Customers like live chat support but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll like your live chat agents too!
The reason?
Well, it takes a certain set of live chat agent qualities to make the customers happy. Read on to discover all that it takes to be an efficient live chat agent.
Domain knowledge:
Live chat agents are in a way the face of any business. Since they represent a business, so, they should strive to create its positive image. For this, they need to have a thorough knowledge of all the products and services that a business provides.
They need not be experts in the technology behind those particular products but should be capable of providing the desired information. Whenever a customer comes up with a query, they should know where to find information to answer them.
Communication skills:
Communication skills in case of a live chat support have nothing to do with the vocal aspects. Since the agents are required to convey their message through their words, so, it’s more about the straight and correct usage of words.
So, it’s imperative that the live chat agent has the ability to understand the customer requirement and effectively communicate a solution.
Typing speed:
No customer would like to wait for long times to receive a reply when opting for a live chat. As compared to email and phone calls, live chat is considered to be much faster and hence opted by most of the customers.
So, it’s obvious that for providing an expected level of customer service, one should have the required typing speed.
Multitasking:
For being an efficient chat agent, one needs to possess a multitasking capability. Handling multiple customers at the same time is a part of customer service. So, one needs to be able to respond to all of them with the same quality to be an effective support agent.
Navigation:
Live chat agents need to have multitasking skills, agreed! They should also know how to navigate the software they are using. Moreover, a familiarity with the shortcuts can help speed up conversations.
Flexibility and a zeal to learn new software programs and platforms make a live chat agent efficient enough to deliver satisfactory resolutions.
Skill to manage wait time:
Sometimes the customer queries are so complex that they cannot be resolved without a thorough research. Such queries account for the wait time which needs to be managed in a strategic manner. So, the live chat agent needs to be strategic enough to keep the user engaged and provide the best resolution in an effective manner.
Patience and empathy:
Being a customer support agent is not at all easy. You may often have to face the wrath of furious customers who start yelling at you right from the moment they start a chat! Now an efficient live chat agent is the one who doesn’t take all this personally and handles the entire matter patiently.
Empathy is as important as patience when you are serving as a live chat agent. Speaking your customers’ language and sharing their pain makes them feel valued.
Critical reading skills:
It’s necessary for the live chat agents to have impeccable writing skills. Similarly, reading skills are also important.
As a matter of fact, a chat agent will be able to provide satisfactory solutions if he is able to read through customer’s unstructured queries in the first place. The website visitors may be in a hurry or involved in some other task. They tend to approach the agents with poorly structured queries. So, it’s the chat agent’s critical reading that can actually help him figure out what the customer is saying.
Attentiveness:
Online chat agents should be focussed. It’s almost impossible to figure out the tone, inflection or emphasize certain words during a live chat session. So, it’s only a live chat agent’s attentiveness that helps provide an exceptional customer experience.
Ability to form a personal connection:
Wondering how’s that even possible through live chat? Well, that’s possible if the live chat agents ditch those robotic canned messages and avoid interacting in a robotic way. As a matter of fact, website visitors wish to interact with humans and not machines. So, sympathetic words at the right places and personalized chat responses are all that help make a personal connection.
Thoroughness:
Customer service is all about keeping your words. Delivering what you promise or more than that is what makes the service an exceptional one. Honesty is obviously the best policy in this case. In order to meet your customer’s expectations, it’s important to lay out a complete plan for successful implementation right from onboarding to training to best practices.
Teamwork:
This is yet another inevitable trait of a highly efficient chat agent that is responsible for live chat excellence.
Working as a live chat agent requires a person to work in a team so that whenever in doubt about anything, one can ask teammates for help. So, it’s imperative that the agent has the great team working capabilities so as to use the knowledge and experience of its peers to the customer’s advantage.
Flexibility:
A chat agent should not be dependent upon canned responses and sure short replies. There are instances where customers may come up with never heard of queries. Such instances for a need to stretch your brain further than you thought was possible. This is essential for providing instant resolutions for those queries which are not so familiar.
Ensure that your online chat agents possess all these qualities and you are on your way to your live chat excellence!