5 Key Steps to Successful Live Chat Implementation

⏱ Reading Time: 6 minutes

Live chat software has taken customer service to a whole new level. As it saves time and allows multitasking, instant messaging has been replacing traditional methods of communication such as phone calls, letters, and even email.

Studies show that messaging is one of the most popular methods of customer service worldwide because it allows for instant responses. Live chat unifies all forms of communication with customers and creates opportunities to increase sales.

Moreover, it helps reduce your expenses and brings in a steady stream of revenue in the long run. However, the only way to ensure successful live chat implementation is to know how it’s done. 

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When it comes to live chat implementation, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. It all depends on the specific needs of your business, on your customers and your agents. Still, there are some basic steps every business using live chat should take. The importance of live chat is not possible to ignore so feel free to check out what are the best live chat software platforms. 

Naturally, the more skilled you become at implementing these steps to successful live chat, the more satisfied your customers will be.

Picture 1. Successful live chat implementation is a great step towards customer satisfaction

How to Implement Live Chat

1. Live Chat Design

The impression you create via live chat will go a long way with customers, so make sure it is strong and positive. To design a chat widget that attracts your target audience and encourages conversation, you should keep these things in mind:

• Meeting industry standards
• Meeting customer needs
• Capturing the tone and personality of your brand

 Analyze the most common queries visitors raise to create information flows that help them find answers more easily. You can include options to contact specific teams directly, a self-service handle, even use chatbots. 

Bear in mind that your chat window and tab should visually complement the rest of your site. When designing the chat window, keep the company’s logo, signature color, and font type in mind. Your chat box should appear in the right corner of the page and be customized to align with your site’s theme. A chat window that looks completely different from the rest of the site will confuse customers and discourage them from chatting.

Read 5 Reasons Why UX Should be a Priority for Digital Marketers

Picture 2. Paldesk Live Chat Implementation

2. Employee Training and Development

Having employees who are well-trained and experienced will significantly increase your resolution rate and reduce wait times. Messaging platforms for live chat have a ton of useful features that improve the entire workflow, such as automatic agent assignments and prioritized conversations that reduce agent-fatigue. 

Teaching your customer service representatives to use the live chat tool effectively and have their updates and upgrades done without negative consequences is key to successful live chat implementation. In order to keep up with evolving market trends, their training and development should be a continuous process. 

3. Going the Extra Mile to Understand Your Customers

Besides knowing where customers are from and seeing their chat history, live chat representatives should know a few more details about their customers to make them feel special and avoid uncomfortable situations. It is recommendable to take additional notes about each customer, even if it’s something as simple as ’’gets irritated quickly’’. This way, agents won’t need to scroll through the entire chat history to get this kind of info. Highlighting details like these will improve customer experience and save precious time. 

A live chat representative should develop empathy and good listening skills. Live chat agents often focus on what they are going to say instead of what the customer has to say. Hearing the customer’s questions and needs and trying to understand them is more important than coming up with a solution as quickly as possible. Empathy is another essential quality to have when providing customer support. Putting yourself in your customer’s shoes and seeing things from their perspective will help you understand the issue and react properly.

Another great tip for successful live implementation is to have a personality while chatting with customers. Avoid using canned responses. Having predetermined responses to common questions might make things easier for the agent and provide fast customer service – however, great customer experience requires more personality.  

Read Skill Requirements for Virtual Customer Service Jobs

Picture 3. Every customer deserves your attention – show that you care.

4. Avoiding Delays as Much as Possible

Don’t make customers wait too long. Today’s customers want quick responses. Delays usually happen when agents chat with multiple customers at a time. If they wait too long, people tend to think you have put them on hold.

Successful live chat implementation means instant communication, without delays. To keep communication smooth and clear, there should always be someone ready to chat. In case you don’t have enough employees to cover live chat, at least show approximate wait times in your chat window.

That being said, one must remember that not every issue can be resolved immediately. If you need to do some research or discuss the problem with a more experienced colleague, let the customer know. After all, a poor solution will upset them more than waiting a little longer. 

Read How to Set Measurable Customer Service Goals

5. Ending a Successful Live Chat Session on a Positive Note

Remember when we said you should make a good impression? Ending a chat session on a positive note helps create a positive memory for the customer. 

It is a good idea to ask customers how satisfied they are with your service. Also, check if they need any further explanation or if there is anything else you can help them with. Finally, remind them that the company is there for them in case they need help in the future. 

After a successful live chat session, send a follow up to the customer. If their issue took more time and research to resolve, you could send them an email to check if everything is in order. Both positive and negative feedback is extremely valuable, as it serves you to improve your service.

Conclusion

Live chat is a comfortable means of communication and problem-solving for customers and customer service agents alike, but only when it’s done the right way. Professionalism during live chat sessions is just as important as it is during phone calls or in-person conversations.

Responding to a lead or a potential customer quickly and professionally will have a great impact on their potential to convert. By following these key steps to successful live chat implementation, you will also show customers that they can truly count on your company.

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Summer Stewart is a copywriter and editor with over ten years of experience in providing professional writing services. She mostly covers topics related to digital marketing and customer service helping small businesses achieve their full potential.