subject: Online Customer Service through Live Support [print this page] Online Customer Service through Live Support
The Internet has been a life-changer. Anything imaginable is available with just a few keystrokes. What's been lost, though, is the personal touch. Self-service is great, until you have a question or a problem. There are some categories of websites that could benefit from having live support available to their clients.
Banking
It is no longer necessary to wait for a bank statement or navigate the electronic maze of a phone teller; online banking has made it fast and easy to perform basic banking tasks and look up information. It's even possible to open new accounts and make investments online. When it comes to finances, though, people are very cautious. If a problem comes up, or a customer has a question, a bank with live support would have an edge over self-service banks. A real person walking the customer through the process can give assurance that their money is being handled properly.
Shopping
The idea of going shopping without braving weather, traffic, and crowds of people appeals to many people. Depending on what's being shopped for, it may be very easy to find and select exactly what you are looking for. However, sometimes the customer has questions about an item or wants to compare features of similar items. A live support agent who is available to give extra details, answer questions, and assist a customer through a purchase would increase sales because the customer would have confidence that they are indeed getting what they wanted. A live support agent also has the opportunity to up sell the client in a personal way - much more than a screen that suggests other products that were purchased by people who demonstrated the same interest as you.
Travel
Travel agents train to be professionals at what they do. The average person who decides to make their vacation plans online instead of using a travel agent is at risk of wasting hard-earned money and having a stressful vacation if they don't understand every aspect of their travel arrangements. A live support agent that could be contacted by the customer could lend expertise and make sure the customer is planning their trip properly. The agent would also be able to suggest other services that the traveler needs, but was going to purchase at a separate website - something like hotel reservations and rental vehicles to go with airline tickets.
With so much competition out there for customers and their dollars, having an edge makes all the difference. Any website wishing to lure customers could offer live support, and they would instantly have a more popular, and therefore more successful, website.
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