In recent years, companies have realized that providing customers with greater engagement opportunities can increase overall satisfaction and make their brands more appealing. Indeed, according to a report from the Aberdeen Group, 94% of organizations provide service and support across multiple channels (including, email, telephone, e-services, Web queries, remote support, social media, live chat, mobile messaging, and forums).
The increase in engagement channels has also made customers more demanding. They want greater flexibility, require real-time interactivity—as opposed to the more static “send request and wait” experience—and seek ways to get service as quickly as possible. In fact, brands have begun to realize that the most effective tactic is to be where the customers are, rather than always trying to bring traffic back to the brand. It’s no longer enough to merely provide support—a company also needs to be approachable and available on a variety of channels.
Today, live chat is becoming increasingly important and profitable as a customer engagement platform. In fact, in a survey conducted by Forrester, 44% of respondents said that having a live person answer their questions while they were in the middle of an online purchase was one of the most important features a website could offer.
