The Role of Live Agents in The Current Customer Service Field
The field of customer service is changing drastically with the rise in the popularity of live chat agents. These agents are increasingly becoming a vital part of customer service teams and have become an integral component of how companies interact with their customers. This blog will discuss the role of live agents in this ever-changing landscape, specifically as it relates to response time, empathy, and trustworthiness.
The rapid growth rate for online shopping has led many consumers away from brick-and-mortar establishments altogether. With these changes come new challenges for customer service teams when dealing with issues such as shipping times and product returns. Live chat agents have been one way that stores like Amazon have been able to combat these problems by being available 24/7 on their website so that customers can easily contact them whenever necessary. The option of being able to contact a live agent on the website increases the customer's trust in the company, and it can also lead to higher response rates.
Response time is an important factor for consumers online because even if they have already left the site to look at reviews or pricing elsewhere, seeing that their question has been answered quickly will cause them to return to the site where they began. If response time is too slow, however, it causes customers to assume that the company either does not care about their problem or has poor customer service. The live agent in customer service plays multiple roles beyond just answering online inquiries for stores and companies; this paper will explore some of those roles along with taking a closer look at the impact of response time in creating loyalty and returning customers.
Over the past few years, companies have spent a great deal of money on online customer service sites in order to decrease response time and provide more efficient ways to answer questions posted by customers. Some of these methods include hiring agents that are solely for handling online queries or creating apps that are optimized to answer the pre-set questions asked by customers about a brand.
Here are a few observations on the importance of live agents in the modern customer service industry:
Live Agents are Still Necessary
It may seem that with the technological advances of recent years, there is no need for live advisors. In fact, companies like Amazon and American Express have taken this idea to heart by cutting their staff significantly over the past few years. However, although a lot of customer questions can be answered via an online search or application, it is not always possible to find a solution using just online resources.
It's More Than Just Talking
A lot of the components that make up live agent jobs are beyond talking with customers and writing down their questions. Customer service representatives use their observations when receiving calls, getting to know each client, and finding out what they need before they can proceed with the help they need.
Customers Want Easy Access
People all over the world are tired of calling customer service lines only to have their calls dropped or talking with call center operators who do not speak English well enough to be able to help them. Customers want live representatives who can provide assistance on a wide range of topics, including any computer-related issues they may be experiencing. Customers finally have a voice when it comes to customer service and live agent technology is giving them what they want.
People Want Rep Who Can Fix Problems Fast
Live agents can see your screen and advise you on what to do next or fix problems for you in real-time when it is convenient for both parties. Live agent technology saves time and money, which is something that also appeals to customers.
Listen Whatever People Have To Say
When was the last time you had someone listen carefully to what you say? Customer service agents are trained to listen and listen well. They understand that a lot of problems aren't easy to solve, so they are able to offer multiple workarounds if the first solution doesn't work out.
Improve Your Customer Experience
In today's customer service field, technology is a big part of it. As stated earlier, using technology to solve problems can save you money and time . However, if there is room for improvement in your customer experience field, going with the live agent route makes sense. When you add a human element into this sort of equation (a live agent to deal with), customer satisfaction surely shoots up. Customers love being able to speak with a human about their issues versus simply having an automated system answer the phone.
More Personable & Friendly
With technology becoming more and more advanced, you'll find that a lot of customer service questions can be handled by these automated systems. However, if there is room for improvement in your customer experience field, going with the live agent route makes sense. When you add a human element into this sort of equation (a live agent to deal with), customer satisfaction surely shoots up. Customers love being able to speak with a human about their issues versus simply having an automated system answer the phone.
A live agent will be able to answer all sorts of questions that might be challenging for the automated system. It makes sense when you think about it - many consumers feel more comfortable speaking with a real person on the phone versus being forced to interact with an automated system. For certain situations, they prefer to have a live person assist them in answering their questions. This is true for issues that are a bit more complex as well. For example, if they need to fill out paperwork or send in documents via fax and need assistance over the phone, a live agent will be able to help them do this with ease versus the automated system which may not be able to assist them properly in doing so.
The best part about having a live agent around is that even if there are issues with how the customer service representatives handle calls, you have the option to speak to another person. This will allow you to build loyalty with your customers and show them that you truly care about their satisfaction by ensuring they get all of the help they need.
Last Word
The role of live agents is evolving as we move more and more towards a digital world. Customer service doesn't have to be impersonal. Contact us if you want help implementing these changes for your team!
