Lately in the realm of IT tech support, quite a bit of buzz is hovering over the concept of integrating chat into the service desk environment as both a communication and support channel. Already a way to communicate with internal and external end users, support organizations could really find success through providing support to their customers and employees via chat.
Recently, Bomgar hosted a webinar, How to Conquer the Challenges of Chat for Support, that featured input from industry experts on the importance and value of chat as a support mechanism. Kate Leggett, Senior Analyst, Forrester; Nathan McNeill, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer, Bomgar; and Robert Taylor, Business Systems Analyst/Strategist, Novell, all weighed in on how companies should look into chat as a tool to improve the support environment.
In case you weren’t able to attend last week’s webinar, it can be summed up into what I call the “4 C’s of Chat” – Concurrency, Collaboration, Costs, and Customers.
Concurrency. When providing customer support over the phone, you can only have one conversation at a time – at least only one decent conversation at a time. With chat, technicians can handle multiple support sessions simultaneously. This is especially helpful during wait periods that occur when software or updates are downloaded to a malfunctioning device. While one customer waits for a download or update to complete, you can be chatting with other customers and diagnosing problems. This brings a whole new appreciation for time efficiency and multi-tasking!
Collaboration. Not only can technicians handle more than one support session at a time, but they can also bring other resources into the session – resources such as people. In the instance that a customer you are supporting has a need or question beyond your knowledge or permissions, you can simply invite other colleagues or a manager to speed the time to resolution. No need to put your customer on hold while you track down the answer. You can send information, such as files or websites URLs, and allow other technicians to weigh in on a solution.
Costs. Let’s say your support representatives complete an average of 150 calls per each 8-hour day. What happens if the number of total calls goes up by 25%? That gives each rep about 30 more calls per day, but no more hours in the day to complete them. In most cases, this would call for more headcount in order to accommodate the support increase. However, with chat implementation if it was not present before, there is no need for additional headcount. The ability to support concurrent sessions and utilize other resources all at the same time makes support reps more productive and therefore saves your bank account some stress.
Customers. Here is my last point, but certainly not the least. The other three C’s of chat are all advantages that can ultimately increase the satisfaction of your customers. When technicians can have more than one conversation, this means they are reaching more people in a faster time frame. We all know that no one wants to wait for help. We all want help and answers immediately! Moreover, when the support rep you are talking to doesn’t have the answer, it takes little to no time for them to find it through the collaboration features of chat. Happy customers make a happy company!
It’s obvious that chat can be a game-changing tool for your support organization. However, making sure that this valuable tool is implemented and utilized properly can be the difference between a game win or loss. If you are looking for more resources on helping you use Chat to its full potential in your support organization, be sure to check out Robert Jew’s excellent blog series.
By Elizabeth Hamilton
Bomgar Community