How to Build a Customer Obsessed Reputation With Live Chat

Even if you’ve never shopped from major shoe retailer Zappos, you probably know its reputation for five-star customer service. Founded in 1999, the company has survived the dot-com era, the Great Recession, and stiff competition from giants like Amazon and Walmart.

So how, in such a saturated retail market, has Zappos stayed afloat? What if I told you it wasn't the product but its reputation for customer service — and that the same is possible for your company through live chat services?

In this article, there are five major tips to keep in mind to start in the right direction of creating a long-lasting, positive, customer-obsessed reputation for your company, products, and services. Let’s dive right in!

Tip 1: Watch Your Language

This goes for the obvious “Don’t curse” message, but for another meaning as well. Language is important in connecting with people and crucial for customer service. Look for how the customer speaks and match the tone while maintaining professionalism.

For example, if your customers use slang and emojis, don’t use too much technical jargon. Match their slang and emojis with a few of your own to create a deeper connection. Matching where you can allows for better clarity and better service.

Tip 2: Keep Your Personality

Who do people connect best with? Well, if you said “dogs,” I’m with you there, but for this scenario, I’m talking about other people.

That’s right; people connect with people. And how do you know if someone chatting online is a real person?

Personality.

It’s so easy to sound monotonous and robotic trying to be a voice that’s everything to everybody. Yet, we see over and over again in the highest-growth brands online that those with a personality are the ones that attract loyalty and sell the most.

Liven up the chat with some personality. Show excitement for things that make the customer excited. Use that smiley face emoji. Don’t lose what makes you who you are over chat.

Tip 3: Be Responsive

This one is almost too obvious. If you respond more quickly, the customer will feel important and heard. If you respond more slowly, they get impatient and feel ignored. If you are patient and timely with your responses, chances are your customer will be more patient and pleasant with you.

It’s best practice to respond to anything and everything you can. What one person knows about your company can be totally different from the next person.

Tip 4: Get to Them First

Do you know what proactive chat is? If you have a live chat system and you’re not using proactive chat, what are you doing! Proactive chat engages visitors first instead of waiting for them to come to chat. It lures people from browsing the website with targeted questions to assist them.

What does that mean for you? Take a look at the numbers: Ravience's proactive chat strategy engages 67-85% more visitors than those who initiate the chat themselves and the same is possible for you!

More chats mean more conversions and assistance. And you already know that leads to more money and more positive reviews!

Tip 5: Have All The Answers

You know all the ins and outs of your product, service, and company; start compiling that information! Creating a comprehensive knowledge base with all the answers is integral to creating a reputation of company-wide helpfulness. (Here at Ravience, we build a custom knowledge base for all of our chat clients. Request a consult to get more details.)

People have the most erratic questions, but they ask because it’s important to them. Therefore, it should be important for you to know how to answer. A gap in information never looks good on you and your company.

Wrapping up

Now that you have your five steps, you’re on your way to creating the customer-obsessed reputation like Zappos. If you look at Zappos’ strategy, you’ll see they implement almost all of these major tips. Here at Ravience, we’re taking it a step further by using our proactive chat. Create your positive customer-obsessed reputation that will last through the years and watch your success skyrocket.

The implementation of each is important so don’t skimp on any of them if your reputation is important to you. Having all of the answers means little if you respond too slowly or infrequently, for example. Customer service is just as important as the quality and marketing of your product/service, so why not make it your very reputation?