5 Key Advantages of a Universal Queue in Call Centers

Providing “online” help to customers as they buy a product on a website is far superior than making them wait for an email that arrives after several hours. With the use of mobile devices surging among customers who employ them for website or app-based purchases, online chat is like the icing on a cake which attracts more customers. Here we take a look at some of the reasons why 44% of all customers rate online chat as the most important feature on a website and consequently is a driving force behind sales.

• Ability to get Questions Answered within Minutes

  Chatting online with customers when they are making a purchase on a website is much like talking to a representative in store. Within the space of minutes, customers can get their questions about a product or service answered and they proceed to make an investment in it. Customers feel cared for in this situation and do not even realize that the online chat agent is actually handling several people at the same time.

• Faster Than Email and Phone Support

  Sending an email to a customer support address often means that customers need to wait for answers anywhere between 24-48 hours. The wait period is shorter when contacting a toll-free number, but then there are often queues that customers have to wait in after they manage to pick the right option that meets their needs. All this waiting is removed when online chat is provided, as customers within seconds get an agent who is on hand to answer their questions or deal with a product issue.

• Saves Customer’s Time

  Customers save a lot of time when they use online chat as they can reach an agent within an average period of 23 seconds, much faster than the 42 seconds than a phone call takes. This quick access to a customer support person via chat also ensures that customers most often get the help they need within minutes and this goes a long way in building customer loyalty. On a website, this is crucial as it keeps customers from migrating to a competitor’s site and buying their product.

• Customers Can Chat from Mobile Devices

  Chatting with a customer support agent from a mobile device is offered by many companies who want to reach as many customers as possible. Customers can therefore get their answers to their questions using iOS and Android-friendly online chat software, when shopping on a website and put through a purchase on their smartphone or tablet. With more people opting to use their mobile devices for holiday purchases, having online chat available during busy shopping hours ensures that they get a superlative shopping experience that encourages customer loyalty.

  Call centers are increasingly under pressure to cut costs and ensure that customer engagement and satisfaction levels remain high. In this scenario, call centers have found that investing in online chat brings in more sales while keeping costs associated with hiring and paying customer support representatives low. However, there is a word of caution here; yes, online chat support provides a lot of benefits to your business, but it also comes with its own set of disadvantages. If not handled correctly, it has the potential to upset to the customers and bring your business down. Hence it is always beneficial to back on the expertise of experts such as ExpertCallers to hit the right tones and get the right message across every single time with regards to this service.