10 Top Qualities of Live Chat Agents to make Customers Happy

Customers literally like live chat option. Research has shown that live chat has higher satisfaction levels with 73% as compared to its peers like email and phone with 61% and 44% respectively. But why do the consumers like it? There are multiple reasons which came out in this survey:

79% said they liked Live Chat because they got the answers quickly

51% said that they could multi-task.

46% found live chat to be the most efficient communication method.

Chat is popular, but it isn’t easy. Assisting customers while maintaining the quality looks very simple, but it takes much more than a simple chat. You need to have a thorough understanding of what it live chat and how it works to improve overall business productivity.

And if you’re planning to install live chat on your website, you need to take care of some qualities which your agents must possess to make it better for your firm.

In this post, we are going to discuss 10 must have qualities for live chat agents for making your customers happy.

1. Domain Knowledge

This cannot be ignored. The chat agents must have whole domain knowledge, i.e. complete knowledge of your products, even before the products are live. If there’s a lack of knowledge, then it will soon be exposed to the customer and they can get furious hence, you’ll be losing the business.

Even if you’re outsourcing your chat process, you need to train your chat agents with the thorough knowledge of your product and business.

This will boost the confidence of your agents leading to a better customer experience.

2. Communication Skills

This is one of the most important and difficult skills to acquire and master. In the case of live chat,  you cannot use voice modulation to convey your message. It has to be straight and correct usage of words has to be there. This is the reason why it’s a key characteristic to look of in a chat agent.

A chat agent needs to understand the customer requirement and should be able to effectively communicate a solution or a reason why it can’t be done. You need to remember that these agents are the representatives of your company and their voice/chat shows if you care for our customers.

3. Responsibility

Just like they need to communicate better, they should also be able to take responsibility. Facing the customers with problems and solving them is not an easy task. Sometimes, you have to go beyond the already defined answers.

In most cases, agents will be able to handle the situation with a balanced solution which works for both, the company and customers alike. Since we all are humans, we do make mistakes, but the thing is that we should take their responsibility.

If an agent has not been able to solve something, then he/she should understand and accept it. Or if the solution to customers query doesn’t fall under the definite answers, then the agent should take the responsibility to guide him to appropriate department. An agent can transfer the chat in this scenario and hence the customer query can be solved.

This may incur extra time or effort of the agent, but in the end, it will give a better experience to the customer. A satisfied customer is always a loyal customer.

4. Multi-Tasking

It’s a no secret that multi-tasking increases productivity. With the help of a right live chat software and multi-tasking agents, every single agent can handle 4-5 customers at a time.

But it is important for agents to master this skill as they need to give equal attention to all the customers. And they cannot answer meant for first customer in the window of any other one.

The faster you can respond to your customer queries and help them find a solution, the more is your customer satisfaction rate.

5. Honesty

Everyone honors transparency. It is good not only for personal but also for business. It shows your customers that you’re honest. Consider yourself as a customer, would you do any business with a company which you do not trust?

I guess the answer is No.

Same is with your customers, they cannot trust you with their money if they don’t feel you’re honest. You chat agents should also be honest with the customers and shouldn’t tell them a lie.

Omitting some details like the person is not applying the discount coupon code (which he is eligible for) might save something now, but you’ll lose a customer whenever he finds out. And if an agent being honest tells him about the code, he’ll retain the customer for all future shopping/transactions.

6. Problem Solving Skills

The customer is coming with a query and if he doesn’t find a solution, then it’s your problem. Your chat agents should be able to adapt the situation and give the answers which are not direct. Creating and using canned replies is a great way to engage customers better and deliver prompt solutions in real time.

Solving a problem is one thing while solving it efficiently is totally another. By efficiently, I mean solving the problem while you’re juggling 3 other cases as well. The ability to adapt quickly is an important part of the problem-solving skills.

These difficult situations are actually an opportunity to deliver the best customer service.

7. Team Work

We all can come across unexpected difficulties and what saves us is: teamwork. When you’re working as a chat agent and providing customer service, you’re never alone. Whenever in doubt about anything, you ask your teammates. A good chat agent should be able to use the knowledge and experience of its peers to the customer’s advantage.

This not only helps them build a solid team, but also ensures a better customer experience.

8. Patience

Imagine when a customer is yelling at you for everything gone wrong in his life, you only have one thing: Patience. If a customer is frustrated, then a chat agent has to ask him very patiently about his problem. It is one of the most important characteristic of a customer service agent.

When you understand the customer’s problem, you can either give him solution very calmly or ask him to wait while you solve it.

Just remember, a customer is frustrated, but that doesn’t mean he’s lost. He can still continue with your firm.

9. Empathy

To empathize with the customers is as equally important as being patient with them. Your customers will love if you can speak their language and share their pain. For this, a chat agent will have to see things from the customer’s point of view. Why is this important? It makes customers easier to manage and controls the chat time. Empathy can be shown with simple and short statements like these:

You’re right.

Me too.

I can definitely understand

I can see your point

That sounds difficult

10. Going that Extra Mile

Every customer appreciates good service, but they would love the gesture which makes them feel valued for their business. A chat agent who is ready to go the extra mile will often customers.

It can include offering free delivery to the customer because of some billing error, or offering him a gift voucher because his birthday is in the same week.

This will not only make feel customer valued, but will also make him happy.

Conclusion

So, when you’re installing a Live Chat solution on your website, don’t forget to check these qualities in your chat agents and the customer loyalty soars.

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