34% prefer intelligent chat when engaging with customer service while one in ten have abandoned a sale because of a poor live chat experience
Intelligent chat led the way in recent research regarding consumer preferences when interacting with a brand’s customer service team, with one in five consumers saying that having a query resolved would make them more loyal to a brand. One in ten consumers admitted they had abandoned a sale because of a poor live chat experience.
The survey* of more than one thousand consumers, commissioned by [24]7, the intuitive customer experience company, revealed the increasing popularity of chat, with more than 37% stating they use it more now than they did 12 months previously. Real-time interaction and improved resolution were cited as the primary drivers for chat’s increased uptake.
More than half of respondents in the survey stated that prompt resolution to a query was the most welcome quality for a chat-based service. Quick resolution is enabled by intelligent interactions and that in-turn drives customer loyalty:
- 34% found intelligent chat experience more appealing than traditional legacy chat services – by offering help only to those customers who need it, not randomly as soon as they landed on a page
- 28 % wanted an agent that was already familiar with previous online journeys, knew who they were and therefore, more likely to know what they wanted
- 27% indicated context and knowledge of previous interactions and so can pick up where a previous interaction has left off was a critical component
- 19% would show increased loyalty if an intelligent chat resolved their query or help them make a purchase
With more than one-third of consumers finding an intelligent chat solution – one that is aware of previous online journeys and has the context and knowledge of previous interactions and the ability to anticipate customers’ needs throughout the journey – more appealing than traditional, unintelligent, legacy chat products, it is no surprise there is a significant increase in loyalty.
“Consumers are increasingly time-pressured and turn to chat services to get queries resolved quickly and efficiently,” said Nick Mitchell, Managing Director, EMEA, [24]7. “But legacy chat services that show no understanding of who the consumer is or what their issue might be, are simply not fit-for-purpose and are impacting on sales – one in ten have abandoned a purchase because of poor live chat. Intelligent live chat has proven to grow chat channel revenue by predicting visitor intent, deciding when to intervene, how to engage customers and even what to recommend.”
The survey underlines the issues with outdated legacy chat systems that test customers’ patience and loyalty – proved by an unacceptable 11% of respondents stating they have abandoned a purchase chat session because they were unable to communicate with a live chat representative who did know enough about their issues. Typical complaints that respondents raised include hard to use chat (11%) and not having account details to hand (15%).
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