Go beyond live chat with Genesys Cloud Web Messaging

Web messaging, also known as asynchronous chat or asynchronous messaging, lets agents interact with customers to solve issues quickly. It uses asynchronous communication, meaning that customers can engage with your brand at any time, on any device. And if a customer pauses a conversation and resumes it later, the history remains for the customer and agent.

Synchronous live chat or web chat provides short-lived, standalone chats that require an agent to interact in real-time with the customer. It has a beginning and an end for each conversation, typically with immediate responses.

Note: Genesys Cloud Web Messaging is the name of our native 24/7 asynchronous chat solution. Although it is asynchronous, end users do have an option to clear a current conversation. To increase operational efficiency, this also disconnects any pending conversation currently in queue or handled by agents.

In the past year, more consumers worldwide used a digital channel to interact with an organisation than used the voice channel. In fact, some 72% of consumers used email for a CX interaction, while 68% called a contact centre, according to “The State of Customer Experience” report.

Chatbots and messaging apps also continue to increase in popularity for CX interactions. This is a landmark moment.

Digital is no longer on the periphery as an alternative channel to voice. It’s now critical for organisations to have a connected voice and digital strategy that empowers customers across their journey. It’s now critical for organisations to have a connected voice and digital strategy that empowers customers across their journey.

Native asynchronous functionality enables you to have 24/7 web presence through a messaging app.

For example, if a customer decides to change pages or close the native Genesys Messenger window, the conversation persists. Customers can engage with an agent after the contact centre is closed or self-serve through a bot, search FAQs using the Messenger Knowledge Search App, or they can schedule a callback from the next-available live agent.

While companies might be looking to implement live chat software, they are actually in need of web messaging. Here’s four reasons why companies use web messaging over live chat:

• 24/7 web presence
  If a customer decides to change pages, or close the messenger window, the conversation persists. This means you can be responsive at any time, even if the contact centre is closed.
• Easy to deploy and customise
  With an option for no-code or low-code deployment, businesses of any size can quickly implement web messaging without relying on IT teams or expensive software development resources.
• Never miss an online opportunity
  You can engage proactively based on the customer journey.
• Cost savings
  You’ll reduce operational costs because you won’t need as large a support team as you would to manage real-time chats. You’ll also save through more efficient use of resources.

Web messaging is convenient and accessible. Customers like being able to engage at their own pace and on their own schedules, without being tied to real-time conversations. And because web messaging is an “anywhere, anytime” solution, it’s ideal for 24/7 communication whenever it’s convenient for customers – and even across different devices, whether desktop or mobile web browsers.

In addition to other live chat tools, customers can enjoy richer, personalised and actionable conversations with brands through web messaging. Give your customers a more interactive digital experience using rich messaging and free them from the drudgery of typing long messages. And because you’ll have holistic customer profiles and customer journey data, you’ll know exactly who you’re talking to and why they’re reaching out. Customers don’t have to start their interaction from scratch every time they reach out.

Live chat connects a customer directly to a human customer service agent in real time; AI chat connects the customer to a chatbot that can either help solve the customer’s issue or escalate to a human agent. In many — but not all — cases, AI chat can be the first step in a customer’s service journey.

AI chat and live chat work well in tandem, as parts of a cohesive end-to-end customer experience. AI chatbots are available 24/7/365 without increasing the strain on a customer service team, and automation can easily handle many of the simple and mundane questions that don’t necessarily require human brainpower. A well-programmed AI has a wide range of information available to it, and with regular upkeep and consistent work, an AI bot will learn and improve over time. Recent advances in AI also mean that today’s bots are not only smarter than ever, but more able to mimic empathy in a way that makes the customer experience more pleasant.

If a human agent does need to get involved, that transition is also easier than ever, especially with the help of AI. A customer’s journey can be analysed and described to an agent, so that they have the best possible idea of how best to help. All the information the agent needs, from the customer’s purchase history to likely next steps based on similar past interactions, can be pulled from locations like your CRM system and is put at their fingertips. And AI analytics helps to build a better picture of your customer.

Live chat and AI chat, therefore, can both be important parts of a comprehensive, well-orchestrated end-to-end customer experience.

Rich messaging is a great way to personalise and improve engagements.

Instead of having to type long messages, you can send and receive multiple types of media content to make your customer and agent experiences richer, more intuitive and free of friction. With web messaging, they’ll be able to use quick replies, cards, carousels, emojis and file attachments.

Whether it’s a conversation with a human agent or a chatbot, it’s important that the customer feels that it’s more than a script they’re engaging with. Messaging is often the first line of customer service — the more pleasant the experience, the more likely it is that the customer will walk away happy, whether the issue needs to be escalated or not.

Today’s customer expects a personalised experience from end to end, without having to repeat the same questions and personal information throughout their journey. With holistic customer profiles and customer journey information, your agents will know exactly who they’re talking to and why. That same information can help agents know when it’s best to engage proactively.

By using our natively integrated Genesys Cloud Co-browse capability, agents can also gain a better understanding of customers’ needs by elevating the existing web messaging conversation to co-browse seamlessly – and still part of the original interaction. Agents will guide them through the most complex transactions – boosting the customer experience and improving conversion rates.

Both co-browsing and screen-sharing technology allow remote parties to view the same screen. In the case of a contact centre, those parties would be the customer and the service agent. But co-browsing offers a number of additional key features that screen-share lacks. Screen-share technology is what it claims to be — it simply allows a remote user to see your screen.

In addition to viewing the same screen, though, co-browse provides a more immersive and collaborative experience. Co-browsing allows the agent to use tools ranging from drawing and annotation to taking over control of the screen. All of this means the customer service agent can resolve customer issues more quickly, while reducing frustration and building customer satisfaction.