Showing posts with label Live Chat Agents. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Live Chat Agents. Show all posts

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Characteristics of Live Chat Agents

An effective live chat agent is the face of a company. He will be the only person who can give an good user experience to your website visitors and convert them into your delighted and loyal customers. Here we have picked some characteristics of an effective live chat agent which plays an important role in customer engagement.

Domain Knowledge & Product Knowledge

In maximum cases chat agents is the first point of contact for your company. Many visitors like to discuss their requirement with a live agent rather than reading the content available on websites. So the conversion depends on chat agents domain knowledge and his command over the product and its customization limits. So it is an excellent idea to keep your chat agents in the loop with regard to new product launches, product specification including technical specifications, payment policies, refund policies and total product knowledge. Successful operators should be well-versed with the platform’s features,functionality and operability. Insist that they study all software documentation, request explanations when features are unclear, and stay ahead of the game by familiarizing themselves with product updates, enhancements and new versions.

Live Support and Language Competency

Before recruiting a live chat agent for your company, ensure their command over language. It should not meet the level but exceed minimal requirements and prevailing industry standards. It can be checked by conducting a writing test, group discussion for them. Language skills is the most important factor in recruitment process because when it comes to live customer engagement, language competency is and will always remain a prerequisite to an effective chat-centric service delivery model.

Proper and Accurate use of Canned Messages in Live Chat

Chat operator should be fully conversant with the content of each canned messages in your live chat canned messages directory. So that they would not send any wrong messages to your visitors and customers. An effective chat agent spend his lean time proactively reading, edit and creating new canned messages while waiting for chat requests.

Proactive Invitation & Reduced Response Time during Live Support Interactions

A good live chat operator is proactively invite your website visitors to help them in understating the product and meets the product with their requirement. He never waits for chat requests. Live chat agent should be capable of handling multiple chats as well as respond them quickly. So response time should be reduced during live support interaction.

The Marketing mantra of Live Engagement

Successful customer service can be delivering only when the live chat agent is polite and smooth- talking. Successful chat operators are blessed with an arsenal of tools and features to help them up-sell and recommend additional purchases. They include proactive live chat, chat invitation popup, co-browsing, Push URLs-- you get the picture. You can not only encourage your chat operators to gently market additional products and services to your online customers but also provide small commissions as incentives. Chat operators need to be reminded at all times, however, that they are customer service representatives first and marketers later.

Delivering a Positive User Experience through Live Chat

Delighted customers are not simply loyal customers but also returning customers. Your customers are your first line of engagement when it comes to marketing regiments and promotions. Much has been written in the broader context of the Internet about viral and word-of-mouth marketing most of which rightly suggests that in-person marketing can demonstrate high success rates because it comes with implied endorsements that are reliable. Successful chat operators do not simply answer questions and up-sell but also build bridges with your customers with the hope that they will return and ask for more not just once but many times.