Customer support via phone calls or live chat?

A telephone call for customer support is the classic and oldest method of communication between customers and business owners.

The growth of customer support for telephone calls began from the 1960s to the 70s and 80s when new technology began to develop and call centers were adopted in a conventional way by large companies. Due to the development of modern technology, telephone calls for online customer service are the most important bridge for product owners and valued customers.

In the year 2000, many companies already outsource their customer support after discovering how customer service is one of the main reasons for achieving higher sales and customer retention. They also learned that outsourced customer service is one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce operating costs. Outsourcing means hiring an external supplier to work for business functions that are not the core of your business but an important part of running your business smoothly and successfully.

Now that modern technology continues to grow and spread throughout the world, there are many different ways of uninterrupted communication between companies and customers. In addition to outsourced customer support via phone calls, customers have many ways to communicate with product owners, such as live chat, email support, and social media platforms. Once the Internet has become available to almost everyone, customers can choose which ones they prefer to reach the product owner.

But you as a businessman, which do you prefer the most? A phone call or chat support? Before you decide, let’s introduce the pros and cons of a phone call and chat support:

Phone call customer support

Despite the presence and availability of many platforms, phone calls are still the most widely used method for many customers to reach product owners – by 48% and preferred by 80%. The first reason is that telephone calls offer real-time communication and staff. Customers achieve a sense of comfort that their problems and issues can be solved on the spot by talking to customer support representatives. The second reason, communication via telephone calls creates a clear understanding between customers and support agents. Unlike in writing, spoken messages can be easily understood without misinterpretation. On the other hand, there is a downside to customer support for phone calls. It can be expensive when the number of interactions increases. You can not template a conversation.

Live chat support

The only communication here is by writing. Live chat support also offers real-time conversation, with just a few minutes delay. The advantage of chat support, many millennial customers are more familiar with chat. That is why the majority of them choose this channel. In addition, chat support is more appropriate when customers ask simple questions about the products. However, the disadvantage of chat support is that some chat features do not work properly on mobile platforms. This can be a problem as there is an increase in the number of people using smartphones other than desktops or laptops.

As a business owner, you choose which one is more suitable to use when you outsource your customer service. Phone calls and live chat can help your business succeed. And it’s probably better to use both.

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