3 clear signs that consumers really like web chat customer service.
Consumers these days have high expectations regarding the customer experience they receive from businesses. What they go through as they try to get questions answered or issues resolved can make or break the relationships they have with organizations. Deliver exceptional service and customers will reward you with more business. But fail to meet expectations and you just might drive customers into the arms of your competitors.
Now, more than ever, it's important to offer the right mix of customer service channel options. We find that web chat customer service has broad consumer appeal and might be just the thing to solidify the trust between brands and their customers.
Here are three clear signs that consumers really like web chat customer service.
1. Top satisfaction scores
We surveyed over 2400 consumers to find out their opinions about various aspects of the customer service experience. With a 47% satisfaction score (ratings of 9 or 10), web chat customer service was the top-rated support channel, just ahead of phone customer service and mobile apps. Customers still prefer agent-assisted over self-service channels. They're also increasingly going digital. Web chat customer service offers the best of both worlds - the convenience of digital combined with the personal touch of live agents.
2. Top 3 most preferred channels
Not only do consumers give it high satisfaction marks, but they also pick web chat customer service as one of their top 3 preferred channels, along with phone and email. This is likely because it rates highly for speed, convenience, and minimal effort. Companies that offer web chat customer service should try to maximize all three factors through great user-facing design and well-staffed and trained agent teams. Additionally, chatbots can also help with speed and convenience, but only when deployed thoughtfully.
3. One of the highest Net Promoter Scores (NPS)
In our study, web chat customer service received an NPS of 21, behind only mobile apps for top score. Net Promoter Score measures a customer's likelihood to recommend something, like a brand or product, based on their experience with it. A high, positive number is good. By comparison, automated phone menus received a -26 NPS. The fact that customers would recommend a company based on the experience they had with its web chat customer service is notable because referrals are one of the most effective ways to generate sales. In fact, a study by MarketShare revealed that referrals can increase marketing effectiveness by as much as 54%.
How can NiCE help you with web chat customer service?
NiCE CXone Interaction Channels provide over 30 options to connect with customers in their channel of choice – including chat, messaging options like WhatsApp and SMS as well as voice. Our contact center solutions provide customers with the digital-first omnichannel experience they expect and empower agents to provide exceptional experiences. Find out how NiCE can help you with your web chat customer service strategy.
Your customers are trying to reach you for service on digital channels – even if you’re not there yet. How many SMS text messages go to your call center phone number with no response? Who’s trying to find you on Facebook, Twitter, or WhatsApp and not finding you? Now with CXone it is easy to provide digital-first omnichannel service in all the channels your customers expect.
Personalized digital interactions: deliver native experiences in each of 30+ messaging channels, such as rich media, emojis, and other collaboration tools.
Simple to Activate: pre-integrated channels make it easy to offer to customers and agents.
Easy to Say “Yes”: simple packaging removes barriers to offering all channels to customers and agents.
Empowered agents
CXone empowers all your agents to deliver a true digital-first omnichannel customer experience by simultaneously combining all customer interactions in one intelligent inbox across multiple digital channels and voice for agents to select ("pull"), while dynamically prioritizing the most time-sensitive or real-time interactions according to service levels ("push"). All delivered in a single application – complete with full customer context, journey history, and sentiment.
Single Interface: one inbox for all digital messaging and real-time (voice/chat) channels – retaining native experience of each messaging platform.
Agents in Control: ‘pulling’ work in natural flow, while dynamic prioritization maintains SLAs – and prevents ‘cherry picking’.
Customer Card: full customer context, journey and conversation history, plus sentiment.
Holistic management
With CXone, omnichannel interactions are managed holistically, from agents to supervisors and beyond. Integrated workforce optimization, analytics, automation and artificial intelligence across digital and voice interactions ensure complete management across contact center operations.
