Tag: Customer support service

  • Top 12 Best Help Desk Software You Should Use

    The success of any organization relies heavily on customer satisfaction. To enhance customer engagement and satisfaction, it is crucial to promptly respond to and support any customer queries. This is where the help desk comes into play—a suite of software tools designed to provide information and assistance to customers regarding their concerns, complaints, or inquiries about products or services. The help desk serves as a centralized platform, integrating queries from various customer-facing support channels such as live chat, email integration, web contact forms, phone, mobile, and social media.

    By employing help desk or support desk software, the time taken by support agents to resolve customer issues is significantly reduced. Instead of sifting through endless emails, voicemails, messages, texts, and posts, the software organizes tickets from different platforms into one easy-to-use system. This organized approach allows support agents to provide above-and-beyond customer service efficiently and effectively.

    In this blog post, we will delve into the world of help desk software and explore the top contenders for the title of “Best Help Desk Software.” Whether you are a small business owner looking to provide stellar support or a large enterprise seeking to optimize your customer service infrastructure, this guide will serve as your compass in navigating through the multitude of options available.

    How to Choose SaaS Help Desk Software?

    It can be difficult to choose the best help desk software for your company when there is a plethora of options available. To help you make your choice, here are some features to consider when making your decision:

    • Ease of Ticketing: Most importantly, you’ll want to determine whether the process of creating, routing, adjusting and closing tickets is on par with what your business needs and expects. You should be able to create a ticket for a customer and route that ticket to the appropriate team or individual who can best address it. You should also be able to make modifications to the ticket as you gain more information on the customer’s situation. And, once the problem has been fully resolved, you should be able to close the ticket and save it in your records as a resource for future inquiries.
    • Variety of Channels: You could adopt a separate help desk for each support channel you use, but that would be incredibly inefficient, confusing, and wasteful of funds. Rather, you’ll want to find one software that can support all of your communication channels, including email, social media, SMS messaging, and VoIP.
    • Self-Service Portal: Some questions are so fundamental that customers waste time contacting your support team for an answer. This is where it’s helpful to have a self-service portal that gives users get quick answers to simple questions. And, a self-service portal doesn’t just help your customers. It can also be used as an internal help desk, offering agents step-by-step guides to complex inquiries that can be easily copied and sent to customers. Rather than spending time rewriting the same troubleshooting steps, your reps will have a canned response ready to go for almost every service request.
    • App Integrations: Help desk software that can integrate with other apps like scheduling, project management, and internal messaging, is significantly valuable to your organization. Information that’s gained through the help desk should be stored and available on every app that you use. Additionally, all data gained externally should be uploaded to your help desk so that your information is stored in one location.

    Best Help Desk SaaS Platforms

    Help desk software lets you manage customer queries, faster. Support is always a key to business success, and choosing the right helpdesk solution can turn frustration into happy customers. It leads to better customer satisfaction. It also helps your support team to handle issues, queries, and feedback promptly. Let’s explore the following available support desk solutions.

    Freshdesk

    Website www.freshworks.com/freshdesk
    Rating 4.5/5
    Free Trial Available
    Platform Supported Web, Android, iPhone/iPad
    Best For Small businesses and Online enterprises
    FreshDesk - Best Help Desk Software
    FreshDesk – Best Help Desk Software

    FreshDesk is a customer support solution to boost the productivity of your support team. Make your customer happy and satisfied by leveraging the benefits of Freshdesk. Some questions are repetitive and time-consuming, provide FAQs and a knowledge base to customers and empower them to solve their queries.
    Bots are assigned to manage the repetitive task and provide the appropriate articles from a knowledge base. Some queries may need discussion with the team. collaborate effectively with the team on any ticket and provide the accurate answer within the specified time.

    Its intelligent ticket assignment system assigns the ticket to the agent based on their skill and workload. Also, whenever you make any reply to an open ticket, the software notifies the customer with an email.

    Features of FreshDesk

    • Categorize and prioritize the tickets to the right agent and make the workflow smooth.
    • Track all the messages from different channels and manage them in one interface.
    • Agent collision detection to ensure every employee works on the unique ticket.
    • Its thank you detector prevents reopening the ticket when a customer says thank you.
    • Assign different customized statuses to the ticket based on their progress.

    Pricing Plans

    Plan Yearly Price Monthly Price
    Free Rs 0 Rs 0
    Growth Rs999/agent/month Rs1199/agent/month
    Pro Rs3599/agent/month Rs4299/agent/month
    Enterprise Rs5699/agent/month Rs6899/agent/month


    Click here to get Freshdesk


    Top 15 Freshdesk Alternatives to Consider in 2023
    The top 15 Freshdesk alternatives to consider are Zendesk, Zoho Desk, Intercom, LiveAgent, Gorgias, Front, Help Scout, SpiceWorks, etc.


    Zendesk

    Website www.zendesk.com
    Rating 4.4/5
    Free Trial Available
    Platform Supported Web, Android, iPhone/iPad
    Best For All types of businesses and Customer Experience Management
    Zendesk - Best Support Desk Software
    Zendesk – Best Support Desk Software

    The customer support solution by Zendesk is dedicated to enhancing the experience of both the customer and the support team. Seamless connectivity of multiple channels of communication empowers customers to raise their queries and get help on any communication channel they are comfortable with.

    Easy to create a dedicated help center with relevant FAQ questions and a community forum. This help center will significantly reduce the workload on an employee by answering the most asked questions. It helps to reduce the response time so that your customer doesn’t have to wait.

    Features of ZenDesk

    • One workspace to manage queries from any communication channel.
    • Bots are available to answer basic queries and provide appropriate solutions from the knowledge base.
    • Make the conversation run fast by assigning the tickets to agents based on their workload and availability.
    • Automated questions to gather information about the query and push it to the appropriate agent.

    Pricing Plans

    Plan Yearly Price Monthly Price
    Suite Team $49/agent/month $59/agent/month
    Suite Growth $79/agent/month $99/agent/month
    Suite Professional $99/agent/month $125/agent/month
    Suite Enterprise Custom Price Custom Price

    Top 5 Alternatives for Zendesk Customer Support Platform and Services
    Best 5 Zendesk customer support alternatives including Freshdesk, Kayako, LiveAgent, Intercom, and Helpcrunch including features, comparison, and pricing


    Intercom

    Website www.intercom.com
    Rating 4.5/5
    Free Trial Available
    Platform Supported Web, Android, iPhone/iPad
    Best For Making internet business personal
    Intercom - Customer Help Desk Software
    Intercom – Customer Help Desk Software

    Intercom is a comprehensive Customer Service solution that offers a smooth customer experience through automation and human support, resulting in higher customer satisfaction and cost reduction.

    Intercom provides a customizable design that allows you to align your brand and business needs. It also helps engage customers in-context and encourages action throughout their journey in the Intercom Messenger. The ticketing system enables handling complex customer requests through asynchronous tickets designed for cross-functional collaboration.

    Features of Intercom:

    • The system can quickly generate responses, summarize conversations for other agents, and produce new help articles.
    • Colleagues can collaborate easily to solve complex problems and customers can track progress in real time.
    • View all support conversations in a centralized location.
    • Collaborate effectively with colleagues in real time.
    • Increase productivity by utilizing live dashboards, reporting, work management tools, and other optimization techniques.

    Pricing Plans

    Plan Price
    Starter $74 / month
    Pro Custom Price
    Premium Custom Price

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    SpiceWorks

    Website www.spiceworks.com
    Rating 4.4/5
    Free Trial Available
    Platform Supported Web, Android, iPhone/iPad
    Best For Free customer support software
    Spiceworks - Help Desk Software
    Spiceworks – Help Desk Software

    Spiceworks provides a cloud-based helpdesk solution that efficiently manages IT tickets and tasks. Because your help desk is stored in the cloud, there is no need to be concerned about server procurement, backups, or maintenance.

    Using Spiceworks, agents are able to efficiently track IT incidents, respond to tickets, make private comments, and promptly close them. It is possible to create custom fields to track additional information that is relevant to your business. A customizable user portal has been created for employees and customers to track the progress of their tickets.

    Spiceworks also offers inventory management functionality, allowing your team to access information about current orders. This helps the staff inform customers if their order will be shipped late.

    Features of Spiceworks:

    • Tickets are assigned to agents automatically and progress is tracked.
    • Collaborate with your team members by sharing support tickets and resolving issues more efficiently.
    • You can generate reports and easily view team performance metrics.
    • Monitor new tickets and determine the time it takes for your initial response.
    • Customers have the opportunity to share questions and ideas with others on the Spiceworks community forum.

    Pricing Plans

    Spiceworks is available free of cost for all users.


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    HappyFox

    Website www.happyfox.com
    Rating 4.6/5
    Free Trial Available
    Platform Supported Web, Android, iPhone/iPad
    Best For Mid sized Companies
    Happyfox - Best Service Desk Software
    Happyfox – Best Service Desk Software

    HappyFox provides a centralized system for managing customer queries and issues from various channels, such as email, live chat, social media, and more. It incorporates a ticketing system that organizes customer requests, allowing support agents to efficiently track, prioritize, and resolve issues.

    Happyfox is loaded with amazing ticketing features that make the task of resolving the ticket much easier. Prioritize the unresponded tickets in the list and ensure timely replies to make customers happy. SLA (service level agreement) is easy to create for your agents to ensure a timely reply and other objectives by setting targets.

    SLA will help to maintain a consistent workflow with targets such as time to first response, time to reach, changing status, and many more conditions. The robust dashboard of Happyfox gives a quick insight into agent activity reports, performance reports, and inflow reports.

    Features of Happyfox

    • Classification of tickets into predefined categories.
    • Solve the customer ticket through collaboration with a team.
    • pre-fill the required and essential information in the ticket with the ticket templates.
    • SLA works during office hours only.

    Pricing Plans

    Plan Yearly Price Monthly Price
    Mighty $29/agent/month $39/agent/month
    Fantastic $49/agent/month $59/agent/month
    Enterprise $69/agent/month $79/agent/month
    Enterprise Plus $89/agent/month $99/agent/month

    7 Ways to Automate Customer Service
    Here are ways to automate customer service & the advantages & disadvantages of automated customer service. Know how to automate customer support.


    LiveAgent

    Website www.liveagent.com
    Rating 4.7/5
    Free Trial Available
    Platform Supported Web, Android, iPhone/iPad
    Best For Customer Interaction
    LiveAgent - Customer Help Desk Software
    LiveAgent – Customer Help Desk Software

    LiveAgent is a robust and versatile help desk software that empowers businesses to deliver exceptional customer support across multiple channels. It is a comprehensive customer service platform that integrates various communication channels into one centralized system, allowing organizations to effectively manage and respond to customer queries.

    It empowers your support agent with its never-ending features. Omnichannel ticketing, SLA management, and custom fields are just a small portion of the features provided by this software.

    It is Fully-focused software that caters to the needs of businesses in terms of providing the best support to its customers. The interface is easy to use and most of the things are customizable.

    Features of LiveAgent

    • Enjoy flexibility with a cloud-based call centre feature.
    • 200+ other tool integration and 130+ ticketing features.
    • Agent ranking feature to monitor the efficiency of agents, customers can easily rate the service provided by the agent.
    • Audit log that keeps a record of every activity undertaken by the agent.

    Pricing Plans

    Plan Yearly Price Monthly Price
    Small Business $9/agent/month $15/agent/month
    Medium Business $29/agent/month $35/agent/month
    Large Business $49/agent/month $59/agent/month
    Free $0/agent/month $0/agent/month


    Try LiveAgent For Free


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    Zoho Desk

    Website www.zoho.com/desk
    Rating 4.5/5
    Free Trial Available
    Platform Supported Web, Android, iPhone/iPad
    Best For Growing Companies
    Zoho Desk - Customer Service Help Desk Software
    Zoho Desk – Customer Service Help Desk Software

    Zoho Desk is a customer service software that delivers its services to help your support team and manage the queries of customers in a much more efficient way. The insightful dashboard of Zoho Desk gives proper insight into ticket traffic and customers’ happiness rating. By monitoring and analyzing the charts on the dashboard, you can easily predict the performance of your support team.

    With Zoho Desk, users can easily make custom changes to various aspects of the system. They have the ability to rename tabs, create new departments, customize email templates, define business hours, and establish help folders, all of which contribute to a personalized and efficient support environment.

    Features of Zoho Desk

    • Automatic assignment of support tickets to the right person in the right department to fast forward the process of solving a customer’s problem.
    • Smooth integration with the other Zoho software.
    • Workflow automation in ticketing whenever any new ticket meets certain conditions.
    • Manage all your brands in a company with separate help articles and FAQs, and integrate everything using one software in one interface.

    Pricing Plans

    Plan Yearly Price Monthly Price
    Standard Rs 800/user/month Rs 1300/user/month
    Professional Rs 1400/user/month Rs 2100/user/month
    Enterprise Rs 2400/user/month Rs 3200/user/month


    Try Zoho Desk Now


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    JIRA Service Management

    Website www.atlassian.com/software/jira/service-management
    Rating 4.5/5
    Free Trial Available
    Platform Supported Web, Android, iPhone/iPad
    Best For Atlassian customer and flexible ITSM
    JIRA Service Management - Help Desk Software
    JIRA Service Management – Help Desk Software

    Jira Service Management, formerly recognized as Jira Service Desk, is an IT service management solution that leverages the renowned Jira platform. The Jira Service Management was introduced in 2013 by Atlassian that delivers its customer support services to businesses. In the year 2020 Jira service management was launched and merged Jira service desk into it. Now Jira Service Management has features of a service desk along with the additional capabilities of ITSM.

    Ticketing, SLA, knowledge base, and help widgets are the common features, on top of that it provides more IT business-centric support. It is focused on delivering the best software for IT service management.

    Features of Jira Service Desk

    • Empower the business team, Dev, and IT ops to deliver a smooth customer service experience.
    • Categorize the queries based on their department.
    • Focused support solution.
    • Dedicated templates to streamline legal, HR, Facilities, and General service management.

    Pricing Plans

    Plan Yearly Price Monthly Price
    Free $0 $0
    Standard $600/agent/year $21/agent/month
    Premium $1,400/agent/year $47/agent/month
    Enterprise Custom Price Custom Price

    12 Best Customer Experience Management Software Tools 2023
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    Kustomer

    Website www.kustomer.com
    Rating 4.5/5
    Free Trial Available
    Platform Supported Web
    Best For Omnichannel messaging and small companies
    Kustomer - Support Desk Software
    Kustomer – Support Desk Software

    Kustomer is a customer service software solution that offers varieties of features in this domain. Connect with customers and solve their problems on any channel. The task of managing customer interaction is much easier with a timeline view. All the previous interaction is placed in chronological order to deliver the best customer experience.

    AI chatbot is available to reduce the workload from support staff and knowledge base to answer the FAQs. Have a quick insight into the performance of your team and individual agents with the robust dashboard of Jira.

    Features of Kustomer

    • Direct integration with social media such as Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Twitter for instant replies to messages and comments.
    • Actionable data insights like order details, status, and more to serve the customer quickly.
    • Natural language processing detects the customer’s intent and suggests shortcuts to agents.
    • AI to automate repetitive manual work.

    Pricing Plans

    Plan Price
    Enterprise $89 per month / per user
    Ultimate $139 per month / per user

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    Gorgias

    Website www.gorgias.com
    Rating 4.7/5
    Free Trial Available
    Platform Supported Web, Android, iPhone/iPad
    Best For Ecommerce business
    Gorgias - Support Desk Software
    Gorgias – Support Desk Software

    Gorgias is e-commerce-focused support software that helps to solve e-commerce-related problems. Communicate with the customer and solve their query by having all your customer data in front of your screen. Manage the orders, refunds, subscriptions, and many things without switching to different tabs.

    As an e-commerce-centric software, it fetches your e-commerce data from your e-commerce platforms like Shopify, Magento, or big commerce and integrates it with the helpdesk. Alignment of all the previous conversations from different channels at the same interface will help you to know the customer’s perspective more efficiently.

    Features of Gorgias

    • 80+ integration options are available to increase the software capabilities.
    • Each ticket is categorized properly based on the channel it comes from, Like email, live chat, social media, SMS, or voice.
    • Automatic response to common questions like order tracking, refund status, and cancellation.
    • Gauge customer satisfaction with feedback and rating.

    Pricing Plans

    Plan Yearly Price Monthly Price
    Starter Only available for monthly subscription $10/month
    Basic $50/month $60/month
    Pro $300/month $360/month
    Advanced $750/month $900/month
    Enterprise Custom Price Custom Price


    Try Gorgias Now


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    Hiver

    Website Hiverhq.com
    Rating 4.7/5
    Free Trial Available
    Platform Supported Web, Android, iPhone/iPad
    Best For Google Workspace
    Hiver - Gmail-based Customer Service Helpdesk
    Hiver – Gmail-based Customer Service Helpdesk

    Hiver is the first Gmail-based helpdesk that makes it unique from any helpdesk software. It brings simplicity to your business and promotes human-to-human conversation by eliminating chatbots. Focused on providing the user with the best problem-solving experience, it leverages the power of Gmail and its features.

    Since live chat is used widely by customers to ask questions, Hiver has integrated it into Gmail to maintain a seamless workflow. Agents do not need to switch between tools to solve problems. Team collaboration is made easier with features like transcript sharing. It helps other agents know the chat history and context of the problem.

    Features of Hiver

    • Top-notch email management without logging in separately.
    • Monitor the workload on agents in real time and redistribute it in a single click.
    • Empower your agents to solve the query of customers anywhere, anytime through the Hiver iOS and Android app.
    • Get help from any specific agents utilizing the feature @mention.
    • Harvey bot prevents the conversation from reopening by identifying a response like “Thank you”.

    Pricing Plans

    Plan Yearly Price Monthly Price
    Lite Rs800/user/month Rs1100/user/month
    Pro Rs2200/user/month Rs2800/user/month
    Elite Rs3300/user/month Rs4000/user/month

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    Help Scout

    Website www.helpscout.com
    Rating 4.7/5
    Free Trial Available
    Platform Supported Web, Android, iPhone/iPad
    Best For Emails and Live Chats for Growing Companies
    Help Scout - Best Helpdesk Software
    Help Scout – Best Helpdesk Software

    Help Scout helps to provide support to your customers by utilizing its intuitive interface and features. Loaded with all the primary and essential features, it also offers some additional functionalities like instant notification on the browser, custom CSS, custom domain, article suggestions, and much more.

    Providing customers with the best support experience is the primary focus of any help desk software, this tool offers all the essential features to hook the customer throughout the problem-solving journey. It suggests the knowledge base articles to users based on the page URL. In simple words, it offers all the features you need to provide the best customer experience.

    Features of Help Scout

    • iOS and Android apps to manage queries on the go.
    • Search and insert the knowledge base article link without leaving the chat screen.
    • Organize your inbox and assign different tasks to different teams in their inbox.
    • Chat when your team is online and provide other options when they are not.

    Pricing Plans

    Plan Yearly Price Monthly Price
    Standard $20/user/month $25/user/month
    Plus $40/user/month $50/user/month
    Pro $65/user/month Annual only


    Try Help Scout Now


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    Conclusion

    Effectively managing customer support is always a challenging task. However, with the assistance of a cloud-based helpdesk solution, achieving customer satisfaction becomes more attainable. In today’s market, numerous tools are available, making it overwhelming to find the right one. Instead of being swayed solely by the features of different tools, it is essential to focus on their functionalities and determine if they align with your specific needs.

    To gain insights into a tool’s performance, reading user reviews and evaluating real-life scenarios can be immensely helpful. Additionally, taking advantage of free trials offered by vendors allows you to experience the tool firsthand before making a final decision. By following this approach, you can carefully select the perfect tool that suits your requirements and embark on a successful customer support journey.

    FAQs

    What is support desk software?

    Support desk software is a software product that customer service and IT teams use to serve employees or customers. Its core functions are to help service teams systematically manage support requests, provide self-service options, track and report performance and more.

    What are the best Support Desk Softwares?

    The following are the Best Support Desk Software

    • Freshdesk
    • Zendesk
    • HappyFox
    • Intercom
    • SpiceWorks
    • LiveAgent
    • Zoho Desk
    • Jira Service Desk
    • Kustomer
    • Gorgias
    • Hiver
    • Help Scout

    What are the benefits of Support desk software?

    You can organize support requests, collaborate with customers and teammates, automate repetitive tasks, improve overall customer experience Customize and rebrand to suit your business.

    Who can you Support Desk Software?

    Support Desk Software can be used by both big organisations as well as small firms. Support Desk Software helps you to manage customers in one place and Manage your customers in one place.

  • 10 Best Automated Answering Systems in 2023

    When working outside of normal business hours, your office may receive a large volume of phone calls from clients and potential clients. Even if you have a receptionist on duty, it may be inadequate if the volume of calls exceeds a certain limit. However, not every business requires a receptionist. An automated answering service can effectively route calls to the appropriate operator and can be customized to suit the specific needs and requirements of your business.

    In the business world, second chances are rare. Missing a call can cost you a potential lead, client, or significant business opportunity. But with automated answering services at your disposal, you can ensure that you don’t miss any opportunities.

    All answering service portals are user-friendly, so you don’t need a technical expert to set them up. To choose the best-answering service for your business, consider your current business needs and align them with your vision. This will help you make the right and most effective decision.

    What Is an Automated Answering Service?
    Factors to Consider While Choosing an Automated Answering System
    Top 10 Best Automated Answering Systems

    1. Nextiva
    2. Answer First
    3. PATlive
    4. Voice Nation
    5. Grasshopper
    6. Ooma
    7. Phone.com
    8. Vonage
    9. 8×8
    10. Aircall

    What Is an Automated Answering Service?

    Some companies use live operators to handle phone calls and take customer messages, but they also use automated answering services to take care of calls when the operators are busy with other tasks. Automated answering services are also useful for individuals who receive important calls but can’t answer every call themselves.

    In simple terms, an automated answering service is a type of virtual receptionist that handles customer requests and inquiries without making them wait on hold. It’s important to note that an automated answering service is different from an automated calling service, as it primarily manages incoming calls rather than outgoing calls. Additionally, an automated answering service typically includes a self-service option that uses advanced AI technology to answer customer questions.

    An automated answering service generally works in three different ways

    • Answer the calls on your behalf using your existing phone number
    • Play a pre-recorded greeting message that is tailored to your business requirements
    • Guide customers through a series of menus and ask them for their intent and gather all relevant information

    An automated answering service collects information from the caller and routes them to the appropriate department. It can also use call deflection to handle the high call volume.

    Factors to Consider While Choosing an Automated Answering System

    With the information provided about the top 10 automated answering systems for 2023, there are also other considerations to keep in mind when choosing an automated answering system. By taking these factors into account, you can make a more informed and efficient decision.

    Multi-Level Call Attending

    Automated answering systems route your client’s call directly to the specified operators by guiding the client through a simple menu. However, in case of multi-level call attending, this service goes up a notch by creating custom paths that allow for multiple callers.
    For example, one path might be reserved solely for accounting whereas another might go for technical support.

    Account and Call Monitoring

    When choosing an automated answering service, it is important to consider the call analytics feature. Many businesses use a dashboard to track customer interactions and this feature is activated every time a customer calls. Therefore, it is essential to ensure that the dashboard is user-friendly, and up-to-date, and allows for easy management of users, permissions and various aspects of phone calls.

    Live Call Answering Feature

    While automated answering services can be helpful, having a live person available to answer calls can also be beneficial. Some clients prefer talking to an actual person rather than having a machine answer their query. Having a live person on the line can provide customers with better satisfaction as they have direct access to someone who can assist them with their inquiries or concern.

    A live call answering feature is a valuable addition to a phone plan. Therefore, it’s important to check if the automated answering service you are considering has this option available.

    VoIP Market Size By Region

    Flexible Hours

    Many businesses operate 24/7 and require answering services that can work continuously. On the other hand, some businesses only require automated answering services during regular working hours. Therefore, it’s important to select a company that offers flexible operating patterns that align with your business hours and requirements.

    In addition to the factors mentioned previously, here are some additional features to consider when choosing an automated answering service:

    • Web/Mobile Chat
    • Post-Call Surveys
    • Conference Calling
    • Voicemail Transcription
    • Call Recording
    • CRM Integration
    • IVR

    Top 10 Best Automated Answering Systems

    Selecting an automated answering system is a significant change for businesses of all sizes. When making this decision, it’s important to consider how the system will improve and streamline operations for your business.

    In order to make the best choice, you need to have the most suitable automated answering system. With many options available, it can be challenging to make a decision. That’s why we have compiled a list of the top 10 best automated answering systems for the year.

    Nextiva

    Rating 4.4/5
    Best For Small Businesses

    Nextiva is a full-service VOIP phone system designed for businesses, but it can also function effectively as an automated answering service. It comes with several features that enable you to create a personalized greeting and set answering rules based on your business hours.

    Nextiva

    With these features, you can route calls based on factors such as area code, time zone, and other factors that dictate your call-handling process. Nextiva acts as a virtual receptionist, eliminating the need for a physical receptionist to answer calls before, during or after business hours.

    Nextiva’s user-friendly administrative portal makes it ideal for small businesses and can be accessed from a computer or the company’s mobile app, allowing you to manage the entire admin portal. Additionally, Nextiva offers scalable features as your business grows, including advanced customer contact features, VoIP, video chat services, virtual voicemail, and more. It also has plans available that include a multi-level auto-attendant for more complex call routing.

    AnswerFirst

    Rating 4.2/5
    Best For 24/7 Customer Handling

    Answer First provides businesses with a professional digital presence 24/7 by giving access to features such as message taking and response, appointment scheduling, and assistance with purchasing and ordering. The company has a certified and dedicated customer service team, made up of professionals who have been connecting people with answers since 1998.

    AnswerFirst

    Here are some of the services that are available to you when you sign up with Answer First: 24/7 Dispatching, Systems and Security Management, Live Transfer, Message Taking, Scheduling and Reservations, Virtual Receptionist, and Voice Mail Services.

    Answer First is an advanced automated answering service that offers exceptional customer service to all clients. It offers a wide range of third-party integrations and customizable pricing plans tailored to your specific needs and requirements. With Answer First, you can ensure that you never miss a potential lead, client, or business opportunity, and can always make a positive impression on your customers. The service’s 24/7 availability, live transfer, and message taking feature, scheduling and reservations, virtual receptionist, and voicemail service ensure that you are always reachable and able to provide professional and efficient customer service.

    PATlive

    Rating 3.9/5
    Best For All types of businesses and Customer Experience Management

    As a business owner, you are constantly seeking out solutions that can meet all of your business needs, including 24/7 coverage. PATlive’s digital receptionists provide professional customer service around the clock, which can significantly improve your customer relations and strengthen your relationships with current clients. With their help, you can make sure that your customers have a positive experience with your company at all times, even when you are unavailable.

    PATlive

    Additionally, the digital receptionist service guarantees that you never miss a potential lead or business opportunity, which can help you grow your business. PATlive offers a 14-day free trial feature that allows you to gain a comprehensive understanding of the product before making a decision. Additionally, the bilingual service feature enables you to communicate effectively with people speaking a language different from yours.

    With PATlive’s digital agents, you can easily book, manage, and keep track of your appointments using the software’s web-based calendaring service. This feature allows you to schedule, reschedule, and cancel appointments, as well as view upcoming appointments in a calendar format. This functionality can help you to manage your time more efficiently and productively.

    Voice Nation

    Rating 4.3/5
    Best For Live Call and Chat Answering

    Voice Nation offers top-quality automated answering services that are available 24/7 for your convenience. By signing up with Voice Nation, you gain access to a bilingual virtual receptionist that will answer your calls and respond to texts on your behalf. This feature ensures that you never miss an important call or message and can provide professional and efficient customer service to your clients.

    VoiceNation

    Additionally, when you sign up with Voice Nation, you also gain access to additional services such as order processing, message delivery, detailed reports, and a dedicated account manager that is included in each plan. With this automated answering service, you never have to send your customers to voicemail again, as you can personally attend to each customer at any time of the day. This can help you improve customer service and strengthen your relationships with your clients.

    With Voice Nation, you can customize your call script to match the type of business and clients you have. The service also offers a mobile application that is compatible with both iOS and Android devices, providing you with flexibility and convenience.

    Grasshopper

    Rating 4.5/5
    Best For Solo Enterpreneurs

    Every business has a unique selling proposition (USP) that sets it apart from the competition, and it’s important to effectively communicate that USP to customers. Grasshopper’s software includes an auto-attendant feature that allows you to use pre-recorded scripts from the software’s database.

    Grasshopper

    You can assign different scripts for different client paths to help answer your incoming calls more professionally. For an additional fee, the software also offers a professional voice studio. Grasshopper’s software allows you to switch between live operators and digital receptionists depending on your preference, giving you the flexibility to choose who handles your calls. Grasshopper offers an easy 4-step process to add a business number and integrate your smartphone with a virtual phone system, allowing you to never miss a call and present a professional image to your customers.

    Ooma

    Rating 4/5
    Best For Small Businesses without IT Departments

    Ooma is specifically designed for small businesses and includes an auto-attendant feature when setting up an account. It has a text-to-speech enabled feature and callers are greeted by a virtual assistant every time they call. You can select and assign a customized greeting which will be read out by a computer-generated voice to the caller. Additionally, the software’s dashboard includes a control panel that enables you to record audio files, which is a useful option if you are considering a virtual receptionist.

    Ooma

    Ooma is loaded with numerous features such as HD Audio, low international calling rates, a virtual fax system, mobile app integration, a complimentary toll-free number and free local phone numbers. These features are intended to enhance customer service, boost productivity, and improve overall business communication.

    This automated answering service also offers a mobile application compatible with both Android and iOS, allowing you to check voicemails on your phone anytime and anywhere. As a small business owner, cost-effectiveness is a priority, and Ooma offers smart plans for every user. As your business grows, Ooma will ensure that your phone bill remains low. Therefore, not only does your business advance, but you also have the opportunity to make significant savings on your phone bill.

    Phone.com

    Rating 3.9/5
    Best For Small Businesses and Entrepreneurs

    If you are looking for a solution to manage your metered subscriptions, phone.com is an automated answering service specifically designed for businesses with lower or fluctuating call volume. The software offers both metered and non-metered subscription plans. This allows you to customize and integrate your plans based on your specific needs and requirements. Additionally, phone.com provides access to various additional features such as live receptionist, international numbering and dialling.

    Phone.com

    The global numbers and international calling feature will be particularly beneficial for businesses with multiple marketing campaigns. Additionally, phone.com offers a wide range of features such as voice, video, text, call management, and other collaboration features commonly found in enterprise phone systems.

    Furthermore, this answering service is highly versatile and can seamlessly switch between computer and phone. It offers a variety of options such as local, toll-free, and vanity numbers.

    Vonage

    Rating 3.5/5
    Best For All Businesses including Micro Businesses

    Irrespective of the type and size of your business, it is important to have a flexible and cost-effective business plan that can help your business to grow without incurring high phone bills. An ideal plan would provide you with the necessary communication tools while keeping costs low.

    Vonage

    This can include features such as virtual phone numbers, call forwarding, voicemail, and auto-attendant, all of which can help to improve your customer service and increase your productivity. Additionally, many business communication solutions offer affordable pricing plans with different features, so you can choose the one that best fits your business needs and budget.

    Vonage offers a variety of flexible options, including over 50 phone features with the ability to add advanced features at an additional cost. The basic plan includes 18 standard features such as call recording, internet fax, conference bridge, virtual numbers and more.

    Additionally, a self-service mobile application that is compatible with both Android and iOS is available, enabling you to deploy third-party apps without needing professional services. Vonage offers a wide range of services such as contact centres, customer engagement, mobility, remote work, and more.

    8×8

    Rating 4.1/5
    Best For Unified Business Communication

    8×8 is an automated phone attendant service that operates in over 48 countries and is ideal for companies with a large number of international clients. Additionally, the software has an economical subscription plan that allows you to save money on international calls.

    8×8

    The auto-attendant software has phone number support flexibility in over 100 countries, allowing your business to expand virtually in areas where you do not have a physical presence. However, the software’s collaboration features are currently limited to file sharing and video meetings.

    Furthermore, the software utilizes AI to assist you in monitoring and managing your voice interactions, helping your team leaders and managers. The software also has an app that is compatible with both Android and iOS, allowing you to access all your business communication such as chat, video messages, voice calls, and more.

    Aircall

    Rating 4.3/5
    Best For Integration with CRM and Helpdesk Tools

    Aircall is a cloud-based auto-attendant software that is perfect for e-commerce companies, enabling them to make their call centre more remote and efficient. It is an IT-approved, cloud-based solution that is ideal for sales and marketing teams.

    aircall

    This software is also easy to set up and enables you to communicate with anyone, anywhere in the world. Aircall also comes equipped with CRM features, helpdesk solutions, and other essential apps that provide all the necessary information to clients when they call.

    Aircall allows you to manage and monitor your work, analyze calls, and measure your call metrics to make measurable improvements. It also includes features such as a cloud-based IVR menu, skill-based routing options, and more.

    Conclusion

    Regardless of the type of business you run, an automated answering service can greatly benefit your business and contribute to its growth. An automated answering service allows you to customize it to provide all necessary information to your callers. By doing so, you can greatly reduce operating costs, time and staff resources. High-quality customer service is heavily dependent on your telephone system, and customer satisfaction improves when exceptional customer service is provided.

    FAQ

    What is the best phone system for business?

    The best Business Phone Systems are as follows

    • PATlive
    • Nextiva
    • VoiceNation
    • Grasshopper
    • 8×8
    • Vonage
    • Aircall

    What is the automated phone answering system called?

    Interactive voice response (IVR) is an automated telephony system that interacts with callers, gathers information and routes calls to the appropriate recipients.

    What is an IVR dialer?

    An IVR Dialer is an automated dialer that dials numbers from a given database and plays IVR (Interactive Voice Response) messages when connected.

    What are the limitations of telephone answering machines?

    The Disadvantages of Using an Automated Phone Answering System

    • Automated Phone Systems Can Alienate Customers.
    • Automated Phone Systems Can Confuse Customers.
    • Automated Phone Systems can Malfunction
    • Automated Phone Systems can be Inefficient
  • How to Record VoIP Calls Effectively?

    As per the report published by Persistence market research, the global VoIP market is estimated to achieve the mark of $194.5 billion in revenue by the end of 2024. Almost every small business to the big giant company is using VoIP for communication and at the same time using VoIP call recording to ensure accountability.

    Since VoIP is an advanced technology that comes with amazing features at a low price compared to traditional ones, the recording of calls is also different. Some VoIP service providers offer a call recording feature in their plans, but some offer this feature as an add-on at additional costs.

    Here in this article, you will get to know the procedure to record a VoIP call.

    What Is VoIP?
    Why Do Companies Need to Record VoIP Calls?
    Steps to Record VoIP Calls

    What Is VoIP?

    Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a technology that enables seamless transmission of audio and video conversation over the internet. Using this technology one can easily avail the benefit of communicating with people using the internet connection. The audio or video data is converted into digital data in small data packets, then it is transmitted to the destination using the Internet network. The receiver receives this data packet combined to listen to the conversation.

    It provides the ability to make business calls from any location from any device through an internet connection. Unlike the traditional phone system, it saves a lot of money on normal calls and also on Long distance International calls.

    Not only voice calls but other mediums like video, chats, sending or receiving images, videos, and documents everything is possible because of VoIP technology. There is no boundation to stick with only one tool for communications but one can easily switch to their smartphone and make or receive a business call on it.

    Why Do Companies Need to Record VoIP Calls?

    VoIP is widely used by today’s businesses because of its flexibility and low-cost infrastructure. But while running business communication on VoIP, companies strongly need to record their every call. There are certain reasons companies do record the calls and some of the most prominent reasons are the following.

    • To prevent the business from future misunderstandings with clients. Sometimes when clients refuse their words, your call recording works as strong evidence.
    • Businesses also use call recordings for quality assurance. As a business owner, you always want your customers to be happy with your service. So it helps to ensure, no of your employees misbehaves with your customer.
    • Call recordings are also used by the companies for the training of the recruit. You might have heard the voice ” your call may be recorded for quality and training purposes” while communicating with any company.
    • It helps to reduce the legal risk if you have proof of any verbal commitment as a recording.
    • While working on a project for a client, sometimes you might require clarification from the previous conversation, and automatic call recording acts as a miracle at that time.
    Mobile VoIP Market size by Region

    Steps to Record VoIP Calls

    Coming back to the topic, below is the step-by-step process to help you to record VoIP calls. Since you can choose different software for your VoIP call recording but more or less the procedure is the same.

    Step 1: Choose the Right Software

    Choosing the right software to record calls is the first and most prominent step in our list. There could be many VoIP service providers available that are offering VoIP call recording features. Some include it in their plan while some offer it as an add-on. Here is a list of a few software providers who provide the call-recording feature.

    • RingCentral
    • 8×8
    • Nextiva
    • Vonage

    Choose any of the providers which suit your needs the best.

    Step 2: Configuration of Basic Settings

    Once you are done selecting the provider, the next step is configuring the basic call recording setting. To provide you with the context of how to use the call recording feature, we have taken the example of Nextiva.‌ Let us discuss how to record a call on Nextiva.

    Homepage

    ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌Once you are on the homepage dashboard of the software, you need to click on the manage option under the user’s tab.‌

    User Overview Page

    ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌After clicking on the user’s tab you’ll enter the user’s dashboard. Here you’ll see all your users and various options to configure. Just select the desired user for whom you want to record the call.‌‌



    Click here to get Nextiva


    User Manager Page

    ‌‌‌‌Once you click on any user, you’ll find the monitoring section, under this section there is an option for call recording. Just enable this call recording option for the user.

    You’ll find this option in different places based on your service provider.

    Step 3: Configure Call Recording Policies

    After completing all of the above steps, you need to choose your desired call recording policy from the dropdown menu. Below I’ve explained these policies in brief.

    Call Recording Options

    Always On

    When this option is selected, every call for that user will automatically start recording. The user will have no control over the recordings to start, stop, pause or resume. You can select this option if you want to record all the calls without giving control to the user.

    Always on With Pause and Resume

    This option also records all the calls automatically as soon as the calls start, but this option empowers the user to pause and resume the call recording whenever he/she wants. You can select this option if you want to give some control to the user.

    Users can pause the call recording by dialling *48 and resume the paused call recording by dialling *49.

    On-demand

    As the name suggests On-demand, which means VoIP call recording will start as soon as the user initiates the call but it will automatically get deleted if the user does not place the call on hold and dial *44.

    It means if the user wants to save this call recording, then he/she needs to put the call on hold and has to dial the feature code *44. This option will give much more flexibility to users.

    On-Demand With User-Initiated Call

    When this option is enabled, calls will not start recording automatically. In order to start the call recording, the user has to put the call on hold and dial *44. Another alternative is also available, user can dial this code before making the outbound Call to record the call.

    Never

    This option doesn’t allow the user to record any of the calls. Even the user can’t record any call using any of the feature codes like*44.

    Step 4: Good to Go

    After selecting your recording policy for the user, you can select the other option which is easy to configure. Like if you want to make the announcement that the call recording is being started or stopped, then you can check the option. Similarly, you can easily configure other basic settings.‌‌

    Now you are good to go to record all your business calls. Keep in mind that I’ve taken the example of Nextiva but you can choose any provider, settings and features might be up or down but the functionality is the same.

    Conclusion

    Call recording is a widely used feature in the business. empower your business by leveraging the feature of call recording. Call recording, even today, is quite challenging if you don’t have the right tools. Follow our step-by-step guide to record your VoIP calls and run your business with full accountability. It helps individuals and companies maintain accountability for verbal commitments. Automatic call recording using your VoIP phone system helps you run a more successful business.

    FAQ

    Can VoIP phone calls be recorded?

    VoIP calls can be recorded via streaming audio recording applications. Streaming audio recorders can be useful for home-based recording.

    How do I record a VoIP call on Windows 10?

    The keyboard shortcut Windows+Alt+R allows you to record VoIP calls on your PC quickly.

    What is the best free app for recording phone calls?

    The List of some of the best software is

    • RingCentral
    • 8×8
    • Nextiva
    • Vonage

    Can we automatically record all calls?

    Some VoIP call recording software allows you to manually select which phone conversations you want to record, while others support automatic audio recordings of all phone calls.

  • 20 Tips for Providing a Better Live Chat Support to Your Customers

    Customer satisfaction is the key to customer retention and business sustainability. 83% of customers become loyalists when a brand prioritizes and resolves their queries. Yet, a lot of businesses are not able to deliver effective and timely customer service. Why? It is hard to set an SOP, train personnel, and deal with multiple complex customer issues.

    An efficient solution that came up recently was live chat support. Live chat customer service is a real-time customer conversation that addresses their pain points and blockers. It is an online tool that enables customer interaction, recording transcripts, and sharing resources. In a nutshell, it fills all the gaps in the prevailing customer support system.

    Need for a Live Chat Support System
    Benefits of Live Chat Support
    1. Aim for Quick Responses
    2. Benefits of Live Chat Support
    3. Follow Up
    4. Apt Opening
    5. Use Canned Responses
    6. Use Web Analytics
    7. Limited Hours
    8. Stick to a Defined Purpose
    9. Concise Solutions
    10. Transition Through Channels
    11. Consistent Brand Voice
    12. Inclusivity (Multilingual Support)
    13. Automate
    14. Proper Training
    15. Strategic Positioning
    16. Offer Resources
    17. Chat Archive
    18. Provide Detailed Solution
    19. Pre & Post Chat Survey
    20. Limit to Certain Pages

    Need for a Live Chat Support System

    Live chat support can strengthen customer relations which strengthens your business goals. Customer satisfaction is a non-negotiable aspect of a business and lives chat services take businesses a step closer to that. However, there are some problems that businesses face with live chat systems such as:

    1. Lack of personalization,
    2. Lack of trained people,
    3. Missing SOPs, and
    4. Prolonged hours to resolve a complex query.

    Below are some strategies that enable you to leverage live chat support to its full potential. But before that let us have a look at its benefits.

    The above graph shows the customer satisfaction rate with respect to different methods in percentage
    The above graph shows the customer satisfaction rate with respect to different methods in percentage

    Benefits of Live Chat Support

    Live chat service benefits are not confined to customer service. Not only is it crucial for customer service teams, but also the marketing and sales teams can leverage this tool. Here are 5 advantages that live chat support offers that could potentially boost your business growth by 4-8% in the market.

    Insights Into Customer Pain Point

    Real-time conversations with customers not only resolve their problem but also equips you with their pain points. If you receive recurring feedback or query in your inbox, you might need to look for an effective solution that handles it permanently.

    For instance, you might get a lot of DMs regarding the refund policy from your shipment cart page. Then, adding more details in the same regard on the individual product pages would increase customer satisfaction. 80% of customer service teams depend upon insights and customer satisfaction reviews to improve themselves.

    Build Trust and Rapport With Customers

    Live chat support indicates that you prioritize customers and their needs. Every resolved query builds trust with the customers. Especially with live chat service, the conversation seems more genuine and natural. It is comparable to telephonic conversations that connect the agent with the customer and boost credibility.

    Enhanced Conversion and Retention

    Live chat support is timely and has a natural flow of conversation. As a result, customers trust the brand which boosts conversions and customer retention. In fact, 93% of satisfied customers go for repeated purchases from a brand.

    Also, since the live chat service solves customer queries almost instantly, it leads to better conversions and reduces abandonment cart rates. The conversion goes up to 2.8x after an interaction on a live chat session.

    Get Competitive Advantage

    Having a robust live chat support system is a competitive advantage. How? 65% of customers switch to an alternative if the brand does not prioritize customer service. Moreover, 80% of users move to a competitor after one bad customer service experience.

    Live chat service fills in the gaps of the traditional customer support system such as delays in responses and lack of effectiveness. Hence, it can give you an edge over other players in the market.

    Make More Money!

    Customer satisfaction means better conversion, customer retention, and competitive advantage. Eventually, real-time conversations can give incremental growth for business revenue by 15%.

    68% of customers are willing to spend more on brands that offer good customer service. It comes from the fact that customers trust these brands which helps them scale in a way of word-of-mouth and repetitive purchases.


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    Tips for Providing Live Chat Support

    64% of customers prefer a real-time communication mode while shopping. A business that employs it efficiently can improve its NSP (Net promoter score). However, there can be several gaps while deploying this system. So, here are 20 strategies that can bring better results and cover all the loopholes.

    1. Aim for Quick Responses

    90% of customers want a quick response from the brand. But how much quick? 10 secs? 1 min? 5 min? 60% of customers mark quick as 10 min of wait time. Timely responses are crucial for customer support.

    They are the real deal-breaker. With live chat support, accepting a chat request and finally resolving a query takes time, especially if there is a lot of traffic at the chat support. However, the agents should try and juggle a few customers at a time to reduce the waiting time.

    2. Benefits of Live Chat Support

    An agent can not possibly have answers to all the queries. A crucial role in timely reply is transferring the chat to the right department. The right agent would be more prompt with the replies.

    Also, it enhances the relevancy of the solution offered. Hence, all the departments should cooperate to achieve customer satisfaction. After, a good customer service team also needs to collaborate with the marketing, sales, and product team to ensure 100% customer satisfaction.

    3. Follow Up

    Oftentimes, an agent does not have an answer. Even after transferring, the solution is still ambiguous. How to handle such a situation? Firstly, let the customer know that the solution is on the way. It might take some time. Secondly, thank them for being patient, waiting, and sharing the query.

    Lastly, switch to another mode: Email, or messaging to share the resolution when available. In this case, following up is critical with the solution. It shows brand commitment and enhances brand rapport.

    4. Apt Opening

    The ChatBot is a great example to understand the effect of humanly messages
    The ChatBot is a great example to understand the effect of human messages

    Opening the conversation in an apt way influences the end result. A robotic or automated message drives away the customer. Your opening/ greeting should be natural and personalized. But how do you personalize? By tracking the user’s web history. Apart from that, the trigger replies should also be more human-like. Something like:

    Hey, I saw you checking our enterprise products. Can I guide you in your journey?

    Hey, You visited our blog section. Is there some specific topic you wish to know about?

    5. Use Canned Responses

    An example of a canned response
    An example of a canned response 

    Canned responses are crucial to save time and handle multiple customer chats simultaneously. They are templatized responses that help the agent answer FAQs promptly. However, instead of trigger-based canned responses, offer selective canned responses. In this case, the agent can select the response to send depending upon the customer’s query. It is relevant and quick.

    6. Use Web Analytics

    Web analytics can help you provide a relevant, personalized solution to the customer. It consists of the recent pages that the user visited on the site and helps the agent map the customer journey. As a result, the agent gets a brief history of the customer and enhances the solution offered. The agent can give a better response that fixes the query, removing unnecessary friction.

    7. Limited Hours

    An example to understand that 24/7 service is not always provided freely or one can set limited hours for it
    An example to understand that 24/7 service is not always provided freely or one can set limited hours for it

    Even though, chatbots are great at providing 24/7 customer support; live chats are better as the experience is genuine and human-like. Also, the responses are more effective. 43% of users prefer live chat support for customer services against 32% for telephonic conversation and 23% for emails.

    But, you can not hire agents that work 24/7. Hence, having limited hours for live chat support that are clearly stated on the website, increases the efficiency of live chat support. It might lead to immense traffic at specific hours but your team should prepare accordingly to handle the number of customer queries.

    8. Stick to a Defined Purpose

    The agent should set clear expectations and a specific purpose for each chat conversation. Otherwise, it might lead to prolonged unproductive chats with a customer. You want to save agents time and resolve customer queries. Setting boundaries and understanding customer pain point makes it easier to provide solutions promptly without deviating from the core issue.

    9. Concise Solutions

    An example of a concise solution
    An example of a concise solution

    The solution provided should not be open-ended. You do not want your customer to roam on your website for another hour and then move to a competitor’s website in search of the right solution. You should solve the query with a specific direct response that gives the user clarity.

    The user should know their exact next steps and not be left ambiguous. Also, if the solution is lengthy, break it down into smaller sections that are easy to comprehend and follow.

    10. Transition Through Channels

    An example of how a transition through channels can take place easily
    An example of how a transition through channels can take place easily

    Oftentimes, the agent has to switch between the channels. The right agent knows when exactly the transition happens. Transition at the right time reduces friction, solves purpose, and enhances customer satisfaction.

    For instance, if the agent does not have an answer for the query. They can simply request the user to submit the email or shift to some other channel where they can connect later.

    11. Consistent Brand Voice

    Be it content or customer support, having a consistent brand voice helps establish brand image and enhances brand recognition. It improves relations with the customer by distinguishing the messaging.

    Also, it separates you from your competitors and optimizes your brand impression. For instance, Zomato is always seen as a brand with puns and a comical brand voice. So, sticking to a brand voice can critically impact brand reputation.

    12. Inclusivity (Multilingual Support)

    An example of a multilingual chat support service
    An example of a multilingual chat support service

    Inclusivity is prioritized by many brands in their product line and message. With live chat support, multilingual support is the most significant aspect of being inclusive as a customer support team. Also, understanding customer pain points and their needs is crucial. Moreover, If you are a global brand, it is critical to opt for multilingual service that improves customer relations.

    13. Automate

    As mentioned above, your agents can not work 24/7. Hence, taking helping hands from AI and automating processes can extend customer support hours. Also, AI enables prompt replies, saves money, and gathers more information about the user.

    However, you can not totally rely on these as they would eliminate the human touch. After all, 69% of customers prefer real-time communication over chatbots. It covers up for out-of-office hours of agents and keeps customer service active at all times.

    14. Proper Training

    Agents play an important role in live chat support services. They are the front face and interact with the customers. Hence, giving them proper training to initiate conversation, continue the interaction, solve queries, switch channels, and close the right way gives them an edge.

    Also, having agents with cross-departmental knowledge promotes self-reliance which enhances response time. You could hire personnel to give training or have short training sessions to equip agents with the right knowledge and skill set.

    15. Strategic Positioning

    An Example- The chat icon is located at the corner that is not affected with scrolling of the page
    An Example- The chat icon is located at the corner that is not affected with scrolling of the page

    Placing the icon for a live chat in the right place is also important. You do not want it to bury in some corner where is it not even visible. It should not be on your face that covers the entire webpage.

    Place your live chat icon in the corner of the page which is visible throughout the scrolling window, which means it should not be restricted to the end of the page. Also, the working hours should be clearly stated along the icon or after the chat window pops up.

    16. Offer Resources

    Often the solution is not restricted to a few steps or a small conversation. In such cases, the agent needs to share relevant resources that clear user queries. Also, resources are a great way to end the conversation as the user leaves with additional information.

    Another situation is when your agents face a recurring query. In such cases, you can create a dedicated resource that addresses customer pain points which can be shared as and when needed.

    17. Chat Archive

    Live chat support comes with an option to save the transcript and record it all into your CRM. But how does it even help? It helps in recording customer query history and helps to follow up for future conversations. Also, you can share a chat transcript with the customer if the solution was more broad and intricate. It acts as a resource itself.

    18. Provide Detailed Solution

    Even though it is recommended to keep conversations in a live chat concise, the agents should aim to provide a detailed solution. They should not miss any aspect which might increase friction. You should provide a comprehensive solution either in smaller chunks or via a shared resource that gives the customer clarity and satisfaction.

    19. Pre & Post Chat Survey

    An example of a pre and post survey form
    An example of a pre and post survey form 

    Pre and post-chat surveys save agents time and help in measuring NPS. The pre-chat survey includes basic details about the customer and their problem. This helps in finding the right agent beforehand and reduces friction to switch between different personnel. The post-chat survey is more of a feedback form that enables you to analyze gaps and improve customer support service.

    20. Limit to Certain Pages

    It is advisable to place the live chat button on specific high-traffic pages to save time and effort. This directs the effort in the right direction to offer maximum value. Live chat support is a high-value customer support system that should be leveraged appropriately.


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    Conclusion

    73% of customers are satisfied after a live chat support session as compared to 61% for emails and 44% for phones. Live chat is appreciated and chosen by the customer. The companies need to embrace the technology and use it efficiently to bridge the gap between customer satisfaction.

    These were 20 tips that increase the efficiency of your live chat support system. There are only four key aspects of successful live chat support: relevance, empathy, conciseness, and personalization. If you achieve these four goals, you will probably ace the customer service tool: live chat.

    FAQs

    Why is live chat important for customer service?

    Live chat is essential for customer service as it helps in many aspects that can build the trust and relation between the customers and the firm. It creates a good rapport between customers and the firm and provides immediate solutions to customers’ queries and many other similar things.

    Does live chat increase conversion?

    Yes, customers can easily get an immediate reply to their query. This immediate response can create a good impression on them and can get more chance of increased conversion.

    What is customer support live chat?

    Customer support live chat is the facility given by different firms to their customers to have immediate access to the answers to their queries by the means of the official website.