What’s missing from customer service live chat?

What’s Missing From Customer Service Live Chat?

Phil WolffLetMyDataGo.org

@evanwolf

Tuesday, November 12, 13

Quora asked...

• “I have seen many businesses having live chat widget on their websites.

• “There are few hundreds or may be thousands of such products available on online market. Various companies have looked to add something new to their live chat software. Some do it intelligently while some do not. I think we have reached a limit where there is nothing that can be added to live chat which can bring value to it and solve pain of the business owners. On the other hand all my logic will go in vain if some idea guru comes up with an innovation that can lead business into a successful one. If you were that guru what would you like to add in a live chat software?” – http://b.qr.ae/162TJ68


http://b.qr.ae/162TJ68

http://b.qr.ae/162TJ68

Q. What’s missing?


Video • Let me see the person I'm talking to

• The promise of dedicated attention vs multitasking


Tour

• Let the visitor give up control of this browser session so the customer service rep can take you to a specific webpage


Demo

• Let me show you my product within a chat session. Slides, art, video, simulations, gameplay, etc.


Audio

• Let's throttle up from text to audio to video chat as the need arises in the same session


Persistence

• Don't let the chat expire if you can renew the conversation later and preserve the history of our chat


Accurate presence

• Don't just indicate if someone is available to take your chat call now

• Show when a person will be coming back or how long the wait will be


RSVP

• Let the visitor make an appointment for a chat


Group shopping

• Support two or more friends on different computers in one chat room at the same time

• When you want the advice or support of your friends or family


Chat without staff

• Let other visitors to a product page talk to each other about the product without needing a customer service rep in the room


Continue on another device Start the new desktop and

need to jump to your mobile so

you can continue the

conversation in another room or

on the roadTuesday, November 12, 13

Support screen readers

• Help the visually impaired


Upload screenshots

• Useful for troubleshooting websites and applications


Real-time translation

• Support relay services for interpreting sign languages or other spoken languages


Profile the rep

• Show a short bio and avatar to better humanize your agent

• You’re talking with Mary in St. Louis where the sky is overcast, in the 60s


Mobile friendly

• Many of the live chat apps don't work in mobile browsers

• Fix that!


Transcript by mail Offer to send a copy of the chat to the visitor's inbox, including links and, especially for audio and video chat, the text of what you said to each other


Automatic themes

• Adjust the chat box's theme to match that of the site's CSS so it stays consistent even when the main site's design changes


Outside the box

• Let the conversation happen anywhere on a web page, not just in a popup window or a dedicated region


Not a box

• Try another shape or flow

• Receding text on a Star Wars game store like the opening intro


Hold music Offer the option to listen to Muzak when an operator steps away to research a question or you're waiting for the next available representative


Phil Wolffbio about.me/evanwolfcv linkedin.com/in/philwolff blog LetMyDataGo.org quora.com/Phil-Wolffcontact [email protected] [email protected]

@evanwolf @LetMyDataGo +1.510.343.5664


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What’s missing from customer service live chat?