Companies Turn to Click-to-Chat Technology to Reduce Operating Expense and Enhance Custome...( Connextions ...),Health

Connextions Offers Best Practices and Lessons Learned from Other Industries' Chat Applications.

Orlando, FL (PRWEB) October 30, 2008 -- Companies who have watched their competitors score online sales and drive customer satisfaction with Click-to-Chat, or "Chat," are increasingly considering this technology for their own organizations.

Chat technology enables companies to communicate online with customer service reps through real-time text messaging, rather than over the phone. Because Chat allows service reps to handle more than one contact simultaneously, and provides customers with a detailed record of online text "conversations," companies are able to reduce higher operating costs associated with voice service and improve the overall customer experience.

"Historically, Chat has played an important role for retail businesses in gaining competitive advantage with enhanced customer service," says Mike Trip, Senior Vice President and General Manager at Connextions. "Companies that do not provide Chat as an online tool risk losing valuable opportunities to acquire new customers and maintain their brand loyalty."

For some, Chat is uncharted waters. Although Chat is a mainstay customer service tool for many successful businesses, it's not a plug-and-play customer service solution. And there are some risks associated with Chat, according to Trip. "When improperly configured or inappropriately staffed, Chat technology can degrade the customer experience, erode brand confidence, and even drive a customer to a competitor," he claims.

Before considering whether Chat fits with an organization's strategic sales and customer service program, it's important to recognize some of the most common errors businesses make with this technology:

Hiring the wrong agents - Chat agents and voice agents have distinct p
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