Extending a Helping Hand, Virtually

By Mandy Reed, Marketing Manager (Global)

One of my favourite features of my house right now is my kitchen island. I have always liked it, but since breaking my foot a couple of weeks ago it’s become indispensable to my one-footed way of life. It’s in the perfect location to allow me to easily transfer things in and out of my fridge. I can move things from the kitchen to the dining table at its one end and from the kitchen to the stairs leading up to my home office at the other, all with minimal hopping. It may sound silly, but some days I’m not really sure what I would do without it.

Breaking my foot has forced me to experience my house in a totally different way. The beauty of my kitchen island is that it’s always there, ready to lend a ‘helping hand’ whenever I need that little bit of extra assistance in the kitchen. It allows me to have the help I need to complete tasks, like getting that essential morning cup (or in my case, travel mug!) of coffee from the kitchen counter to my desk, without needing to rely on someone to assist me.

The same holds true for your online experience. Your customers will never all engage with your website in exactly the same way, and chances are good that at some point many of them will need extra assistance to complete a process or find more information. They may not find it practical or desirable to interact with a live agent to get the support they need, particularly with simple or straightforward questions.

Virtual agents are the perfect solution to fill that need. The beauty of a virtual agent solution is that it’s always there, available 24/7, and ready to lend a ‘helping hand’ when your customers have questions. Virtual agents allow users to ask their question in natural language and receive back one consistent answer instantly. There’s no need to find a contact number, draft an email or wait to connect to a live chat agent. Knowing that instantaneous support is always just a click away, even outside of traditional office hours, can be reassuring to customers.

Take a step back (but carefully so you don’t have a broken foot experience too!) and really look at your online self-service options. Do they offer customers a ‘helping hand’ to make their lives easier, or do they create a disjointed, laborious experience? If your customers can’t look to your website to self-help in the same way I look to my kitchen island, then it’s time to learn more about virtual agent technology.