Live chat and the gaming industry: give the gamers chat

The UK is a nation of game consumers. From hardcore gamers looking for the latest releases, to parents and siblings buying their loved ones gifts at Christmas, the industry is thriving.

Competition in the video game retail market is tough. This means that any way in which a company can distinguish itself to customers is a big opportunity.

And one way to do just that is with quickfire customer service in a convenient chat format.

In other words, video game vendors should give the gamers live chat. Here’s a closer look at live chat and the gaming industry.

🎮 Stat: There are more than 2.7 billion video gamers from all over the world

Gaming customer service channels

Although email and telephone are still strong customer service communication channels, consumers are increasingly turning to chat-based platforms to deal with their enquiries.

Live chat has long established itself as a support staple.

Plus, the immediacy of messaging apps like WhatsApp and Messenger has popularised the use of rapid, informal exchanges. Chatting is fast, practical and easy.

It’s fair to say that the majority of gamers are tech-savvy. They’re no strangers to digital transactions and online communication.

So, not only is live chat increasingly popular, it also lends itself well to this class of gaming customer.

🎮 Stat: 63% of millennials prefer getting customer support through chat

Quicker conversations

The ability to have efficient conversations with multiple people simultaneously is a goal in most contact centres. (As opposed to forcing customers to queue in a voice call, or possibly wait 24 hours for an email response to a query that may no longer be timely.)

Ways in which people communicate with company customer services are changing.

Gamers with a two-sentence question about delivery don’t want to sit through an IVR telephone call that lasts more than a few minutes. This is especially true if he or she is accessing customer service using a mobile device that incurs data and call charges.

This makes live chat and the gaming industry a match made in heaven.

Peak pressure

Video game businesses come under substantial pressure due to the surge in demand during new launches. This becomes even more difficult during peak trading periods between September and January.

Although email and telephone customer service communication still serve a purpose, large enquiries via these methods cause backlogs.

Instead of dealing with customer enquiries, some video game providers have been known to try and keep customers away from the contact centre during times of peak demand.

They fail to realise that although this will improve operational efficiency, it will also send potential customers to competitors.

Dealing with demand surges

Instead, by staffing live chat lines with in-house experts capable of answering customers’ questions, companies can fulfil thousands of live chat enquiries a day – far more than they could via phone.

Over time, this leads to a fall in telephone enquiries as customers increasingly turn to live chat. The result is further operational savings, which the business can then reinvest into service delivery.

Plus, live chat queues offer improved transparency and convenience over call queues. For example, chat provides display timers that show customers how long the estimated queuing time is until the next adviser is free.

As well as keeping users informed, this also provides the business with real-time insights into traffic levels. So, chat affords managers the opportunity to reassign resources to meet the need.

Knowing the exact waiting time gives customers the opportunity to choose to wait or come back when it’s convenient. This reflects positively on the brand and prevents the customer from leaving with the impression that the company doesn’t care.

In a crowded marketplace, this approach to customer service could be worth millions.

🎮 Stat: Games make up one of the top 10 of top sellers during the Christmas retail period