Live chat is a popular and convenient option for customers to access support when online. Around 73% of customers find live chat the most satisfactory way of communication with a company, states Invesp. But how do you provide effective live chat service for your customers? Should you hire a dedicated live chat attendant or train your existing staff to handle live chat? Which option is better for your small business?
In this article, we will compare the pros and cons of hiring a live chat attendant versus training your staff to handle live chat. We will also provide some tips on how to train your staff to be effective at live chat.
Table of Contents
- Hiring a Live Chat Attendant
- Training Your Staff to Handle Live Chat
- Tips for Training Your Staff to Be Effective at Live Chat
- Summary
Hiring a Live Chat Attendant
Outsourcing your live chat service to a third-party provider means that you pay a fee to have someone else handle your live chat inquiries on your behalf.
The main benefits of hiring a live chat attendant are:
- You save time and resources on training and managing your own staff
- You get access to professional and experienced live chat agents who can handle complex and sensitive issues
- You can provide 24/7 live chat service without worrying about staff availability or overtime costs
- You can scale up or down your live chat service depending on your business needs and demand
The main drawbacks of hiring a live chat attendant are:
- You lose control and visibility over your live chat service quality and performance
- You risk losing your brand voice and personality in your live chat interactions
- You may face communication and cultural barriers with your live chat provider
- You may incur hidden or additional costs for extra features or services
Training Your Staff to Handle Live Chat
You can use your existing staff to provide live chat service for your customers. This means that you invest in training and equipping your staff with the skills and tools needed to deliver remarkable live chat support.
The main benefits of training your staff to handle live chat are:
- You retain control and visibility over your live chat service quality and performance
- You maintain your brand voice and personality in your live chat interactions
- You leverage your staff's product knowledge and customer relationships
- You create a more engaged and motivated workforce by offering them new skills and opportunities
The main drawbacks of training your staff to handle live chat are:
- You spend time and resources on training and managing your staff
- You may face challenges in finding and retaining qualified and skilled live chat agents
- You may struggle to provide 24/7 live chat service without increasing your staff workload or costs
- You may have difficulty in scaling up or down your live chat service depending on your business needs and demand
Tips for Training Your Staff to Be Effective at Live Chat
If you decide to train your staff to handle live chat, here are some tips on how to do it effectively:
Ensure they have comprehensive product knowledge. Your live chat agents are your brand ambassadors – so they must have significant and up-to-date knowledge about your products and services. They should be able to answer common questions, provide accurate information, and offer relevant solutions.
Teach them the best practices of live chat etiquette. Your live chat agents should follow the best practices of live chat etiquette, such as greeting customers politely, using proper grammar and spelling, avoiding jargon and slang, being empathetic and respectful, confirming understanding, providing clear instructions, thanking customers for their feedback, etc.
Train them on how to use the live chat software. Your live chat agents should be familiar with the features and functions of the live chat software that you use, such as initiating and ending chats, transferring chats, sending canned responses, attaching files, using emojis, etc. They should also know how to troubleshoot common technical issues and report any problems.
Monitor and coach them regularly. Your live chat agents should receive regular feedback and coaching on their live chat performance, such as response time, resolution rate, customer satisfaction, etc. You should also monitor their live chat interactions and provide them with constructive criticism and praise.
Encourage them to learn and improve continuously. Your live chat agents should be encouraged to learn and improve continuously by reading articles, blogs, books, etc on live chat best practices, customer service skills, product updates, etc. They should also be given opportunities to share their knowledge and experiences with their peers and managers.
Summary
Live chat is a popular and convenient option for customers to access support when online.
Hiring a live chat attendant can save you time and resources on training and managing your own staff, but it can also cost you control and visibility over your live chat service quality and performance.
Training your staff to handle live chat can retain your brand voice and personality in your live chat interactions, but it can also require you to spend time and resources on training and managing your staff.
The best option for your small business depends on your budget, goals, needs, and preferences. You should weigh the pros and cons of each option carefully and decide what works best for you and your customers.
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