Majority of Users Preferred Interacting with a Virtual Agent as a First Line of Support

Recently, noHold has been conducting A/B testing to test the end user experience for some of our clients. A group of noHold team members randomly asked coffee shop goers of all ages and backgrounds to participate in a short experiment regarding support site functionality. Each participant was asked to find the solution to a possible problem they might face if working with a certain brand. For example, we asked participants to imagine that they wanted to find out if lead is present in products from a leading manufacturer of home appliances.The interested parties were asked to find the answer using A) the brands current support site and then B) the brands support site implemented with a Virtual Agent. 

So far, we have done this testing with a few clients and have learned a lot from users' feedback. Most people preferred interacting with the Virtual Agent to find the solution because of its easy-to-navigate, clean user interface. While most people enjoyed using the Virtual Agent, some people still stuck with what was familiar to them. For example, one participant went straight for the 'contact us' form without trying to find the answer on his own because that was what he was accustomed to.    
I'll leave you with this statistic that explains the soon to be shift within the customer service space, which also applies to customer support. "Worldwide demographics will affect customer service. Generation Y will account for 33% of the global population by 2020. They want to communicate via social networks and be empowered by self-service" (Source: Orange Business Services; Delivering the New Customer Experience). 

How does your company plan to meet or exceed the demand for modern customer service strategies in these upcoming generations?

www.nohold.com

Virtual Agent Tips and Tricks: Streamline Your Support Site Using a Virtual Agent

"While reading this sentence, hum your favorite pop tune while writing down the first 15 prime numbers, in order.

Those are three tasks, easy to do separately, basically impossible to do at the same time. If you try, you'll just end up slicing each one into little bits and alternating, almost certainly decreasing the speed and quality of work of each" (Cognitive Load). 

It is hard to do things all at once. Seth Godin recently wrote a blog referencing cognitive load, and mentioned that too many distractions can result in unproductive work.

The same concept holds true in regards to website designs, especially support sites. It can be frustrating to navigate through support sites that offer so many options (live chat, phone numbers, emails, etc) and you don't know which one is the right option for you. By implementing a Virtual Agent, it can streamline support and customer service so your customers can get to the correct information, in the fastest amount of time. Think of a Virtual Agent as the concierge to your website. 

When creating a support site, it is important to keep the user in mind. Eliminating distractions and/or adding productive distractions helps customers get the best use out of your support site. The end result is a reduction in volume to costly channels, less queue pollution, and increased Customer Satisfaction, among other benefits. 

How is your support site set up? Have you thought of a 'concierge' approach as visitors enter your site? Why not ask one simple question such as "how can I help you?" 

www.nohold.com