Web chat customer service

What makes web chat an effective customer service channel — and how do deployment on websites, chat widget design, AI versus live agent routing, proactive chat triggers, and quality monitoring combine to create a web chat experience that resolves customer needs quickly without requiring a phone call?

3 clear signs that consumers really like web chat customer service.

Consumers these days have high expectations regarding the customer experience they receive from businesses. What they go through as they try to get questions answered or issues resolved can make or break the relationships they have with organizations. Deliver exceptional service and customers will reward you with more business. But fail to meet expectations and you just might drive customers into the arms of your competitors.

Now, more than ever, it's important to offer the right mix of customer service channel options. We find that web chat customer service has broad consumer appeal and might be just the thing to solidify the trust between brands and their customers.

Here are three clear signs that consumers really like web chat customer service.

1. Top satisfaction scores

We surveyed over 2400 consumers to find out their opinions about various aspects of the customer service experience. With a 47% satisfaction score (ratings of 9 or 10), web chat customer service was the top-rated support channel, just ahead of phone customer service and mobile apps. Customers still prefer agent-assisted over self-service channels. They're also increasingly going digital. Web chat customer service offers the best of both worlds - the convenience of digital combined with the personal touch of live agents.

2. Top 3 most preferred channels

Not only do consumers give it high satisfaction marks, but they also pick web chat customer service as one of their top 3 preferred channels, along with phone and email. This is likely because it rates highly for speed, convenience, and minimal effort. Companies that offer web chat customer service should try to maximize all three factors through great user-facing design and well-staffed and trained agent teams. Additionally, chatbots can also help with speed and convenience, but only when deployed thoughtfully.

3. One of the highest Net Promoter Scores (NPS)

In our study, web chat customer service received an NPS of 21, behind only mobile apps for top score. Net Promoter Score measures a customer's likelihood to recommend something, like a brand or product, based on their experience with it. A high, positive number is good. By comparison, automated phone menus received a -26 NPS. The fact that customers would recommend a company based on the experience they had with its web chat customer service is notable because referrals are one of the most effective ways to generate sales. In fact, a study by MarketShare revealed that referrals can increase marketing effectiveness by as much as 54%.