Using Surveys with Chat Software

Home » Finance » Using Surveys with Chat Software

Chat Software Survey Functions

One of the most common features of business chat software is a survey function. Surveys prompt a website’s visitors for their opinions on how the site was laid out, how easy their shopping experiences were and how well customer service representatives were able to respond to their needs.

In short, surveys are an incredibly valuable way to gather information from customers. A well-implemented survey can mean a steady flow of new ideas for your business’s website. However, surveys need to be set up properly and the information that they generate needs to be processed correctly in order for your business’s website to improve.

The Basics of Web Chat Surveys

Chat surveys are displayed after a client has finished discussing an issue with a customer service representative. To be effective, they need to be brief. Customers are often in a hurry, so it’s best to keep a survey down to a single page if possible.

You can effectively get information from your customers without bogging them down with dozens of questions. Asking them to rate your website on a scale of one to five, for example, can give you a reliable, easy-to-read statistic that you can check regularly through your chat program. As your website improves, you’ll see results with this simple metric, and if a change to your website isn’t well-received, you’ll see a drop.

However, simple statistics are much more useful if you ask your visitors for direct feedback. An ideal survey should have an open text box that can be used to submit suggestions and complaints. Most chat programs will allow these responses to be emailed directly to customer service managers, web developers or to other people in your company that need to see them right away.

Making Sure Your Chat Operators Are On Task

As for the individual questions on your survey, they can be used to get feedback on just about any aspect of your website. An obvious place to start is the effectiveness of your chat operators.

Consider using your chat software‘s survey to ask how well the customer service representative responded to the customer’s questions and how easy it was to understand their responses. Negative responses can be automatically forwarded to customer service managers, who can then review chat transcripts.

Improving Your Website’s Sales

By coordinating your web chat software and onsite surveys, you can also improve sales if you have a sales-oriented business. Ask customers to suggest website improvements and ask how easy it was for them to find what they were looking for.

Customers often use chat when they can’t find items on their own, so a post-chat survey can be a logical place to ask about your website’s efficiency and design.

Knowing When to Take Feedback Seriously

Not all feedback needs to be immediately implemented, and in some cases, it may be appropriate to give more weight to certain types of comments.

Asking visitors to explain for improvement suggestions, for instance, will often elicit valuable tips that you can use to tailor your website towards your target audience. You’ll also receive complaints about web design, and in some cases, these complaints will be somewhat subjective.

If you’re getting regular complaints about your chat software operators or about certain aspects of your website, take them seriously. Occasional complaints are usually not a call for concern, but track similar complaints.

Keeping your survey brief and carefully managing your responses will make it much easier to manage your website. From improving your sales presentation to keeping your customer service team on task, a properly designed survey can help you continue to improve your website and business.