Customer expectations are increasing.

Now, to what extent do you keep up with meeting their expectations consistently?

Undoubtedly, their primary concern is to provide immediate assistance, and the solution lies in live chat.

However, it is only the initial step.

To ensure that your customer support operators effectively engage with online customers, it is important for them to possess the necessary skills to maintain customer loyalty towards your brand.

The purpose of this post is to provide nine effective online chat tips for businesses in order to decrease customer churn by 67% and enhance acquisition.

9 Amazing Tips on How to Chat With Customers Online

Were you aware that “lack of speed” is the top concern for 12% of Americans when it comes to customer service?

It indicates that your brand is:

Not prepared with the correct solution
Not prepared to answer promptly
Not aware of customer pain points

If you rush to answer questions, there is a possibility that your solution may not be effective. In any case, you could create a negative customer service experience, prompting customers to immediately abandon your brand. It is important to note that this is not just a hypothetical situation. Research shows that 4 out of 10 customers will advise their loved ones against purchasing from a brand that provides a dissatisfactory experience.

How can you prevent such a situation, increase your customer base, and maintain satisfaction among your existing customers using live chat?

To help you obtain a response, let’s comprehend the nine remarkable tips for customer support chat.

1. Initiate Conversational Chat

The acquisition of chat handling skills is not something that every operator possesses. It is a skill that they develop through experience. Operators also gradually gain the ability to initiate conversational chats with customers as part of their skill set.

It is important to ensure that your tone while using live chat software does not sound robotic to customers as this may discourage them and lead them to approach your competitors.

Therefore, it is necessary for operators to temporarily pause and focus on implementing the solution through a humble and conversational approach.

2. Ask for More Information, Show Empathy

Empathy encompasses more than just a feeling towards someone; it involves comprehending, sharing, and responding to the problems of customers. Although customers generally prefer resolving issues on their own, they are open to seeking assistance when necessary. Display empathy towards customers and their needs by following these guidelines during interactions concerning their concerns.

Paraphrase the complaint to be sure that you’re on the same page as your customer.
Share your feelings with customers. If they are frustrated or annoyed by the situation at hand, let them know that if you were in their shoes you would be annoyed too.
Offer your customers some options to choose from. Further, explain to them the benefits of each option and the reason why you are proposing it.

3. Never Say “I Don’t Know”

The purpose of a customer seeking live chat support is to obtain a solution.

Your customer would be greatly annoyed if you were to respond to their query with a dull “I don’t know” or “I don’t have a solution to solve your problem right now.”

When dealing with customers, it is crucial to actively listen to their problems and grasp the necessary actions. If unable to address the issue, it is advisable to notify the customer promptly and assure them of a timely response.

By following a step-by-step thought process, you can rephrase the text while keeping the same meaning as follows: Ensuring that your customer comprehends that the issue does not have an indefinite resolution and will lead to a satisfactory outcome.

4. Transfer Chat to Right Department

As a chat operator, it is not realistic to expect you to be able to resolve every issue pertaining to all the products and services provided by your company. Do not feel embarrassed if you need to transfer the chat to a specialist who specializes in that specific area.

Using intelligent chat routing, transfer the ongoing conversation along with the transcripts to the appropriate specialist in the field if you are unable to handle the problem due to a lack of expertise. Admitting that you do not possess the necessary level of expertise is not incorrect.

In order to provide a delightful customer experience, it is vital to have the proper individual available at the appropriate moment to assist them.

5. No Harm in Admitting Your Fault

A common error made by many customer support operators is attempting to avoid taking responsibility for their mistakes.

Admitting your fault is not a problem!

Customers primarily require a solution to their problem rather than determining who is to blame.

6. Learn to Take Follow-Ups

The increase in impulse buying can be attributed to the rise of e-commerce and the digital age. However, despite this trend, it is still necessary to maintain extra communication. This is where following up with the customer becomes beneficial.

Since the buyer is already interested in your products, there is no need to start from the beginning in the follow-up. The goal is not to attract customers’ interest anew, but rather to sustain it. By following up with your customers, you can effortlessly keep their interest alive.

When you follow up with your customers, remember to keep these things in mind:

Let them know who you are and the company you are associated with
Refer to previous conversations so that they can identify you
Let them know that you’re contacting them to help
In your follow-up email, summarize your previous conversation with them

7. Don’t Make Customers Wait – Continuity is the Key

It is the desire of every customer to receive immediate support. Any delay can result in both customer turnover and a negative impact on your brand reputation.

Based on a survey, businesses stated that they experienced a 75% loss of customers as a result of extended waiting periods. Therefore, it is important to promptly address all customer inquiries, ensuring their resolution within a maximum of 48 hours.

If there is a situation where an issue cannot be resolved within 48 hours, it is crucial to inform the customer and ensure that you reach out to them within the specified timeframe.

8. Recognize Your Returning Customers

While it is important to prioritize acquiring new customers, it is even more essential to focus on retaining your existing customer base. A significant reason why 68% of customers switch to another business is their perception that you do not care about their needs.

Wow, that is a substantial figure!

What steps can you take to ensure that your returning customers remain loyal to your business?

Consider first-time visitors/customers in the same manner as you think step by step.

The best way to maintain and spread the word about your customer support is by making your customers feel at home.

9. Attentiveness is All They Seek

One instance of poor customer support led to 82% of consumers in the US deciding to stop doing business with a company. A single bad customer experience can have a significant impact.

Instead of neglecting to invest your time and efforts in resolving your customers’ problems, ensure that you prioritize issues and handle them with utmost attention.

Customer Service Live Chat Script Examples & Templates

Greetings

Without a “hello,” a conversation lacks something essential. The manner in which your team welcomes customers establishes the foundation for the entire relationship. It’s not just about the relationship itself; there are also financial advantages. Friendly customer service representatives have a 42% higher success rate in upselling compared to those who customers deem unfriendly or ambivalent. To begin, your agents should enjoy themselves and customize their scripts. Here are several templates to assist you in getting started:

Hello! Thanks for reaching out to us at [Business Name]. Did you find what you were looking for?
Hey there. Thank you for using [Service Name]. Is there something I can help you with?
Hi, [Customer Name]! Welcome back to [Business Name]. Did you run into more trouble with [Earlier Issue]?
Welcome back, [Customer Name]. I’m happy to see you again! What can we help you with today?

When thinking in a sequential manner, rephrase the given text without altering its meaning. Avoid introducing additional details and do not omit any information. Remember, you can also tailor greetings for customers who have returned. This level of individualization, particularly in chat, will impart a sense of acknowledgement and regard to your customers.

Apologies

Every customer service representative will have to apologize at some point, as nobody is perfect. Apologies hold more significance than offering credits or discounts as they are a crucial tool in the toolkit of your team.

According to the Carey School of Business, the satisfaction rate of upset customers who were given credit or financial compensation as a response to an issue was only 37%. However, if the business also apologized in addition to offering credit, satisfaction doubled to 74%.

Use these customer service scripts to help your customer service team members regain trust and foster a sense of humility.

I hear you. I’m sorry that you’re still having trouble with this. I’m going to talk to my team to see what else we can do here.
I’m sorry that this hasn’t worked out as you expected. I’m going to work on getting this right for you as soon as possible. Give me just one second, and I’ll message you again once I have something.
We’re very sorry, but the [deal the customer is looking for] isn’t taking place any longer.
I can see why you’d want that! I’m sorry, but it’s not something that we currently offer right now.
I’m sorry that the last recommendation didn’t work as expected. Can you try this one?
Ah! Sorry to hear about the trouble, but I have good news: here’s how you can fix it:

Transferring and putting people on hold

Despite the high level of proficiency exhibited by your customer service team, there will be instances when they are unable to promptly address every situation. At times, they may be dependent on the expertise of customer success, sales, or even your finance team.

Surprisingly, 72% of customers attribute their negative customer service experience to the need of repeatedly explaining their issue to different individuals. It is crucial to avoid creating false expectations for your customers as it is highly detrimental. Instead, provide accurate expectations and facilitate the success of your team members by providing them with as much information as possible when transferring a conversation. To initiate the process, here are some customer service scripts to assist you.

Thanks for reaching out! Right now, I’m not the best person to help with this. I’m going to connect you to my colleague [Name] in the [Name of the Department] Department. Do you mind waiting a moment while I explain to [Name] what you’ve just explained to me?
I appreciate you explaining that to me. I’m going to connect you to our [Name of Team] team. I’ll let them know what you’re reaching out about.
I just need to check something. Do you mind if I put you on hold for a moment?
Great question! I want to pull up your account details to check it out. Can I put you on hold?
Sorry about the wait! All of our agents are helping others right now. If you don’t mind waiting for just a few minutes, we’ll reach back out as soon as possible.
All our agents are busy right now. You can expect to wait [this long] until the next agent is free to chat with you.
Thanks so much for being patient! We’ll be with you soon.
Thank you for waiting! I’m here now—sorry about that wait.