I was extremely surprised to learn that live chat had been around since the 1970s, especially given that the adoption of it as a communication channel has only grown in popularity over the last couple of years. In fact, in the last 12-18 months, I have seen a significant increase in its use, to the extent that live chat is fast becoming the only option for me to get in touch with customer service departments – it definitely beats spending minutes, if not hours listening to Top of the Pops hits until the operator answers on the other side!
It was only since a live chat experience a few weeks ago that I found it to be a pleasant and efficient experience. It was at that moment that I realized that the time for live chat to flourish is upon us. Coincidently we are working with a client who in the very near future is looking to providing live chat solutions to smaller businesses. In my research I came across an article that highlights several facts that demonstrate how fast this is moving, below I have selected a few that may interest you.
1. Live chat is fast becoming the communication channel of choice as consumers prefer to chat with someone in real time. According to the Super Office article, live chat has become the leading digital contact method for online customers with a staggering 46% of customer preferring this channel of communication versus email (29%) or social media (16%).
2. Research suggests that businesses that use live chats are more likely to increase their revenue.
3. According to research by Comm100, live chat boasts the highest satisfaction rates (82%) compared to other channels of communication including email (61%), App (53%), social media (48%) and phone (44%).
As I mentioned above we are working with a client in the Telephone Answering (TAS) sector, a sub sector of Business Process Outsourcing. Despite the pandemic, the business has remained resilient and traded well during the period. As most businesses are now operating remotely, the need for outsourced services (such as TAS) is increasingly in demand as firms seek engagement with customers and colleagues alike. There is no “one size fits all” approach to this with a omni-channel communication approach a must in today’s world. If you would like an introduction to our fast growing client please get in touch and you could enter the world of contracted out telephone answering and/or live chat.
The time for live chat to flourish is upon us
