Maximizing Live Chat Operators’ Productivity By Outsourcing Them

Live chat operators are an easy way to improve your customer service and increase sales without adding full-time staff or hiring temporary help. But how do you know how many live chat operators you need? How can you scale your use of live chat operators without spending more than you budgeted? This guide will teach you the answers to these questions, plus teach you how to optimize your use of live chat operators using up-to-date marketing techniques.

Use an outsourcing platform

There are a lot of outsourcing platforms out there, and many of them will do more than just find you live chat operators. Check out Upwork, Freelancer, Guru, Gigster, or PeoplePerHour. But these platforms are daunting and require a lot of research, but you can find some incredible talent on them. Also, note that you don’t have to use one service exclusively. As all the business owners do not have time to waste their efforts on doing daunting tasks, HiredSupport is there for you! HiredSupport has vetted and hand-picked live chat agents for you. Sign up for a free trial here.

 One of my favorite things about outsourcing live chat operators is that it allows you to help your customers better while still spending time on other aspects of your business. That’s one reason why I love live chat in general; as soon as a customer has a question, an operator can immediately jump in and provide them with an answer.

 Another reason businesses like outsourcing live chat operators is that it allows you to expand your customer service team on a budget. It’s hard enough to find good workers, but we make it even harder by trying to hire them full-time and hoping they will stick around forever. That’s not realistic; there are too many other opportunities available these days, and unless you can offer an employee an amazing benefits package, they’re not going to stick around.

Compare Skillsets, Languages, and Location

When outsourcing live chat operators, it’s important to think about skill sets, languages, and location. For example, if you have a great business opportunity in New York City (NYC), why not hire an American operator? If you have customers in different countries and regions that speak different languages, why not hire operators who are native speakers? And consider location: You can lower costs and increase productivity by hiring out-of-state live chat operators who can work remotely on their own time.

 If you have employees or freelancers who have customer service skills, they may be able to handle live chat duties if they’re near your US-based customer service agents. So while the location isn’t as important when it comes to outsourcing live chat operators, it can still be a factor.

 Live chat is quickly becoming a valuable tool in business. That’s why you should consider outsourcing live chat operators if you want to get maximum productivity and make sure your customers are well taken care of. The important thing is that you think about skill sets, languages, and location when finding people who will do an outstanding job handling customer inquiries.

 When it comes to outsourcing live chat operators, you must think about skill sets, languages, and location. Hiring someone who speaks your customers’ language is great because it saves time; hiring someone with a similar skillset gives them a leg up in terms of figuring out what kind of questions customers are asking. And if you hire live chat operators who can work remotely and on their own time, you won’t have as many issues scheduling around normal business hours or holidays.

Look at Ratings and Reviews

When outsourcing live chat operators, always look at ratings and reviews. The best live chat services receive high marks from their clients. This means that you’ll be hiring highly skilled operators who will provide top-notch customer service. Always choose a live chat operator that is easy to reach and responsive in communicating with you.

 If you choose a new live chat service, be sure to look at their reviews and ratings. New companies might have high-quality operators, but they may not offer 24/7 support. Make sure that you know what level of customer service you can expect before hiring a live chat operator. If a company is difficult to reach or doesn’t respond promptly, don’t hire them.

 If you are looking for outsourced live chat operators, and it is your first time hiring such a service, always ask for references. When you contact these references, make sure that you ask about their experience with live chat operators from that company. You should also ask about their level of customer service and technical support. Make sure that you know what kind of communication style is used by a company before hiring them.

Pick the right tools

A successful strategy for outsourcing live chat operators is deciding which tools you need and pick them wisely. It can be tempting to go all out and sign up for every service on offer, but be picky about what you need.

 If you’re after new customers, HubSpot Live chat is a handy tool that allows potential customers to connect with you directly through live chat, without ever needing to contact your customer service team. You can also use HubSpot Live Chat if you need help gathering data about your customers: it allows users of your live chat service set up surveys on the fly and gives you in-depth reports about how many people are using live chat as well as which countries they’re from.

 Perhaps you already have a customer support team in place but are seeking better services. In that case, outsourcing live chat operators is a viable option; however, we advise that you still need to pick carefully which tools you use. The same applies if you already have a live chat tool – make sure it’s compatible with your new platform!

Get Sign Off From The Boss: Vet Your Prospects and References

No matter how well you’ve vetted your live chat operators when you’re outsourcing customer service and sales support, you’ll inevitably experience some problems. The best way to minimize them is through careful vetting of your prospects and references. During your vetting process, ensure that potential outsourced live chat operators have worked with companies with similar business models or cultures as yours.

 If your live chat operators can’t answer these questions with confidence, it’s a red flag. Similarly, if they hesitate or ask you to email them back because they’re not sure of an answer, that should be a warning sign. If an outsource live chat operator isn’t confident in their expertise or has already had one company decline them, there may be a reason why that prospective client decided not to hire them.

 It’s equally important to vet your outsource live chat operators. If you decide to interview potential outsourcers, be prepared with questions that you’ll need to be answered to make a hiring decision. Prepare enough questions that cover all aspects of their business and experience, and don’t settle on answers you aren’t comfortable with.

Know What You Want Before You Start Looking: Watch the Quality of Service

Companies that outsource live chat operators often let their clients dictate what type of service they need. But before you start searching, you’ll want to know exactly what kind of service you require from your chat operators. This will help ensure you find a partner who can best provide that type of support. Make Sure You Have an Effective System in Place: A reliable system is critical for success when it comes to outsourcing live chat support.

 Your hiring manager should also help guide how you evaluate your live chat service. If you’re outsourcing an existing team, consider what criteria are used to select members of that team.

 If your business doesn’t have a hiring manager, you’ll need to hire one if you want to be successful. This person will guide not only how you find live chat operators, but also how they should interact with customers and staff in a way that maximizes service quality. You can often find hiring managers from outside your company who can help scale up your outsourcing operations.

Be Flexible with Payment Options

You’re starting a business, so don’t take on customers that you can’t realistically handle. By offering flexible payment options and adding a live chat feature to your website, you can outsource live chat operators who will work with customers on your behalf. Many outsourcing companies pay per lead or deal—not hourly—so you’ll have more cash on hand when you choose such an option.

 Using live chat, you can provide your customers with information and support while freeing up your time. By outsourcing live chat operators, you’ll be able to direct more of your focus toward developing your business and preparing it for expansion. By offering flexible payment options when a customer initiates a live chat, you can avoid complicated workflows and additional costs.

 Live chat is a great way to help your customers get what they need quickly and painlessly, but it can be difficult to handle at times. By outsourcing live chat operators, you’ll free up your time and energy for more important tasks. If you offer flexible payment options with live chat as well, you’ll also make sure that customers don’t run into any complications when paying you.