With the rise of different forms of technology, customer service has moved into multiple communication channels to offer benefits to the customer. Live chat and voice support are the two most obvious options for on-demand customer service that customers consistently use again and again. If you’re trying to determine how to choose which type of customer support technology is right for your business, live chat or voice support, you should understand the pros and cons of both options. Then, you can decide which one fits the needs of your business.
Pros and Cons of Live Chat Support
Live chat support makes it easy for customers to connect with a business through its website or mobile app. This is a proactive application that pops up to ask browsing customers if they need assistance when they reach the landing page, but it can also be activated by the customer at any point while they’re on the page. Using live chat support connects customers to an agent who can answer their questions in real-time.
Pros of Live Chat Support
- Proactive support
- 24/7 coverage
- Increased efficiency and productivity because agents are able to help multiple customers at once
- Easily scalable
- Creates chat transcripts that can be analyzed later
- Easily accessible
Cons of Live Chat Support
- Time-sensitive: Customers expect live chats to be answered immediately
- Not always suitable for complex customer support issues
- Less personalized
Pros and Cons of Voice Support
Voice support allows customers to call a phone number to reach a customer service department or live answering agent to ask questions about products, accounts, or technical problems. Phone support has been a popular tool for providing personalized service that helps customers feel appreciated and understood while trying to figure out an issue.
Pros of Voice Support
- Allows for a more personal connection
- Easy to handle difficult questions
- Improves the quality of customer service received
- Fastest resolution times
- Call recordings can allow for later analysis
- 24/7 support if you partner with a live answering service
Cons of Voice Support
- Agents can only handle one call at a time
- Harder to scale
- Possibility of longer wait times to reach an agent
Live Chat Support vs. Voice Support: Which Is Better for My Business?
Ideally, your business should offer both voice support and live chat services. Voice support allows people to explain more complex problems and get personalized answers, while live chat gives customers quick answers to more broad and simple questions and can guide customers toward purchasing something. Together, these two tools can benefit any business and give customers the opportunity to choose which one they prefer.
However, if you have to choose between one or the other, voice support is best for a business or organization that doesn’t have an app or website, businesses that commonly get high call volumes or many customers who ask complex questions, and companies that want to add a personal touch to their customer service. Meanwhile, live chat is best for businesses that have a strong online presence, tend to get higher volumes of simpler inquiries, and hope to boost sales.
If you’re not sure which one you want or you’re looking for a way to integrate both options at an affordable price, VoiceNation can help! We’ve made a name for ourselves thanks to our high-quality live answering service, but we offer live chat services as well. Our U.S.-based operators can help your business and answer these phone calls and chats 24/7, including weekends and holidays, so your customers are always taken care of. Contact us today to start a free trial!