Web chat etiquette

Having used web chat services for some well known brands recently, I got thinking about the different experiences. I also started to think why agents treat web chat differently to a voice call.

Think about it, if you're an agent in a call centre and you're speaking with a customer, one of the things you are told is to avoid silent periods. Fill those gaps when your system is not loading quickly or you are waiting for advice from your superior. Don't leave the customer alone in the darkness- let them know what's going on or at the very least, ask them a question about the weather while you're waiting for your system to update.

Surely, the same rule applies for web chat? I asked a question about my nearest store during a recent session and was left waiting for 6 minutes before eventually the agent responded. No interim updates telling me what was going on or that he was still dealing with my query. For all I knew, he'd gone on a break or was busy chatting to the agent sat next to him. That silent period wouldn't be acceptable during a voice call.

I know that frequently agents are handling more than one live chat session at a time. The trouble with this from a customer experience perspective is that often the response times are longer than necessary and the actual conversation length significantly exceeds the time it would have taken for that agent to discuss over the telephone. I accept that the agent cannot manage multiple telephone calls at the same time but if they are resolving 4 chat sessions over the course of 6-8 minutes and this is roughly the same time it would take to resolve 4 telephone calls, what's the point?

Also, if the web chat session is dragging on, be mindful of the customers time. Apologise for the amount of time it's taking and check if they are happy to continue with the session. Perhaps offer a follow up alternative where you agree to contact them (on the channel of their choosing) to continue the conversation. I've started a web chat session during my lunch break in the past and had to exit before getting the information/answer I was after due to the amount of time it was taking.

Here are some best practices to consider;

1) Respond quickly - the expected response time on live chat is close to instantaneous. Making the customer wait 2-3 minutes for each response isn't going to work. Many customers will end the chat and consider the experience a poor one- leading to lost sales and possible brand damage.

2) Keep the customer informed- let them know what's going on. Explain any delays and set expectations. Don't leave them hanging around for several minutes while you wait on the system or a supervisor to provide information.

3) Honesty is the best policy- we're all human so if you don't know the answer and can't find it easily, let the customer know you're struggling and offer to get back to them with the answer at a time that's convenient.

4) Be consistent. Remember that in many cases, web chat sessions are the initial experience of dealing with your brand. So, just like a phone call into the call centre, the focus must be on treating the web chat with the same standards and guidelines as agent would with voice. Too often, it's treated like a text message exchange which doesn't involve prompt responses.