It’s widely spread among companies nowadays that one of the most in demand type of customers’ services is Live Chatting.
But what kind of service should Live Chat Agents give? It’s because the quality of service Live Chat agents provide their customers reflects the kind of company they represent.
Most of the time, it’s not enough when a task is done, but more importantly; it’s how it has been done.
Here are 10 Live Chat etiquettes to show if Live Chat Agents are behaving their best while chatting.
1. The agents must accept the incoming chat right away.
The agents should be aware of the time limit. It’s mostly 3 seconds or 3 beeps, indicating that there’s an incoming chat and it must be accepted right away. Or else, the chat will be missed, and that’s a no-no.
If a chat is missed, it means it’s a wasted time, effort, and an additional frustration to the customer.
2. Live Chat Agents should not keep the customer waiting.
In real time, Live Chat Agents should answer speedily. That actually includes their typing skills; they must type as quickly as they can. And they should be able to think on their feet, and come out with the best resolution to problems.
Thus, typing skills are required from Agents. They should be quick on their feet and with their fingers tips.
3. Friendly Live Chat Agents are the best.
It will break the barrier and gap between customer and agent, if the agents are friendly, and allow the customers to feel comfortable. The website visitors will be able to express their concerns better even when they’re at their worst.
This would help the Agents to fully understand and figure out the real problem; hence the correct resolution will be given.
4. Representatives are always professional in their behavior.
Rudeness is never an option, so Live Chat Agents must be polite at all times. To show politeness, the Agent must ask nicely if she needs more time to check on something. She may ask by saying: “May I…”
It’s also common to encounter irate customers; so first, the Agents have to let them vent out their emotions to help them to calm down.
5. Live Chat Agents must be good in grammar and spelling skills.
Good knowledge and usage of the language will establish a good conversation between the Agents and the customers. Abbreviated words or short cuts should be avoided, as well as casual words, such as LOL (Laughing out Loud) or BRB (Be Right Back).
Also, grammar lapses and misspelled words should be prevented to build a professional connection with the customer. It makes them feel that the Agents know what they are doing when the Agents’ grammar is perfect.
6. Apology plus sympathy is equal to empathy
The customers usually call because of a problem; hence, Agents should apologize and acknowledge the inconvenience that the customer went through.
The representatives should use empathic statements, such as: “I know how it feels”, or “If I were in your shoe, I would also feel the same.”
Understanding and acknowledging the customers’ feelings is one way to get to their heart. The customer won’t be in a combative stance if the Live Chat Agent understands him.
7. The Agent must stay on the issue or the reason why the customer communicated until it’s resolved.
It’s inconvenient for a customer to not get what they spent their money and time for. This is much more evident when the visitor contacts customer service and complains.
Representatives (Agents) should not try to brush the problem off until a reasonable resolution is reached.
They should get the job done by focusing on the issue and not talking about irrelevant topics.
8. The Agent offers a follow up to make sure the issue is resolved.
Agents should offer a follow up on the issue. This is an added effort by the Agents, but it means that the Agents want to make sure that the promised solution was done, especially if the customer has reported multiple times about the same issue.
The customer would then feel that they are valued not only for a single transaction but for more – and for good. There should be consistency on good performance. The Agents are not perfect, but they should exert extra effort to attend to customers’ complaints.
9. The Agent can take advantage of the prepared scripts or template responses.
The Agents are trained to make use of the prepared canned responses for easily answered questions.
They can utilize the tools with these responses to make sure that the information they give out is true and valid because they’re already part of the tools. The customers can also use them as reference especially if it’s about billing or payments.
Apparently, there will always be exemptions to the rule. The Agent must know what instances would merit an exemption to the rule.
10. The Agents are required to be honest at all times.
The Agents must treat the customers honestly by providing only the facts. It’s illegal to mislead the customers by giving them false information. Worse is when the Agents give false hopes just to get rid of visitors, or just to end the conversation.
The customers will lose their trust in your company and its Agents, if they find out that they were lied on. They can sue the Live Chat Agents or the company itself for misleading information.
In whatever situation, Agents should work by the rules with integrity. Integrity means doing the right thing even when no one is watching. Understanding and acknowledging the customers’ feelings is one way to get to their hearts.
Sincerely acknowledging the visitors needs and providing these needs to the best of the Agents ability is commendable.
Conclusion
It’s not enough that Live Chat Agents talk to visitors on the site. The Agents must also chat with visitors observing Chat Etiquette. Even to rude customers, the Live Agent must still be civil and respectful.
That’s the unspoken moral obligation of the Live Chat Agent that she must fulfill for as long as she remains an Agent.
It’s possible to deliver exceptional Live Chat customers’ service, if the Agents are following these basic etiquettes. It should be each company’s goal to make every customer service experience remarkable and memorable.
