Zendesk guide to live chat support in 2023

Benefits of live chat support  

Live chat assistance provides several advantages for both customers and businesses.  

Customer satisfaction is improved with live chat support.  

Customers expect help as soon as possible. In less than five minutes, 28% of users expect a chat reaction, according to Zendesk’s 2020 Customer Experience Trends Report. Also, the new Zendesk 2022 Customer Experience Trends Report reveals that the number of requests for chat-based help climbed by almost 80% in 2020. This indicates that customers’ demand for prompt service is at an all-time high.  

Customers who wish to submit a support ticket without live chat frequently have to open a new window and locate the contact page. This implies that people leave their problem and move on to contact customer service and wait for a response. Pop-ups for a live chat should be carefully positioned throughout a website so users can get support without opening additional windows.  

Support via live chat is best for businesses.  

The business objectives listed by managers and agents in the Zendesk 2021 CX trends study are all in line with live chat:  

Scaling customer support operation: Without requiring a ton of new software, adding live chat support enables agents to assist more individuals.  

Better meet service level agreement: Lower wait times are made possible via live chat since an agent can speak with numerous users simultaneously. Reps can only speak to one customer at a time on the phone, and email causes delays.  

Resolve customer issues before they become bigger: Start a chat conversation with visitors to your website or app whenever a problem arises instead of waiting until they email or call.  

Regardless of your company’s objectives, live chat can improve customer satisfaction by resolving problems efficiently.  

Best practices for live chat assistance  

Live chat assistance is beneficial for both customers and businesses, as is well known. But how can you deliver this experience successfully? Consider these best practices for live chat, which will enable your agents to manage numerous chat requests without compromising quality.  

Place your chat window in a subtle location.  

A business should balance being inconspicuous and proactive with people who might require assistance while setting up a live chat. Pop-up chat windows should improve rather than detract from your customers’ experience.   

Think about where your chat window appears and how site visitors could reach it to make your chat experience a seamless component of your website. For instance, you might configure a clickable symbol on the bottom right of any page so users can request assistance when necessary.  

Train your support agents.  

Consider how you will teach your team before opening a live chat support channel. What do they need to know to effectively use this tool?  

While tracking incoming chats, would agents also support other customer service channels? If yes, think about showing them how to use the different capabilities on your CRM.  

You might also instruct your salespeople to keep a chat window open so they can browse internal and external sources of support content. Your agents will return well-prepared with the necessary equipment to resolve problems entirely. Representatives with this skill are likelier to solve problems in a single conversation.  

Examine the data from live chat software.  

Although they have different functions, live chat tools, and software provide useful information about the client journey, such as:  

• The website the user was on just before the discussion began  
• Operating system and device used by the client  
• How long they’ve spent on the website  
• How many visits and conversations they’ve had with the business so far  

Representatives can use this data to personalize their chat conversations. They will know to keep their responses succinct and to the point, if they see that a consumer is using a mobile device (no one wants to type on a smartphone keyboard all day). Reps can provide customers with basic information about the company and its products if unfamiliar with the website.  

Identify the number of chat agents you need  

Before implementing the live chat option, businesses must make a plan for how agents will handle it. Effective deployments consider chat routing, agent experience, and whether or not agents will be servicing other customer care channels concurrently.  

Use AI to improve your live chat experience.  

Use AI and chatbots in live chat to allow clients to resolve issues independently without getting in touch with a representative. An AI-powered chatbot can offer customers links from the support center so they can address problems quickly. No issue if the chatbot doesn’t provide an answer. The bot can escalate the inquiry to a real agent.  

The subscription-based food delivery service Freshly successfully combined AI, live chat, and self-service to improve the customer experience.  

One of the team’s most well-liked support channels, chat, was bringing in a lot of one-touch tickets. Zendesk was recently utilized to set up a chat system that offered users help information based on the queries they asked. After that, Zendesk looked for patterns in customer inquiries, such as “My delivery hasn’t arrived” and “Where is my box?” to identify which inquiries were most appropriate for each of Freshly’s assistance articles.  

Stay Conversational  

Being receptive to the idea that live chat is a more conversational platform. Standard replies might still be effective, but they won’t fit in on a platform where slang, emojis, and GIFs are the norm. Customers should be treated by agents the same way they would a friend or coworker. Adopt these chat etiquette guidelines to give customers a nice website support experience.  

Establishing a relaxed environment frequently makes clients feel more at ease. When salespeople use a conversational style, they could discover that clients have several inquiries or perhaps wish to upgrade their package.  

Use the live chat to exceed customers’ expectations.  

Live chat support makes it possible to have quick and tailored conversations with your consumers. Live chat is valuable from a brand’s perspective for more than simply one-off interactions. Data and conversation history offer a wealth of information that might help businesses improve their consumer experiences in the future.  

Ready to start a conversation? To integrate your communications and give your team access to live chat support, use Target Integration as your Zendesk implementation partner.