Technology In Customer Service: Live Chat

Technology in customer service: After investigating consumers’ views on customer service, in this second part, interviews employees to understand the Customer Service (SAC) landscape from the perspective of small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) and the use of technology in customer service.

Are they prepared to deliver efficiency? Neither lack of budget nor lack of personnel: one of the main challenges of managing customer service is finding the right software to handle support calls.

This is the opinion of 24% of small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) employees who work in areas connected with customer service, interviewed by companies in this second part of the SAC trends study.

The Types Of Software Used By SMEs In Customer Service

Thinking about one of the main complaints in the area of customer service, which is the difficulty in finding the right software, it is worth noting that there are different types of programs to assist in managing the sector, with varied functionalities.

Respondents to the survey indicated that most small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) focus their support automation, especially on customer service systems (51% cited using this type of program), which help with the organization and distribution of ticket tickets between assistance agents.

In addition to defining the type of support to be established, other points can be taken into account when selecting the appropriate software for the company’s needs, such as:

Multichannel: if the company offers multichannel support, opt for software that allows you to organize and integrate the different channels, such as live chat, social networks, and email.
Reviews: If working on brand reputation is a vital part of your business, a good way is to have the functionality to track user reviews and respond to them.
Self-service: if the idea is to depend less on human service, consider software options that serve as a repository of information for consumers to consult.
Reporting: If the idea is to identify areas for constant improvement, see which solution can help you gather information on the number of open customer service tickets and the average wait time.

Online Documentation Is Structured In Customer Queries

The quality of the information in an online guide can be critical so that the customer does not need to look for any additional information.

When it comes to structuring their online documentation, 41% of those surveyed by Capterra who work at a company that offers this type of support said that their document is based on frequently asked questions from customers; 16% do otherwise when using their criteria and 41% use a combination of both.

Additionally, when SME employees were asked how their consumers rate self-service content, 60% think their customers find the content helpful or clear to understand. In comparison, 39% say consumers still submit inquiries through other channels.

The result indicates that the companies’ perception of the material quality differs from the customers’ expectations of the content received to help them.

Depending on the complexity of the service or product, it may also be necessary to bet on tutorials or reference documents and not only on questions and answers in textual format to deliver quality content.

Live Chat Proves To Be Consumer Demand

SMBs seem to continue prioritizing the telephone as the main point of contact with consumers. This is because, without considering self-service services, respondents stated that their companies mainly offer telephone support (88%). Two other main types of service offered are through social networks (56%) and email via form (48%).

In the case of service via social networks can be performed in real-time, with an agent available to consumers, or by messages to be answered later.

Since the data points to a possible trend towards live chat, it is worth considering the use of live chat software to create an operation with agents that respond in real-time. This tool allows you to structure the operation, whether carried out on the company’s page or through third-party platforms, such as WhatsApp or Messenger.

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