Webcentral Chat Guidelines and SOP

Part 1. Opening

It is required that we immediately greet the customer within 60 seconds of the chat. This is to help avoid undue low ratings (DSAT) that a customer may give due to lack of attentiveness and expected wait time for support.

If there is a specific initial question (that may be seen from Webbigail chat), and it is quite long, chat agent may say:

Please allow me a moment to review your initial question so that I may assist you accordingly.

Then proceed in verifying the contact following the Customer Authentication or Verification Guidelines.

Part 2. Customer Explanation

Give the customer a chance to explain his/her issue in as much detail as they think needed.

If they are angry, this is a great way to let them vent.

If the customer rambles or goes off topic, gently steer the conversation back to the point.

Listening (or Active Reading) is the key. Listen for as long as you feel necessary to let the customer express themselves, then you may take over the conversation. After you understand the customer’s request or issue, and confirmed it with them, it’s a great time to start gathering more information and troubleshoot.

Part 3. Clarification of Information and Resolution

Any interaction with a customer lasting longer than 45 minutes must be reported to a supervisor. The reason for this is so they can assist you in pushing the interaction along if at all possible or in figuring out the issue should you be stuck for any reason.

Determine the Customer’s Goal
The important goal of listening to what the customer says is determining what they want to achieve. To help with this, be sure to paraphrase (whenever appropriate) the customer’s request in your own words, and confirm you have the correct perception of the issue.

Gather All Relevant Information
Most chats should have a clear answer or resolution at this time. If the resolution is not clear, gather all relevant information upfront. This helps reduce the number of times you ask the customer to hold and helps build rapport. Up to this point, stay cool and calm while still showing empathy to your customer.

Use Available Resources to Solve the Issue
Through all your resources, solve the issue. Get help (per Escalation Triggers Procedure/Process) if you don’t have a direct solution.

Example of direct solution:

I have updated your MX records; we’ll just need to wait for 1-2 hours for these to take effect.

Example of not a direct solution:

You will/may need to contact your ISP/web dev to get this issue resolved.

If you need to escalate a case/ticket for a customer, please ensure proper customer education (e.g., why do we need to escalate) and expectation/s (e.g., expected TAT) are provided, and empathy expressed.

Once the case has been submitted, you must provide the case number via chat session.

Part 4. Long Waits and Hold Procedure

During chats, you will find yourself in the midst of lengthy waits at times, depending on the nature of the issue. You may be waiting on assistance, or the issue requires further troubleshooting and/or investigation. Always keep in mind that ALL responses you provide should be meaningful.

Unacceptable Responses:
Still looking
Hold on
Still checking

These short phrases should never be used to update a waiting customer.

Acceptable Responses:
I truly appreciate your time today. It may be a few moments longer while I continue to address the issue at hand.

I apologise for the time this is taking. I assure you I will be done troubleshooting and return with an update soon.

When you need to put a customer on hold during a support chat, following these six steps can help you provide a positive customer experience:

1. Apologise and/or Empathise: Start by acknowledging the customer's impatience and offering a sincere apology. This shows that you understand their frustration and value their time.
2. Ask for permission: Politely ask for permission to put the customer on hold. This gives them a sense of control and shows that you respect their time.
3. Give a reason: Provide a brief explanation for why you need to put them on hold. This can help alleviate any concerns or suspicions the customer may have.
4. Give an estimate: If possible, give the customer an estimate of how long they can expect to be on hold. This sets expectations and reduces the likelihood of them sending multiple messages asking for an update.
   1. Initial Hold time expectation is 2 to 3 minutes. If additional time is needed, get back to the customer and set proper expectations.
5. Check in: If the hold time is longer than 3 minutes, check in with the customer periodically. Apologise for the wait and provide an update on your progress. This shows that you are attentive to their needs and working to resolve their issue as quickly as possible.
6. Thank them: When you return to the chat, thank the customer for their patience. This demonstrates your appreciation for their time and effort and helps to build a positive relationship with them.

By following these steps, you can help ensure that your customers feel valued and respected, even when they need to be put on hold during a support chat.

Part 5. Confirmation of Service Rendered

Before you assume your customer is satisfied, ask if the customer is happy with the solution and ask if there is anything more with which you can assist. The typical phrasing is:

Is there anything else I can possibly assist you with today?

If the answer is “yes”, then start over at Part 2. Customer Explanation

If the answer is “no”, offer your strong closing statement.

If the answer is “I don’t know, maybe, there was something I can’t think of right now…”, reassure the customer that we are here for them whenever they need help. Please check the most updated Contact options and hours of operations via https://webcentral.au/contact-us/.

Example. _If you have any other questions afterwards, you may chat us back anytime between 08:00am – 08:00pm (AEDT) Mon-Fri and 08:00am – 06:00pm (AEDT) Sat-Sun. You may also check this link for other contact options.

Once the customer accepts this or indicates they agree, go straight into your strong closing statement.

Part 6. Strong Closing

Using a closing script helps the customer on the chat understand that the chat has come to a close and also prepares them for the survey at the end of the chat.

Here are sample scripts to end a conversation on live chat and ask for a survey:

We appreciate you taking the time to chat with us today. If you require additional assistance, please don't hesitate to contact us again. As part of our ongoing efforts to enhance our services, we kindly ask if you could spare a moment to complete a brief survey about your experience during this chat session. Your feedback is invaluable to us. Thank you!

We would like to express our gratitude for chatting with us today. It was our pleasure to assist you with your inquiry and we hope we have met your expectations. Your feedback is significant to us, and we value your thoughts about your experience. Following this chat session, a brief survey will be presented, and we would be grateful if you could participate. Once again, thank you for your time, and we wish you a wonderful day!

All chat agents are required to end the chat whenever applicable. This is for us to assist customers as soon as possible and avoid longer wait time to speak with a real chat agent.

Dealing with Idle Chats / Customer-Requested Hold / Disconnected Chats

Idle Chats
Customers may sometimes stop responding to you in chat, thus going inactive. If this happens, make sure you have answered all questions and completed all troubleshooting for the customer. Once this is confirmed, follow the procedure below to properly handle chats that have gone idle. After disconnecting the chat session, ensure that a follow up message via case will be done.

Customer-Requested Hold
In some instances, a customer may request time to either verify their issue is resolved or to gather additional information for you. The maximum amount of time you can stay on hold for a customer is 8 consecutive minutes during one chat interaction. Please know there may be times when a customer asks you to hold longer than 8 minutes. If in any case you were asked to hold,

Please know that I can hold up to 8 minutes for you. If you need more time, you may chat back in at a more convenient time for you. We are available 08:00am – 08:00pm (AEDT) Mon-Fri and 08:00am – 06:00pm (AEDT) Sat-Sun .

If the customer agrees to the 8-minute hold expectation, respond to the customer using:

I can definitely hold up to 8 minutes for you. I will be sure to check with you in 8 minutes.

If the customer asks you to hold for longer than 8 minutes hold time,

I am unable to hold for more than 8 minutes, unfortunately. If more time is needed, you may initiate another chat session with us when it is convenient for you. We are available 08:00am – 08:00pm (AEDT) Mon-Fri and 08:00am – 06:00pm (AEDT) Sat-Sun .. I will update with my notes so that you can pick back up where we left off.

1. Once the time they’ve requested has elapsed, check to see if they’re ready to continue.

   • Hi John! I just wanted to see if you were able to login to the cPanel.

2. Wait for two minutes for them to reply.

3. If the customer does not reply, proceed with the above process to idle out the chat. Once the chat has been idled out, immediately close or end the chat session so we can be ready to accept a new chat.

Disconnected Chats
Handling a disconnected chat in customer care can be a tricky situation, but here are some steps you can take to effectively handle the situation:

1. Gather Information: If possible, gather as much information as you can about the customer's issue before the chat was disconnected.
2. Quickly Respond / Follow up: As soon as you notice that the chat has been disconnected, try to reach out to the customer immediately via case.
3. Apologise: Apologise for any inconvenience caused by the disconnection. Acknowledge that the customer's time is valuable and that you understand the frustration they may feel due to the disruption in service.
   • Note: If there was a technical issue that caused the chat disconnection, the chat agent must fill out the L1 Issue Tracker in SharePoint.

By following these steps, you can effectively handle a disconnected chat and provide the best possible service to your customers.