{"id":3684,"date":"2015-06-26T04:24:20","date_gmt":"2015-06-26T10:24:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/live-alliance-virtual-office-blog.pantheonsite.io\/?p=2151"},"modified":"2026-04-14T12:29:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T16:29:16","slug":"were-getting-closer-to-live-chat-best-practice-heres-what-weve-learned-so-far","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alliancevirtualoffices.com\/virtual-office-blog\/were-getting-closer-to-live-chat-best-practice-heres-what-weve-learned-so-far\/","title":{"rendered":"We’re Getting Closer to Live Chat Best Practice: Here’s What We’ve Learned So Far"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\"Our<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

By Mike Sullivan, Chief Marketing Officer at Alliance Virtual Offices<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Internet is full of \u201ctop tips\u201d on how to do pretty much anything. But have you ever noticed that most of these so-called guides carry more fluff than real, substantially useful stuff?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have. While researching ways to improve our sales and service team\u2019s use of Live Chat, I searched online for some help in putting together a list of best practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I found lots of posts on \u201cbest practices\u201d but it was always focused on management implementation rather than actual day-to-day use by front line staff. Our sales team is busy, so I needed something that got right to the point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s easier said than done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My favorite useless \u201cBest Practices\u201d post was one I found on Salesforce.com. The number one best practice was \u201cLive Chat Offers Immediate Solutions\u201d. There was nothing on how that relates to best practice, much less something that could help a team improve their ability to interact with customers to increase sales or service capability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So given that, our team decided to write our own best practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before we go any further, I\u2019m not saying this is the best ever guide to Live Chat on the Internet.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nor is it comprehensive. In fact, some people might even take issue with a few points (I’m pretty thick-skinned, so go ahead and share them<\/a>). It\u2019s not perfect, and that\u2019s mostly because every company is different, and every sales team has its own unique culture. There is no one-size-fits-all approach. Plus, it\u2019s not finished yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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NEXT STEPS: Front Desk Receptionist: Balancing Benefits and Drawbacks with Live Receptionist Solutions<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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So what is it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a line in the sand. We are always learning and evolving, so it shows us where we are right now in the process, and it shows us where we need to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, always be a student.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve watched the Alliance Virtual Offices team evolve and get better, but even as we weed out the bad habits and junk, there is usually something else to replace it. It\u2019s mostly less egregious though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second, review all transcripts.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is more of a business best practice than a Live Chat process, but I would recommend it to anyone who has a website. A review of all transcripts is not to see how your team is doing, but to see how your customers are doing – and whether your website is answering their needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Third, roll your sleeves up and get stuck in.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One thing I\u2019ve learned is that managers or business owners need to spend time on the front line. Read chat conversations and even participate from time to time. I\u2019ve done it myself – in fact I\u2019m still doing it – and I believe a lot of insight can be gained by doing this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While you\u2019re scanning chat transcripts you can learn a lot about the performance of your website. Ask yourself:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. How is the customer doing?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Can they find things on the site?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. What are the top three recurring problems?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Don\u2019t underestimate the power of live chat to help you make massive improvements to your site. Heat maps<\/a>, usability testing<\/a>, analytics\u2026 those are all good, but what about actually listening to the customer\u2019s questions? This can help shape your website, and how you communicate on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Here are some \u2018best practice\u2019 Live Chat points that I\u2019ve learned along the way:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    (NB: I don\u2019t want to rehash what\u2019s already been done. Check out Live Chat Inc\u2019s post<\/a> from 2012. I will try not to discuss anything there unless there is new insight.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n