You’ve hit a snag with the service you’re using. It might be a critical outage, or it might be an annoying error that keeps getting in the way of what you’re trying to achieve.
Either way, you need your issue resolving quickly. This is where live chat in a technical support context becomes essential.
Technical support live chat is a godsend to customers experiencing difficulties, providing on the spot help in a convenient format.
But it hasn’t displaced traditional tech support channels quite yet. Many companies still force struggling customers down the clunkier ticket, telephone or email routes, with chat nowhere to be found.
This is a mistake.
Here, we explore the demand for technical support live chat, and how it can drastically improve your support offering.
Why provide technical support live chat?
The satisfaction stats are in, and customers love live chat. The reason why comes down to three key areas of great customer service.
First, live chat demands a high service speed.
Second, it makes your support team more accessible.
Third, a live chat channel provides a host of utility that eases communication.
These factors are precisely what customers are looking for when besieged with technical difficulties. So, let’s dig a little deeper into each one.
High service speed
Traditionally, technical support had a heavy reliance on ticketing systems. This ‘take-a-number-and-wait’ approach to service, however, is fast going out of style.
Customers want their problems solved on their schedule.
And this is where technical support live chat is so powerful.
With live chat, there’s no waiting for the next email. There’s no ‘we’ll get back in a few hours/days/weeks.’ Conversation happens in real time.
So, customers get their problem solved and agents have fewer tickets demanding attention.
But first contact resolution in technical support isn’t always possible. Issues are often nuanced and complex. They sometimes need extra materials, research or consideration to resolve.
But live chat software has that covered too, with functionality such as chat to email, and the retention of customer chat history for future sessions.
Plus, starting the tech support session with live chat lets you collect all the information you need in one interaction. (Rather than drawing the process out over email.)
The customer knows that you’re already working on the issue. So, even when you need to escalate a problem into a second-line support query, the service is still faster, and the experience is smoother.
Tools to help you win the race
Keep an eye on how many people are waiting to chat, and how long they’ve waited for.
Speed up your reply process with the occasional canned response and pre-set greeting.
See what the visitor is typing into the chat window in real-time - before they send the final message.
Accessible support
So, technical support live chat is more accessible than other channels in terms of speed. But that’s not all. In fact, a live chat channel improves the all-around accessibility of your tech support function.
For instance, telephone support also allows for real-time service. And yet, it’s still less accessible than live chat. Live chat software boasts a much lower barrier than phone support.
That’s because it has no cost to the customer wanting to use it. It has no dreaded IVR to navigate. Plus, it has less chance of causing customer anxiety like that triggered by telephonophobia.
Live chat software also increases the accessibility for international customers. If your chosen solution comes with real-time chat translation, you can help any customer in real time, regardless of language.
Plus, with chatbot integration and useful help files, you can offer 24/7 availability. So, you needn’t worry about time zones interfering with your technical support quality.
Tools to ramp up your accessibility
Have a chatbot meet your customers with relevant help files when your team members aren’t available.
Don’t let language barriers hold your team back from solving a technical issue.
Make sure that every chat goes to the best agent for the tech support job.
Ease of communication
Perhaps the most influential cause behind the growing demand for technical support live chat lies in the ease of communication that the channel provides. Live chat software plays home to a host of features perfectly suited to supporting tech support teams.
For example, communicating an understanding of complex solutions verbally isn’t easy. Imagine how much easier it would be if the customer had a video or diagram of the product.
With live chat software, you can use file sharing to send the customer helpful documents. This happens in real time, within the chat window, meaning no delay in the support experience.
If even then, words are falling short, there are other tools at your disposal. For software or website issues, co-browsing allows tech support agents to see what the customer sees. So, they can guide the customer through solutions step-by-step.
For hardware instructions, try video chat, and show each step for the customer to copy.
Tools to clarify your tech support communication
Send helpful pictures, useful documents and relevant diagrams, all within the chat window. Or, receive screenshots and other evidence to help you determine the problem.
Show the customer exactly what to do in real time, by doing the same thing yourself.
Take control of the customer’s system and put things right for them, all while explaining what you’re doing.
- • Co-browsing
See what the customer sees. You can ensure that you understand the problem at hand and guide them towards the solution.
Getting on board with technical support live chat
Live chat should be a cornerstone of any technical support function. It’s fast, it’s efficient, and it’s in hot demand by customers.
Why not explore how live chat software can bolster your technical support offering, with a 30-day free trial of WhosOn?
Useful links
- - Accessible customer service: is your business open?
- - Buiding a smarter service desk: the benefits of using a chatbot
- - When to use video chat support (and when not to)
- - The altered nature of telephone customer service
- - The decline of support tickets
- - Learning styles and the importance of versatility in customer service