugely impact your brand image and customer loyalty. So even though it might take longer to resolve some customer complaints, it’s worth knowing that you’ve provided your customer with the best service possible.

Myth #5: Customers Don’t Like Chats

This is a common misconception, but it’s just not true. The truth is that customers love chats and prefer them to phone calls or emails. Consumers would rather use live chat than call centres because online chats provide immediate answers and solutions rather than queuing up for a call.

Myth #6: Online Chats Only Work For Technical Support

Online chats can be used for many different types of customer service, not just for technical support. Many companies use customer service chats to provide sales and marketing support, customer support, technical support and customer retention services.

Customer service chats are a great way to provide support without having to pay for the overhead of a call centre, and they’re also more convenient for customers who might not want to talk on the phone.

Myth #7: Agents Can’t Be Productive In The Chat Channel

This is a big one because we’ve all seen or heard of the horror stories of agents not being able to manage their time while chatting. But you know what? They are wrong! For starters, it’s not true that agents can’t do anything else while chatting – they just have to use the right tools. 

When using an agent management tool for live chat support, there are easy ways for agents to feel productive while they’re chatting:

  • Depending on how advanced your tool is, agents can get work done by creating tasks with templates that make it easy for them to enter information from chats into fields and automatically assign those tasks as tickets in your ticketing system.
  • Another way that some tools allow agents greater productivity through automation is by allowing them to create ‘tickets’ without actually opening them up in the system first. No need for manual clicking between screens.

Myth #8: Customers Prefer Phone Support Over Chat

You’re not alone if you believe that customers prefer phone support over chat. Customers can multitask while chatting, so many prefer it over phone calls that often require their full attention. They may also find it more convenient than calling your business with questions and concerns – especially if they need information fast!

In addition, people are usually more comfortable being honest with a stranger over chat than they would be on the phone. This means that customers who might feel less inhibited using chat will sometimes ask questions they wouldn’t necessarily ask over the phone.

Myth #9: Chat Is For Millennials Only

The myth that chat is only for millennial customers is one of the biggest myths standing in the way of businesses adopting this technology today. Everyone uses live chats. It’s a great way to communicate with millennials and other generations alike. 

On top of that, research shows that customers who use live chat are more likely to complete their purchase than those who don’t use it at all, so it would benefit your business greatly if you can get all your customers across all age groups to use your live chat feature. 

Myth #10: Your Agent’s Way of Responding Doesn’t Matter

Customers indeed want to reach out to a chat when they have a problem with their purchase. But if the agent they talk to isn’t engaging, it won’t be just the customer who feels disappointed – you’ll feel disappointed too.

Customer service agents are the face of your business, and when someone has an issue with them, it’s your brand that takes a hit. You need to make sure that you’re properly training your staff so they can handle any situation efficiently and effectively. If you don’t reinforce this type of training on a regular basis, then you run the risk of losing valuable customers who might not come back after their first bad experience with live chat support or another aspect of customer service in general.

Keep solving problems with a fully managed live chat service

Live chat is a great way to help customers find what they are looking for. It can also be used to make them feel important by asking them follow-up questions and showing that you care about their needs. If someone says something like, ‘I’m having trouble finding what I need’ then it’s important that you not only help them find what they need but also show what else your company can offer them. 

At Greechat, we specialise in providing a fully managed live chat service, helping more and more businesses every day drive more sales.