High quality and reliable customer service is one of the keys to success in today’s competitive business world. It is as important to small and medium businesses (SMBs) as it is to large international organisations.
Live chat software is increasingly integral to providing excellent customer service and support. There are so many live chat programs to choose from that it can sometimes be difficult to choose the right one. Organizations of different sizes can have dramatically different requirements, which can complicate matters further.
To help you understand more about the live chat options in the market, we’ve taken a closer look at how enterprise-level live chat software differs from the SMB offering.
Why is live chat software useful?
Every year, our lives become increasingly digital, and people spend more and more time on the Internet. Live chat software can bring a lot of benefits to your business when used properly.
Provide excellent customer service –There’s nothing worse than asking a quick question about a product or service you’d like to purchase, only to have to wait days for a response from the company’s customer service team. By integrating a high-quality live chat solution, you can provide live support and greatly improve your customer experience. It is also possible to provide real 24/7 support if needed.
Customer acquisition assistanceOnce you engage with a potential customer via live chat, it becomes much easier to sell them something. For example, you can offer an exclusive discount or deal if you feel a potential customer is losing interest, or you can suggest the most suitable product without having to search for it.
Enhance employee productivity –With this reliable live chat software, you will definitely find that your customer service staff become more productive. A customer issue can often be dealt with in minutes, and a well-trained agent can handle multiple chats at once. But remember that some live chat software are better equipped for this than others.
SMB vs enterprise-wide live chat software
SMB-level live chat software can be very different, and it is important to be aware of the features of each so that you can make an informed decision. Below, we have listed a few of the most important features.
Be aware, however, that these often intersect, and some programs include tools for small and medium businesses and larger organizations that may (or may not) be used as required.
Key features of SMB live chat software
Small and Medium Enterprises are usually defined as organizations with fewer than 999 employees. They generally have specific IT and software requirements because of their small workforce, and are often more focused than larger companies.
Here are some of the key SMB live chat features to look out for.
Ease of use-As an SME, you probably don’t have a lot of resources to devote to training employees and rolling out a complex new system. Find something that’s easy to use, offers decent tech support, and is intuitive for new support agents to start with.
Affordability –Most small and medium businesses can be serviced with a cheaper live chat software or a software-as-a-service (SaaS) subscription. Find something with the right features for your small team, consistent pricing, and if you’re on a tight budget, long-term record deals.
Cross-platform functionality –Another very useful feature of some SMB live chat software is cross-platform compatibility. This enables you to handle everything from live chat and email queries to social media messages and even SMS from one central dashboard.
Key Features of Business Live Chat Software
Enterprise level organizations generally have much more employees than small and medium businesses. They often work internationally, with multiple office locations and large teams. This creates its own set of challenges, and the enterprise live chat software comes with a few features to address these challenges.
Integrations –One of the main features of enterprise level software is integration with other software. This makes it easy to connect your live chat software with other customer service software and tools, increasing productivity and efficiency.
collaboration tools-Another super important feature for large companies is the collaboration tools that support agents can use to work together in difficult cases. The larger your customer service team, the more useful collaboration tools will be.
Automation and AI options –Chatbots are relatively new to the world of technology, but they are extremely useful when used correctly. Integrating an AI-based chatbot and other automation into live chat and customer service workflows can increase productivity and take stress off support agents.
Choose the right live chat software for your business
First, decide what kind of live chat software you need. Are you looking for an enterprise-grade offering, or will a simpler, more affordable SMB option do the trick?
Once you have answered this question, you might consider the following:
- Easy installation and setupEspecially if you have a small team without much IT experience. If this is the case, find a ready-to-use option right away.
- what analysis tools included? These can measure everything from customer engagement and average wait time to target performance metrics related to the entire customer lifecycle.
- Software and application integration With any software your company or organization already uses. We have touched on this already, but it is very important and it is worth highlighting it again.
- affordability, Especially if you are running a small and medium business on a tight budget. Look for a comprehensive subscription with no additional fees, and keep an eye out for introductory or exclusive deals.
Above all, make sure you take your time, take advantage of free trials and trial versions to test out different live chat software, and settle on one that best suits your business and business model.
conclusion
Live chat bots have one core advantage that is shared across the board – the ability to interact with customers in real time via messaging functions. Other than that, different programs can look very different.
Enterprise and SMB offerings generally come with specialized features, and it’s important to understand what those features look like to ensure you’re buying the right software for your business.
To learn more, see our guide to The best live chat software (Opens in a new tab). You may also like to read about it What is the lead generation programme? (Opens in a new tab)or get back to basics with our full programme A guide to live chat software and why you need it for your website (Opens in a new tab).