Looking to improve your live chat customer experience? Whether you’re onboarding new team members or refining workflows, these 14 steps will help your team deliver seamless live chat support. From reducing customer handling time to ensuring satisfaction, follow this guide to elevate your live chat strategy.
In this post, I’ll share a structured workflow which you and your team can follow when handling live chats. This workflow can be followed by any customer service representative handling live chats, representing any type of organization.
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Step 1 – Be Quick to Accept the Chat for a Better Live Chat Customer Experience
Speed is critical to a positive live chat customer experience. Studies show that 79% of customers expect their inquiries to be addressed within seconds and almost a fifth of customers rate long wait times as the most frustrating part of a live chat, according to our live chat statistics report.
They don’t want to be in a queue. The only way to ensure this is by accepting the chat request as soon as you receive it.
Imagine if the customer on the chat is irate or needs help urgently. It wouldn’t be a good start to the chat if they have already been on hold for too long. Aim for an average wait time of less than 20 seconds.
Step 2 – Focus Fully on the Chat and Approach with Confidence
Once you’ve accepted the chat request, it’s time to give the customer your undivided attention. Eliminate distractions—close unrelated tabs, pause conversations with colleagues, and focus entirely on the customer’s needs.
Approach the chat with confidence and a cheerful mindset. Studies show that a positive attitude can improve the customer’s overall experience. A focused and empathetic approach reassures the customer that their issue is your top priority, helping you deliver a seamless live chat customer experience.
Step 3 – Greet the Customer with Professionalism and Warmth
Once you’ve accepted the chat, start by greeting the customer in a way that’s both professional and friendly. A well-crafted greeting sets the tone for the entire interaction and reassures the customer that they’re in good hands.
Using canned responses for greetings can save time, especially when handling multiple chats. However, ensure that your responses remain personalized and genuine to create a positive live chat customer experience.
For example: “Hi John, thank you for contacting Kayako Support! How can I assist you today?”
A thoughtful and welcoming introduction goes a long way in building trust and making the customer feel valued.
Step 4 – Identify the Customer and Gather Context
Before diving into the chat, take a moment to review the customer’s details. Understanding who they are is key to delivering a personalized and efficient live chat customer experience. Check if they are a lead, trial user, existing customer, or someone who may have mistakenly contacted your company.
Quickly scan their profile for relevant details such as:
- Recent interactions with your support team.
- Notes or flags from past conversations.
- Any contextual information that can help you address their query more effectively.
If the customer has contacted the wrong company, guide them to the correct support team if possible. This simple act of helpfulness could leave a positive impression and potentially turn them into a future customer.
Proactively understanding your customer’s context ensures you’re prepared to offer the most relevant support right from the start.
Kayako’s Messenger brings context to live chat. Instantly see your customer’s information, events, and history in one place to give the best support you can. Learn more about our live chat software, here.
Step 5 – Read the Chat Subject Carefully and Clarify If Needed
The chat subject often provides a quick glimpse into the customer’s query or issue. Take a moment to carefully read the subject line before engaging further. This step ensures you’re aligned with the customer’s expectations from the start.
If the subject is unclear or requires more context, don’t hesitate to ask clarifying questions. Avoid making assumptions that could steer the conversation in the wrong direction, as this can prolong the chat and lead to frustration for the customer.
When in doubt:
- Summarize what you’ve understood so far.
- Confirm with the customer to ensure you’re both on the same page before providing a solution.
A thoughtful approach to clarifying the customer’s needs contributes to a smooth and efficient live chat customer experience.
Step 6 – Break Down Complex Queries into Manageable Steps for a Smoother Live Chat Customer Experience
Handling complex queries during a live chat is a common challenge, but addressing them effectively is essential to delivering a positive live chat customer experience. Start by carefully reading the query twice to ensure you fully understand what the customer is asking.
For customers with multiple questions, address them one at a time. Let the customer finish typing before responding, and provide clear, concise answers to each part of their query. Breaking down the conversation into manageable steps keeps the interaction structured and prevents misunderstandings.
To truly enhance the live chat customer experience, go beyond surface-level responses. Focus on understanding the customer’s core needs and offering tailored solutions that resolve their concerns efficiently.
Step 7 – Communicate Clearly When You Need Time to Research
In live chat customer support, you won’t always have an immediate answer for every query. When you need time to research a solution, let the customer know upfront. Transparency is crucial to maintaining a positive live chat customer experience.
If the issue requires deeper investigation or consultation with an expert, clearly communicate this to the customer. Reassure them that you are actively working on their concern and set expectations about follow-up timelines when possible.
To ensure a seamless resolution:
- Collect all necessary details from the customer, such as account information or issue specifics.
- Document this information thoroughly, so you or the next agent handling the follow-up has everything needed to resolve the query efficiently.
This proactive approach keeps the customer informed and builds trust, enhancing their overall live chat experience.
Step 8 – Test Solutions in a Safe Environment Before Sharing
In technical roles or situations where solutions can be tested in a system or test environment, always take the time to verify them before presenting them to the customer. Testing solutions ensures accuracy and prevents potential errors, which is crucial for maintaining a seamless live chat customer experience.
By practicing the solution beforehand, you can:
- Identify and fix any flaws in the proposed resolution.
- Confirm that the solution meets the customer’s specific needs.
Taking this extra step not only boosts customer confidence but also ensures that their issue is resolved efficiently on the first attempt, reinforcing trust in your live chat support process.
Step 9 – Consult Your Team When in Doubt
When you’re unsure about a solution, don’t hesitate to reach out to your manager or colleagues for guidance. Their expertise and experience can provide valuable insights to resolve the issue effectively and maintain a positive live chat customer experience.
If the query requires specialized knowledge, consider transferring the chat to an expert who is better equipped to handle the situation. This ensures the customer receives accurate and timely support, which is critical for building trust and satisfaction.
Collaborating with your team not only improves the quality of the support you provide but also reinforces a seamless and professional live chat experience for your customers.
Step 10 – Empathize with the customer and start drafting your reply
Empathy is a must have skill for every customer support professional. If you can empathise with a customer’s situation by putting yourself in their place then you’re more likely to have a good outcome.
Empathy helps turn customers around from making a complaint to fixing the problem. It is important that you understand the solution from the customer’s point of view to be able to see how you can solve the query.
Step 11 – Keep Your Response Clear, Simple, and Human for an Effective Live Chat Customer Experience
Using clear and simple language is key to delivering an effective live chat customer experience. Avoid jargon or overly technical terms, as the customer may not share your level of familiarity with the subject. Limit the use of canned responses to ensure your replies feel genuine and not robotic.
Always remember that you’re communicating with a person. Maintain a conversational tone, be honest, and tailor your response to the customer’s specific needs. Once you’ve drafted your reply, take a moment to proofread it. This helps catch any grammatical errors or technical mistakes that could detract from the professionalism of the conversation.
A clear, concise, and human response reassures the customer and strengthens their confidence in your support.
Step 12 – Provide a Detailed Solution and Anticipate Future Questions
When offering a solution, ensure it is both detailed and easy to understand. Cover all conceptual and technical aspects so the customer not only has their issue resolved but also learns from the explanation, reducing the need for future support.
If the issue can be resolved in multiple ways, present all possible options. Customers appreciate flexibility and may prefer one solution over another based on their needs.
Additionally, think ahead—consider any related issues the customer might encounter in the future. Address these proactively during the same session to create an effortless live chat customer experience and reduce the likelihood of repeat contacts.
If you don’t have a complete solution:
- Provide the closest alternative available, even if it’s not ideal. Explain how it can meet their requirements for now.
- Be transparent about the limitations of the solution, and share why their request cannot currently be fulfilled.
- For feature requests or product limitations, share your roadmap (if public) and assure them their feedback will be passed to the relevant team.
Learning to say “No” respectfully and constructively is an essential skill. Handling such situations with empathy and professionalism prevents customer frustration, builds trust, and maintains a positive live chat customer experience.
Step 13 – Share Documentation and Promote Self-Service for a Seamless Live Chat Customer Experience
Leverage your knowledge base to provide customers with detailed resources that complement your chat support. During the conversation, address the key points of their query and follow up by sharing a link to a relevant knowledge base article. These resources, enriched with videos, screenshots, and guides, empower customers to solve similar issues independently in the future.
Encouraging self-service not only helps customers resolve their queries faster but also reduces their need to contact support for repetitive questions. By guiding them to your knowledge base, you contribute to a seamless live chat customer experience while promoting efficiency for both customers and your support team.
For more tips on building and optimizing your knowledge base, check out Proven Tactics to Optimize Your Knowledge Base with AI.
Step 14 – End the Chat on a Positive and Memorable Note
The way you conclude a live chat can leave a lasting impression on the customer. Ending on a high note ensures their experience feels complete and satisfying. Avoid abrupt goodbyes, and instead, take a moment to ask if there’s anything else they need help with.
Craft your farewell to convey warmth and availability, such as:
“Thank you for reaching out! If you have any more questions, don’t hesitate to contact us. We’re always here to help and look forward to hearing from you again.”
Before closing the chat, confirm with the customer that they’re satisfied with the solution provided. Ask if there’s anything they didn’t fully understand or would like to review further. This extra step not only builds trust but also reinforces a seamless live chat customer experience.
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Over to you
Following these 14 steps should help you develop a structured approach towards handling a live chat.
Do get back to us if you have any feedback or comments related to this blog. We would love to hear back from you if this article helped you or your colleague in giving a great experience to your customers on chats.