Do you remember the days when programs like ICQ and MIRC were all the rage? We wouldn’t be surprised if you were to admit that you spent hours on end just sitting in front of your computer, chatting away like there was no tomorrow. And you may have even made a few friends along the way.
While the popularity of chat clients may have waned a bit due to the rise of social media, there’s no denying that live chat is still a viable customer tech support call center channel. In fact, you might do well to employ it in your own fast-growing computer shop.
If you’re not convinced, consider the data recently released by research firm Forrester that shows that the popularity of chat has once again risen over the past three years, from 20 percent to a little over double—43 percent. This can be attributed to the fact that a large number of folks are very comfortable with chat usage—even the older set can easily use it. And more importantly, the live chat call center platform allows clients to have their issues resolved immediately, while explaining their concerns in a thorough manner, and still being able to do so in a personalized (aka “one-on-one”) environment.
If you’re not too fond of numbers, then maybe live chat’s functionality and cost-effectiveness will seal the deal for you. Did you know that live chat clients can be embedded and integrated into just about anything that connects to the internet? From your smartphone, online shopping website, Facebook page, or even as a stand-alone software, you and your customers can use it. What’s even cooler news is that it doesn’t cost too much to do so. There are even chat clients that are free to use. The best part is that you’ll be cool with the younger set—who have been known to be the largest group who use today’s tech toys.
Still scared of chatting? Take the case of this little computer store that had the courage to use live chat on its simple yet catchy website. It employed chatting in everything from product inquiries to issue resolutions. A client named Jude even bought a monitor from the store via chatting with one of the customer care agents.
And even if he had the unfortunate fate of getting a defective unit, a quick click on the tech support live chat link connected him to a helpdesk agent, who after some thorough questioning, had his monitor replaced within a couple of days. Take a look at them today and they have become one of the trusted names when it comes to buying computer hardware.
So when you find yourself reminiscing about the good old days of chatting, then maybe it’s time you brought them back—and share it with your tech-crazy customers. Yes, that live chat tech support call center channel might just be the best thing that happened to your budding business. It can definitely make you a hit with your clients.