One of the biggest obstacles new chat operators face is getting through several concurrent chats quickly and efficiently.
However, this is usually not because of slow or poor typing skills; it’s usually the result of an agent who tries to pack too much information into a single message or reply.
Here are some rules to follow:
- Keep your messages and replies short, concise, and straight to the point.
- Always try to limit your replies to one or two short and easy-to-read sentences.
- Avoid overly complex wording and vocabulary, and never exceed more than 3 or 4 sentences in a single reply.
Longer replies not only take operators more time to type, but they also take longer for customers to read. If you need to provide step-by-step instructions or details on how to perform a task, break them down into bite-sized chunks and send them out one step at a time.
If you attempt to write a “book length” reply, the time needed to create the message may cause the customer to become frustrated or grow tired of waiting. Sending quick replies in short successions give the customer a feeling more akin to having a real discussion and makes him/her more comfortable as he/she is able to digest the responses quicker and easier.
Many operators create simple, yet customizable, canned messages so they won’t have to manually type out long replies. If you really do need to send a long canned message, split it into multiple parts, and give the customer a few seconds to read one before sending another. If you send them all out too quickly, the customer experience may become compromised, since the customer will most likely catch on to the fact that you are using canned messages.
