Nowadays the evolution of the Internet and VoIP telephony has boosted social and business communications into a new dimension. Some time ago, business communication used to rely on phone calls or emails, but the current tendency is all about texting in messengers and live chats. These communication channels have become more popular due to their high convenience, speed, and cost-effectiveness both for customers and companies.
Live chats have quickly become ingrained in new consumer habits, emerging as the preferred mode of communication between businesses and customers. Moreover, paired with AI-based chatbots, they have significantly transformed customer service processes in contact centers.
In this article, we talk about our extensive experience collaborating with a leading telecommunications company to explore how customer service via live chat impacts the functionality of a modern contact center.
Why do clients choose live chat?
Our contact center outsourcing services client is a major mobile network operator in Ukraine with millions of subscribers, that require high-quality customer support across various communication channels. Global Bilgi has been maintaining a long-standing partnership with this client, and observing a steady increase in inquiries on live chat for this project. For example, in January 2021, we received approximately 27,000 inquiries per month via live chat, and by January 2024, this figure had risen to about 43,000. It’s important to note that these figures represent only communication sessions with contact center agents, and some part of inquiries are being handled automatically by a chatbot.
To further understand this trend, we decided to explore why clients chose live chat over phone calls and identified several key reasons:
- Firstly, it’s convenient and accessible. Clients can message from platforms like Facebook Messenger, Telegram, or directly from the company’s website. Assistance in the chat is available even while roaming or from anywhere with internet connectivity.
- Secondly, live chat offers quick responses to questions or issues at any time of day. Before connecting with a client, a live chat agent is already familiar with the client’s five latest messages in the chatbot. This ensures that the specialist is informed about the issue beforehand and can promptly resolve it.
- Thirdly, live chat facilitates the exchange of photos, images, screenshots, documents, and more.
Additionally, it’s worth mentioning that in live chat, the priority of processing inquiries can be customized based on client segmentation. We introduced this functionality in response to the client’s desire to prioritize service for VIP clients. Our solution allows us to identify these users by their phone number and handle their requests with priority.
What are the most common issues people turn to live chat for?
In the live chat support of the mobile network operator we serve, clients frequently inquire about:
- Blocking/unblocking numbers, PIN/PUK, and SIM card replacement;
- Tariff conditions, tariff changes, and expense inquiries;
- Roaming, costs, and challenges with roaming;
- Internet connectivity issues (no internet, slow speed);
- Tariff conditions, tariff changes, and expense inquiries (repeated for emphasis);
- Reissuing blocked cards due to inactivity.
Recognizing the prevalence of these requests, we have developed response templates for the agents that streamline the support process.
Another notable benefit for clients is the option to receive a text file of the conversation via email. With this record of the troubleshooting steps, individuals can independently address similar concerns in the future without contacting the customer support line.
Global Bilgi offers clients valuable insights into the most common challenges faced by users of the live chat service, along with practical recommendations for enhancing the company’s operations. Specifically, clients receive an analytical report detailing chat duration, inquiry topics, customer journey obstacles, and more.
Why is live chat beneficial for the call center?
The primary advantage of incorporating live chat into our project is the time saved for frontline customer support agents. With one agent capable of managing up to 4 chats simultaneously, we significantly reduce labor costs. As the text channel manages more incoming inquiries, it creates additional time and opportunities for phone line specialists to complete outbound calls and engage in cross-selling.
It’s important to recognize that inbound contact center agents may face significant psychological pressure and encounter negativity while providing customer service on the inbound line, which can contribute to high staff turnover.
However, live chat agents find it easier to handle potential negativity from clients, as emotional nuances are often easier to navigate in text-based exchanges. Furthermore, the use of pre-written scripts and prompts in live chat streamlines inquiry processing and helps minimize negative client feedback.
Drawing from our experience, we’ve observed that the turnover rate among live chat agents is approximately 5% per year, considerably lower than the turnover rate among those handling voice calls, which is over 6 times higher.
Another notable advantage of this communication channel is the ability to swiftly onboard additional support agents to manage live chat during peak periods on the call center’s inbound line.
Our experience with live chat in the contact center can benefit your business too!
Live chat is an effective and advantageous customer service channel in our outsourcing project with a mobile network operator. The integration of live chat into the Global Bilgi contact center became possible thanks to our company’s in-house developed digital product – the omnichannel cloud contact center platform Sirius.
Let’s explore the benefits of a website live chat solution based on the Global Bilgi Sirius platform.
Multilingualism and omnichannel capability
A website live chat from Global Bilgi is a Ukrainian development that enables serving clients in multiple languages. Therefore, our software is suitable for businesses operating in both the Ukrainian market and abroad.
With a user-friendly interface, your live chat agents can seamlessly respond to inquiries from the website, popular messengers, and phone calls, providing clients with an exceptional omnichannel service experience.
Integration
Since live chat for the website is part of the Sirius cloud contact center platform, it can be integrated with our CRM system, analytics and reporting services, contact center quality assurance software, and external resources.
Your managers can easily track live chat agents’ workload, view dialogue statistics in real time, monitor service quality, and make data-driven decisions.
Reliability
Our system’s reliability has been proven even in extreme conditions such as a state of war. Despite these challenges, our live chat handles tens of thousands of inquiries per month in the customer service project for the mobile network operator. The capability to handle multiple chats simultaneously allows us to uphold service quality and enhance customer satisfaction even during peak loads on the contact center.
Additionally, it’s worth noting that all clients of our cloud contact center platform receive quality support from our development team, and we can develop additional functionality upon request.
Live chat for call centers: conclusions
In the last 5 years, live chats have emerged as the go-to channel for customer support across various industries. Particularly for large businesses, leveraging text communication has alleviated the burden on contact centers. With one agent managing multiple live chats simultaneously, efficiency has soared.
At Global Bilgi’s outsourced contact center, approximately 50 live chat customer support agents are dedicated to serving customers of a major telecommunications company. This setup efficiently tackles a substantial volume of typical inquiries, swiftly resolving common issues without compromising service quality.
Through automation and streamlined chat processing, we’ve successfully shifted workload dynamics within the call center. This strategic move has empowered outbound staff to enhance productivity and meet call center cross-selling objectives.
If your call center grapples with heavy workloads and customer dissatisfaction, consider reaching out to Global Bilgi. We provide comprehensive details on the benefits of our live chat service and the pricing of our Sirius cloud contact center platform, which serves as the backbone for implementing live chat effectively.
