(Live Chat Shortcut Content Updated December 2020)

Canned Responses to Cut Down on Keystrokes

Agent response time is perhaps the most important contributor (or culprit) of live chat’s success (or failure), and every precious second counts! Shortcuts (a.k.a. canned responses) are an agent’s best friend, especially during high activity periods. Shortcuts reduce the amount of time your agents spend typing by allowing you to set up shorthand commands to populate common responses when chatting with visitors.

Here are 15 helpful live chat shortcuts that the SnapEngage team uses every day to cut down on keystrokes. Feel free to copy or adapt these for your own usage, and we hope these examples spawn some other useful shortcuts for your team!

Greetings:

It may sound simple and unnecessary at first – how difficult is it to type “Hello”, right? But seconds add up to minutes and hours, so every opportunity to save time typing is one that should be embraced.

1. h … “Hello there!”
2. morning … “Good morning!”
3. how … “How may I help you today?”

Support:

With incoming support inquiries, there’s typically a series of questions that must be asked in order to diagnose the issue, followed by leading the visitor to a solution, and then, when possible, asking for feedback. Why not streamline this process?

4. email … “Let me take a look into your account. What is your email address?”
5. guide … “I’d be happy to direct you to a guide that explains this in further detail. Mind if I change your screen?”
6. feedback … “Your opinion means everything to us, so please don’t hesitate to provide feedback about your experience! :-)”

If you find your agents are using more time asking a list of questions than identifying solutions, look to automation. Chatbots can ask a list of qualifying questions on a public website and behind a login.

Sales:

When using live chat as a sales tool, there can be a fine line between making yourself available to answer any questions your prospect might have and disruptively pushing your product on them. This is especially true with proactive chat, where visitors who may be unfamiliar with digital conversations and automation could perceive your pop-up chat messages as intrusive. When visitors engage with those messages, it’s important to establish respect for their browsing experience and choose the appropriate times to interact.

7. okay … “Okay, great! Please take a look around and let me know if you have any questions or would like a quick tour of our live chat application.”
8. features … “Now let me show you an overview of our features…”
9. nonprofit … “We offer a 20% discount for education nonprofits and a 25% discount for all other nonprofits.

Language:

We service clients all around the globe and are lucky enough to have many languages represented by our SnapEngage team. However, we don’t speak every language. Our Auto-Translate tool live translates both the site visitor and chat agent’s messages in real time. The translation extends to shortcuts.

If you have a team that speaks only one language, you can create shortcuts in their preferred language and let Auto-Translate do the rest.

You may have teams who speak different languages in different parts of the world. You can customize shortcuts in each language accordingly, and rely on Auto-Translate when visitors chat in in a different language.

Lastly, we recommend customizing intelligent routing rules to match visitors with the appropriate members of your team to have the most seamless conversations possible, with nothing left up to interpretation.

Language-specific shortcuts can come in handy! (Note: we have these same shortcuts in several languages.)

10. esemail … “Nuestro agente quien habla español no esta disponible en este momento pero si me deja su email le responderá brevemente” (translation: “Our agent who speaks Spanish is not available at this time but if you leave your email we will respond shortly.”)
11. esenglishnow … “No hablo español pero le puedo ayudar en ingles si usted quiere. Pero si usted prefiere un agente que habla español por favor deje su email y le contactará brevemente.” (translation: “I do not speak Spanish but I can help in English if you want. But if you prefer an agent who speaks Spanish please leave your email and we will contact you shortly.”)
12. estransfer … “Yo no hablo Español, pero le puedo comunicar con un agente quien habla Español.” (translation: “I do not speak Spanish, but I can transfer you to an agent who speaks Spanish.”)

Miscellaneous:

And these are just a few that we threw in for fun…

13. transferreceived … “Just a moment, let me check your previous conversation with my colleague.”
14. closechat … “This chat will close automatically shortly, but please don’t hesitate to come back and chat again if you have any further questions! :-)”
15. yw … “You’re welcome. :)”

Getting started with Shortcuts: 

Shortcuts can be numerous. They are an easy way to cover all your bases and should be easy to add, use, and edit.

• Have a current list of shortcuts? You can upload the entire list easily into SnapEngage.
• Show chat agents where to find shortcuts and how to use them. We also offer training opportunities where we can give agents a 1-1 walkthrough of the SnapEngage Hub so they are prepared for their first day of chat.
• Ask your team what shortcuts would be most helpful and check to see which shortcuts are most used.
• Editing: admins can easily edit an entire shortcut in the Admin Dashboard. Agents can also edit a shortcut before they send it to a client. We recommend this as it makes the conversation more personal. String together multiple shortcuts for even quicker conversations.

Updated 8-10-2020

Customer service leaders face demanding situations on a daily basis. Without the proper support and company culture, customer service burnout can result. Fortunately, there are some simple measures that managers can take to help prevent burnout and retain top employees. Below is a look at some of the greatest challenges customer service agents face and five steps managers can take to keep customer support staff engaged and satisfied at work.

What are some of the top challenges facing the customer service industry?

“Global consulting firm Mercer’s 2016 U.S. Contact Center Survey results point to non-challenging work, lack of recognition, no career growth or development and inflexible working environment as key contributors to high turnover. Not surprisingly, the report found that turnover is highest among entry-level agents (27%)…”

 

– Susan Hash, Contact Center Pipeline

Working in the customer service arena can be challenging and overwhelming for online chat agents who also face a never-ending stream of calls, support requests, and service tickets. At the same time, life as a chat agent can be redundant, unfulfilling, and not challenging if proper preventative measures aren’t taken. Some problems may linger day after day and there is sometimes little recognition for a job well done. Here are three of the top challenges facing the customer service industry:

1) A high level of job dissatisfaction

Job satisfaction rates in the customer service arena are in need of improvement. There is no single reason for the high level of job dissatisfaction, making it challenging to develop a singular strategy to create a more palatable work environment for customer service employees. Here are just a few of the reasons why customer service agents are often dissatisfied with their jobs:

• They deal with a steady stream of customers who are angry, frustrated, and sometimes verbally abusive
• Balancing phone calls, online chat requests, and service tickets can become overwhelming, especially for new employees
• They are often unable to take their regularly scheduled breaks or enjoy lunch because customer calls last longer than expected

2) Difficulty attracting top employees

Successfully handling customer service issues requires a combination of professionalism, resourcefulness, quick thinking, and time management skills. Unfortunately, the hourly rate of pay for customer service agents with 5-10 years of experience is just over $13 USD per hour. Wages for entry-level agents can be even lower, making it difficult to attract top prospects.

3) High employee turnover

Agent turnover remains the number one concern among managers of customer contact centers. The U.S. Contact Center Decision Makers’ Guide notes the 29 percent turnover rate among CSRs, highlighting a pronounced need to develop strategies to help retain employees – especially those who are models of excellence for their peers.

What are the symptoms of customer service burnout?

“Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. It occurs when you feel overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to meet constant demands. As the stress continues, you begin to lose the interest and motivation that led you to take on a certain role in the first place.”

– Melinda Smith, M.A., Jeanne Segal, Ph.D., Lawrence Robinson, and Robert Segal, M.A.

When job demands become too overwhelming to a customer support agent, burnout can result. Burnout is a constellation of symptoms that generally fall into one of the following three categories: physical exhaustion, feelings of failure, and detachment. Customer service agents who experience burnout may present with the following signs:

• Insomnia or sleep disturbances
• A decline in productivity or attention to their jobs
• Anxiety or changes in mood at work and at home
• Cynicism, or feeling as if there is no point in trying at their jobs anymore

What can managers do to help prevent employee burnout?

Burnout is a serious issue that can decimate your customer service teams if it is not addressed. However, there are many ways to treat and even prevent burnout to promote a positive, healthy environment. Preventing burnout begins with awareness of the symptoms and the creation of a pleasant, supportive work culture. We’ve compiled five specific strategies managers can take to help prevent burnout among chat agents.

1) Hire agents who are resilient

Not every person is suited to be an effective customer service agent (and that’s ok!). Customer service work requires a specific personality and skillset. Make sure the employees you hire are aware of the challenges of working as a customer service agent up front. Strive to hire employees who display a knack for working with and communicating well with all kinds of people and who also have effective time management skills, a level-headed demeanor, and excellent investigation and problem-solving skills.

2) Create a work environment that is pleasant and inviting

Creating an inviting, positive work environment can help reduce stress and can make coming to work more enjoyable. Here are some ways that you can create an inviting workspace for employees:

• Allow employees to personalize their workspaces for a more welcoming office feel
• Give employees a choice of a standard desk or a standup/adjustable desktop
• Always make sure agents have the supplies and tools they need to complete their jobs
• Display a leaderboard in your lobby or breakroom that recognizes top performers for the month

3) Involve agents in the decision-making process

Involving support agents in meetings and decisions helps them to feel valued and can help minimize cynicism. It’s important for agents to feel like their opinion matters and that it will be taken into consideration (even if individual employees does not have full control over the outcomes of certain high-level decisions). Even more importantly, feedback from front-line agents can be instrumental in finding effective solutions to prevent and minimize burnout.

4) Provide easy access to EAPs and other support services

Make sure all employees are aware of the signs of burnout and some strategies they can take to prevent burnout. Nearly 80 percent of companies offer an Employee Assistance Plan (EAP), which offers services to employees who are struggling with symptoms of burnout or other job-related problems. If your company offers an EAP, work with your HR team to make sure this is covered during the employee onboarding process and periodically during the year.

5) Make sure supervisors are available to assist with challenging situations 

Supervisors play a key role in helping to minimize stress among customer support agents. Make sure agents always have access to a supervisor who can intervene if a customer’s behavior becomes inappropriate or abusive. Sometimes, the best thing to do is to remove an agent from the challenging situation and let someone else take over to minimize the impact. It’s also extremely important to make sure that both individual contributors and their managers have access to specific training on techniques to handle demanding situations with grace.

Patient Engagement Tools Drive Revenue from Your Existing Patient Base

Turn customer care into sales by educating your existing patients about your full range of products and services. When you engage with patients more often, you not only increase their loyalty, but also open up opportunities to uncover and resolve additional pain points. And it’s surprisingly simple with the right patient engagement tools.

Existing patients might not be aware of all that you have to offer. It’s up to you to guide them. As existing patients surf your site for one service (e.g. types of insurance you take), suggest an additional, helpful product offering — like a complimentary session with an in-house Physical Therapist. Because you’re offering additional value, patients are more likely to respond.

Educate patients about your services and ask them for feedback

Patient Tools Quickstarter Toolkit

1. Reinforce patient support with Guide Bot to enhance your ability to engage with site traffic at all hours. When team members are online, they’ll continue having conversations as usual. When they are offline, the Guide Bot will be the front line of defense. You can now boast 24/7 support. 
2. Seamlessly introduce existing patients to additional services with the chat transfer command. You can enable agents to transfer chats to any department. Because no chat conversation data is lost upon transfer, the receiving agent can pick up right where the previous agent stopped. 
3. Stay on top of your game with Post-Chat Surveys. You want to know how you’re doing so that you can improve. Surveys offer you learning opportunities to delight patients even more the next time they visit.

3 Patient engagement tools for success recap:

Patient engagement tools help you create systems for enhancing customer value 

Use design thinking methods to build customer loyalty by organizing your business around patient needs. Growth isn’t just measured by new patient acquisition. Look to your existing patient base to drive revenue and foster customer value with a few versatile tools from SnapEngage.

In May 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into effect in Europe. Even firms that prepared early for the changes agreed that it’s a work in progress to design a data governance plan. Business experts shared some of what they learned post-GDPR at a September 2018 conference in London:

• Spotify realized that the best quality check was through looking at its data governance plan from a data subject’s trust perspective.
• Adobe discovered that data subjects were more willing to provide data when the company was more respectful of how the data was used.
• Omnicom Media found that to design a data governance plan is a continuous evolution rather than a milestone.
• Dentsu Aegis Network determined that the data regulation landscape is ever-evolving as legislation and lawsuits set new legal precedents.
• LiveRamp UK commented that a privacy-by-design approach is a better universal standard. 

The overall insight is that, to design a data governance plan, the data subject must be approached as the central focus — and that the plan should be agile to respond to changes.

Ask important questions about your data

Businesses can take advantage of these insights to design a data governance plan that doesn’t just focus on data value, but also values its data sources. The plan requires solid preparation; lay the groundwork by asking essential questions about your data.

Whose data do you have?

You may have data of European and California citizens. GDPR acknowledges that it’s the strictest privacy policy in the world. The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) is right behind it. To make sure you’re in compliance, you have to sift through all of your data. You’ll want to know whose data you have and why you have it — which allows you to determine if you have quality data in the first place.

A study by MIT in 2017 estimated that companies lose 20% of their revenue because of data quality issues. Spring cleaning is mandatory to design a data governance plan that provides opportunity to prune away low-quality data.

Do you have a data subject-centric mindset?

The CCPA and GDPR are built to protect the data of the very stakeholders that drive business. Companies have ten days to respond to deletion and “right to know” requests by data-subjects under the draft rules of the CCPA. You’ll need to be able to quickly access all of the correct applicable data and respond to consumer requests. When you design a data governance plan, think data subject-centric rather than merely data-centric.

Where is your data?

It’s necessary to identify data that exists in multiple systems, platforms, or storage locations. This requires assessing current data flows as well as quantifying and mapping its management. Assess current data flows along your data supply chain through the collection, processing, distribution, integration, storage, and deletion of data.

Quantify and map present data management and governance — from customer-facing processes to back end office functions. The areas that extract data value and those that are liable for data risk, in particular, are guidelines for razor focus.

Why do you store data?

Ask the important questions about your data sources, data quality, data regulatory risk, and data tech and tools. Also, revisit permissions of all data citizens (any employee who handles data). What service providers or vendors do you share data with — and why? While taking stock of the reasons for data, keep in mind the five “why’s” of data governance.

The 5 “Why’s” of data governance

1. Data regulation

There is no way you can ensure GDPR and CCPA compliance unless you maintain efficient data governance and data management systems. Whether or not you collect data from citizens of the EU or California, expect this to be the name of the game to stay competitive. 

Design a data governance plan persistent in the face of any evolving privacy laws. Think long-term to create a data governance plan poised to scale while staying flexible in anticipation. 

Takeaway: Be certain you understand the scope of these privacy laws.

2. Data integration

There are few lines of business that aren’t data-driven in some respect. All lines of business must now take ownership of data, this kicks off with education. If data owners, data stewards, and data users don’t understand the importance, they likely won’t be too invested. All internal data stakeholders must be equally invested. Only then can fluid communication thrive in order to meet the response deadlines required by data privacy laws. 

Takeaway: Educating internal stakeholders is a fundamental aspect of a robust data governance plan.

3. Data volume

Massive data volume increases risk — both through data breaches and inability to comply with privacy regulations. As the amount of data increases, scalable master data management (MDM) systems become essential. Creative data management, and lean systems built to trim, are critical for unhindered growth. These systems cut unnecessary data and retain only quality data with inherent business value. Before you can structure a plan, you need to know where all your data is, what it is, and why it’s necessary. 

Takeaway: Data inventory is a prerequisite to design a data governance plan.

4. Customer focus

From now on, customer data must be treated as though it’s borrowed – you no longer own it. All data now expressly belongs to the customer, and it’s the customer’s right to instruct on what they want you to do with it. All organizations must respond to a customer’s directive regarding their data, and in real-time. 

You’ll also need to vet any vendors that process data for you. Under the GDPR, if they aren’t compliant, then you aren’t either. Likewise, CCPA necessitates revisiting your vendor contracts. Map your vendors and define your role with them ahead of time. 

Takeaway: Cultivate customer empathy into your design.

5. Tech

A good data governance plan not only takes advantage of available tech, but also searches for areas where new tech can automate scalable data processes. As technologies evolve, the role of AI, machine learning, and other emergent technologies in data management and governance, will increase. Assess your technical assets and decide where adopting additional tools can improve data flows and processes. 

Takeaway: Research new tech and be prepared to budget for future tech and tools.

Which data governance plan is best?

There is no one-size-fits-all template for designing a data governance plan and team. The data governance model you design must be flexible enough to mold into your business framework as it exists today. It could be disruptive to impose a model out of convention, especially if it’s not complementary to your business structure.

However, this is not to say that you don’t want to emulate structures that might work well with segments of your business. You are free to customize. Take advantage of the experiences of companies that have walked this path before. Explore data governance plan theory and research data governance plan frameworks that have already been deployed.

What are data governance models?

While the strictness of the CCPA and GDPR are relatively new, data governance is not. Data governance, like many business models, has gone through a variety of iterations. Most are variations of the three most common frameworks:

• Top-down — centralized
• Bottom-up — distributed or decentralized
• Hybrid — centralized control with distributed management/decentralized ownership

The shape of the plan that works best for your company depends directly on your industry, size, business model, and business culture.

For example, a smaller firm with a traditional business model and hierarchical business culture may fit well with a top-down, centralized approach. But for larger firms that practice agile methodology, decentralized ownership may be much more effective and scalable.

The current state of any master data management (MDM) model and governance initiatives already in place will also be instrumental when designing a data governance plan.

Who is your data governance team?

Examine the architecture of your firm in preparation for designing a data governance plan. You’ll want to visualize the integration of a data governance team. The design of your governance plan and governance team are not mutually exclusive.

Highlight existing stakeholders that could be essential candidates for roles in your data governance team. How you assign those roles and titles should be in line with your company’s architecture, rather than by convention.

Set data governance plan priorities

After you’ve assessed your current set up, reviewed key objectives, and explored data governance plans and team models, it’s time to set data governance priorities and goals. It’s critical to take specific steps before you can move on to others.

Until you’ve mapped your data, you can’t identify areas of liability in data storage, management, or governance, a prerequisite to moving forward with your design. Estimate time and human resource costs for each goal so you can create a roadmap with achievable milestones. A timeline with reachable objectives will serve you well if you make a proposal to the executive level to gain sponsorship.

Use the GDPR and CCPA as templates for future data privacy law

Spotify and Adobe discovered that approaching data governance is better done with empathy for the consumer. Omnicom and Dentsu realized that data privacy regulations will continuously evolve with legislation revisions and lawsuits setting precedent. The GDPR and CCPA set the bar fairly high on data privacy laws, and we can expect ensuing regulation to follow their lead. 

Consumers are aware of these laws. Transparency about your data governance approach is paramount. An honest appraisal of your current data management and governance systems, while keeping an eye on the rights of your customers, and the other on regulatory policy, is an essential first step to design a robust data governance plan.