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Today’s advancing technology has so effectively removed the necessity for human interaction that traditional customer service is all but a thing of the past. Customers rarely speak to a person anymore, but are directed instead to participate in a conversation that amounts to an analog exchange with options. Insist on that privilege and you’ll be directed through a series of automated choices anyway (are you sure you don’t want to use our system?) until you are finally placed in a hold bin where you can expect up to a 30 minute wait. Sounds delightful, doesn’t it.
What’s a small business owner to do?
A live support system may offer the solution. Using instant messenger technology, the service works similar to an online chat, allowing customers to contact a company representative with questions about products and services. The representative can answer in real-time – no email messages here – and assist the customer in making the right purchase or selecting the best service.
What can live support do for your business? By giving your customers an instant outlet for their concerns, you will improve their overall shopping experience. Administrators have the capability to monitor online activity such as referrer addresses and browser specifics, giving the business owner instant access to crucial marketing information. Some services offer multi-lingual options and feature a call-transfer module and multi-party capabilities, making it possible for one service operator to transfer the call or bring in additional help to answer questions.
Using 128-bit secure encryption, you no longer need to worry that your transcripts might be seen by unwanted eyes. Chat sessions can usually be emailed to the administrator, allowing for quality reviews and future training examples. Parties are notified when the other is typing and an operator-to- operator chat feature is also available.
Calls can be put on hold and callers can instantly tell when an operator is on or off-line. Utilizing a cut-n-paste HTML code snippet, customers can typically connect to an on- line operator with just a click of their mouse.
Online customer support chat technology allows you to turn your website from a passive marketing medium, to an interactive one, where you can proactively or reactively engage with prospective customers.s
Sergey Skugarev, is CEO of Provide Support, LLC
http://www.ProvideSupport.com – suppliers of cost effective,
professional Live Chat Marketing & Sales Tools.
