Businesses, customers and contact centre agents all love web chat, this swift, dynamic customer engagment channel appreciated for its blend of warmth, privacy, and efficiency.
When customers have a query, they head straight to a company's web site in search of the quickest and most direct way of contacting them. And that small icon at the bottom of the page is the gateway to this popular channel - web chat. In fact, Millennials prefer live chat for customer engagement to any other communication channel. (Comm100)
Find out why web chat has won the hearts for customers everywhere.
Imagine you're adrift in a vast ocean of information. You could send a message in a bottle (an email) or signal a passing ship (make a phone call), but neither guarantees a quick rescue. Enter web chat: the speedy lifeboat that reaches you in a flash. Customers can start a chat session faster than you can say "help", and receive real-time assistance. It's the hand-holding that many seek in the sometimes overwhelming world of customer-business conversations.
This is backed by HubSpot research which found that 90% of customers rate an "immediate" response as essential or very important when they have a customer service question.
Imagine navigating a forest, not knowing who/what is around the next tree - that's how phone-phobic customers feel about making calls. In contrast, web chat is like a well-lit, signposted trail. It provides a serene, controlled environment, offering the comfort of anonymity and time to formulate responses, making it a calming, accessible path in the often overwhelming maze of customer service.
Phone adversion is seen especially in younger generations - a Sky Mobile Survey found 26% of GenZ will ignore phone calls, and an Open Market study found that 75% of Millennials prefer to text than phone, with 81% feeling anxious when making a phone call.
Web chat is the ultimate multitasker's tool. Picture a juggler effortlessly keeping multiple balls in the air. That's a customer using web chat. They can chat while browsing other pages, checking emails, or even during a mundane work day. This ability to manage multiple tasks while not skipping a beat in the conversation is a song played out in the background of busy lives.
Web chat is like whispering in a library; it’s a private conversation in a public place. Customers appreciate the discretion that web chat offers, allowing them to resolve personal issues without the world listening in. Moreover, it’s accessible, a tool that sits comfortably at the intersection of convenience and necessity. Whether someone has hearing difficulties or is in a bustling café, web chat provides a way to communicate effectively and unobtrusively.
Web chat also offers an exclusive backstage pass to quick resolutions. Customers can easily share links, screenshots, and information directly in the chat window, allowing for a collaborative problem-solving session.
Today, every minute counts and consumers demand immediate answers. Picture a customer, mid-commute on a train, firing off a customer query and receiving a response before the next train stop. This rapid exchange isn’t just about answering questions; it’s about validating the customer’s decision to engage, reinforcing their choice with every reply.
Web chat enables businesses to serve up information as quickly and efficiently, while API connections to backend customer data delivers personalised and accurate responses that truely help the agent or bot to assist the customer.
Just as gardeners tend to their plants, web chat allows businesses to cultivate relationships. Each interaction plants a seed of trust, which can grow into loyalty and deep customer engagement. The informal yet informative tone of web chats strikes a perfect balance, creating a friendly virtual space where customers can converse, enquire, and feel heard, all without the formality of emails or frustration of phone calls.
The ease of web chat doesn't merely simplify communication; it prevents issues from growing wild like untended weeds. Customers can report issues and receive solutions in real-time, which stops small concerns from blossoming into major grievances. This proactive approach not only solves problems efficiently but also reinforces the customer’s confidence in the brand, securing their loyalty and fostering a robust business relationship.
Web chat does more than facilitate conversation—it collects valuable data with each interaction. This data provides insights into customer preferences, behaviour patterns, and common enquiries, offering businesses the rich soil from which strategic decisions can grow. Armed with this knowledge, companies can tailor their services, refine their products, and adjust their customer interaction strategies to better meet the evolving needs of their audience.
Web chat represents a beacon of cost efficiency, enabling businesses to handle multiple conversations simultaneously, unlike the one-at-a-time nature of phone calls. This multitasking capability means fewer staff can assist more customers, trimming costs while maintaining, or even improving, service quality. For businesses, this gives a competitive edge that keeps businesses one step ahead.
Web chat has emerged as a calming, simple avenue for contact centre agents. It’s like finding a serene pathway in a chaotic urban sprawl. Agents are gladly swapping their telephone headsets for keyboards and web chat is becoming their communication channel of choice.
Imagine a skilled weaver threading multiple colours and patterns into a single tapestry. This is akin to what web chat offers to contact centre agents. Rather than focusing on a single thread, web chat enables agents to work with a number of customer conversations at once. They become adept weavers of dialogue, working on several queries without tangling the threads. This multitasking not only heightens productivity but also enriches the fabric of their workday, making it more varied and engaging.
The constant chatter and ringing phones in a contact centre can resemble a bustling market square at peak hour — overwhelming and relentless. Web chat introduces a quieter stage. It’s the equivalent of stepping from a noisy street into a tranquil library, where the ambiance allows for deeper focus and more thoughtful communication. Agents can ponder their responses and craft replies that are both helpful and precise, improving the quality of interaction and reducing the pressure to respond instantaneously.
Web chat allows agents become wordsmiths, carefully choosing their words to paint a helpful response. They have the luxury of time (unlike with phone callls) to compose their messages, ensuring clarity and effectiveness. This can be particularly empowering in complex situations where precise language is important. Moreover, the chat interface often includes tools like AI reponse suggestions and spell-check to help polish the final message.
On the phone, agents are on the spot the moment they answer. Web chat provides a veil of anonymity and the comfort of a behind-the-scenes role. This subtle shift can be significant. It’s like the difference between performing on stage under a harsh spotlight and playing in an orchestra pit: less exposed, agents feel more at ease to perform their roles.
While web chat may seem less personal than a voice call, it often forges stronger customer relationships. Agents can use the written word to convey warmth and personability, sometimes even more effectively than over the phone. It’s like choosing between a simple pencil sketch and a vibrant watercolour; the latter offers a spectrum of possibilities to enhance the connection.
Webio's DebtChat has been designed specifically for the credit and collections industry. The AI that powers DebtChat is built on a custom language model that is trained on the nuances and language of the debt collection industry.
Moreover, it comes equipped with the AI magic (for more, see AI & Automation) that runs through all the digital channels Webio conversational AI bots work on - so you build it once and then deploy it across the channels of your choice, be they WhatsApp, Messenger, SMS, Viber - or web chat.
Web chat is a responsive and efficient assistant that helps businesses not only meet but exceed the expectations of their customers. By integrating web chat, companies unlock a new level of engagement, paving the way for enhanced customer satisfaction and sustained business growth.
Web chat is not just another tool in the contact centre — it’s a complete change in how agents interact with customers. It provides a platform where agents can excel at their craft and express themselves in ways that traditional phone conversations don’t allow. proving that sometimes, the pen (or in this case, the keyboard) really is mightier than the sword.
If you need to improve your customer engagement, talk to us and we'll show you how AI and automation via digital messaging channels work.
You will love the Webio experience.
We promise.
