Consumers are more satisfied using chat support than other channels. According to this study, those who used chat support rated their satisfaction at 92%. Voice was only graded at 88%, and email with 85%.

One happy customer will likely tell nine other people about a good experience while an unhappy one will probably talk about it to 16 people or so. Thus, improving customer service is of utmost importance to any company.

If you’re planning on attracting more customers and outperforming your competitors, you may want to invest in a superb chat support crew. Here are the things you have to remember:

1. The size of your team should be practical and realistic.

How many people should you hire for your chat support team? Determining the answer to this question begs you to address the following considerations:

a. time of availability

If your company offers 24-hour chat support service, expect to employ more people. This is where outsourcing becomes extremely helpful. Trained agents from overseas can cover for your in-house team during night time. On the other hand, some companies opt to have their chat support services available only during their store hours. There are also those who offer offline support for chat on their websites. Consumers can leave their queries and get automated replies assuring that a chat support agent will attend to their concerns as soon as possible.

b. what you wish to accomplish

First, what is the nature of your company? Online retail businesses have seen a tremendous rise over the years as more people embrace the convenience of internet shopping. This industry may need big teams more than others particularly on holidays.

Second, what functions can your chat support agents do? Do they only have to answer questions either about products or shipping, both, or more?

c. the workload per agent

Among the advantages of chat support is that one agent may be able to juggle three customers at once–something you can’t do when you’re on the phone! For quality assurance purposes, how many chats is one agent allowed to handle? Is your chat support team expected to take calls and reply to emails, too?

d. the length and amount of monthly chats

Per month, a company with 5,000 visitors may have 448 live chats based on industry average. Likewise, a business with 50,000 visitors may have 1,000 live chats in a month. Tracking your website visits and the number of chats you get will give you a sound idea of your appropriate staffing size. Of course, the more chats you get, the more people you’ll need. In addition, the length of an average chat conversation must also be taken into account.

2. Carefully plan your chat support window appearance.

Humans respond more positively to visual cues; therefore, the layout is a great deal. It can powerfully affect a customer, even subconsciously, so be careful with the colors you use. Instead of harsh and glaring colors, use an appealing combination of complementary, analogous, or monochromatic colors.

Moreover, you must also decide if you want a pop-up chat window or an embedded one. Each chat window style has its pros and cons, but do remember to make your choice mobile-friendly! Sixty-two percent of your site visitors are on their phones!

3. Make chat support a personable experience.

Once a consumer makes contact through chat support, take it as an opportunity to establish good relations. Communicating empathy and individuality is a big plus. Talking through text may make this hard, but with proper training and technique, your agents can charm site visitors and convert them into repeat customers. For instance, let your agents use emoticons and deviate from scripts to add a more personal touch to their communication.

It’s an increasingly impatient society, and to remain relevant and competitive, businesses must adapt to the trends and demands of the time. There’s never a simple one-size-fits-all method to doing things correctly, but there are guidelines that can help you start things smoothly on your way to outperforming results.