Day: December 27, 2022

We can think of a hundred different reasons to outsource live chat. You probably have, too! So, we decided to do this guide for how to outsource live chat.

Have you ever been caught in a back and forth email exchange with a potential customer asking basic questions on how to navigate your site? Have you lost leads because they gave up halfway through their customer journey? 

Well, that’s just a couple of areas where live chat support might be a helpful addition to your website or app offerings.

What Is Live Chat Support?

Live chat support is an extension of customer service. You can outsource live chat so a customer or site visitor can have real-time conversations with a virtual assistant.

This form of instant messaging uses software that is integrated into a business website or app so that buyers can easily access it and ask questions regarding the website itself, a specific process or action, and even sales talk. You may have seen this in the form of a small pop-up, widget, tab, or window. It is usually located in the bottom right corner of a website that offers goods or some type of service.  

There are several ready-made software solutions and plugins out there if you want to add a live chat feature to your support repertoire. However, live chat is more than just having the feature, you need to be able to outsource live chat to sustain it. Then it can be a truly effective communication and service tool to enhance the customer experience.

How Does It Work?

Live chat support is as much about the software as it is about the assistants behind it. With live chat, your customers can talk with a real person in real-time. They can also share other information like images, links, and other files. When you outsource live chat, you can also collect useful information from interactions and save transcripts of conversations for future reference.  

Some advanced live chat features include interactive messages where live chat AI can detect commonly asked questions and key words and generate a set of responses that you can click on. These automated responses are helpful both to the customer and to the live chat agent who won’t have to type out the same answer every time. Sometimes, people ask a question that isn’t frequently asked. Other times, the generated options are not what they’re looking for. Don’t worry, though, because the software usually notifies the dedicated live chat service agent as soon as they enter the chat. This means that the chat is monitored.

How Does Live Chat Support Benefit My Business?

Offering a live chat feature could significantly improve your customer satisfaction levels. When a site visitor feels cared for right off the bat, they are more likely to become a converting customer. 

Below are some of the reasons why live chat is popular among buyers and could be beneficial to your business.  

Accessible

Navigating an unfamiliar website and its services can sometimes be perplexing. You can make it easier for customers by giving them the option to access live help. When you outsource live chat, they have access to support any time, no matter where they are. This is more intuitive than having them try and find a contact page just to ask, say, how to find a different page on your site or app.

Flexible

If a visitor is on your website and is having trouble during a process in their customer journey, live chat allows you to meet them where they are and give them the opportunity to explain what they are having difficulty with. More advanced software will even tell the chat agent where the customer is exactly and what the customer was doing beforehand to provide more context and a better chance to rectify the situation.

Immediate

There’s a reason why instant messaging has become so popular over the years. Emails are industry standard and getting a reply in the span of a few hours will already make your customers happy. However, if you can give the same answer instantly plus be able to answer any follow-up questions they may have, they will surely be more appreciative of that as they can continue what they were doing and be one step closer to conversion. Even if they were to ask for a refund, being able to help them through that process immediately will display your care for the customer and will increase your chances that they will purchase from you again. 

Comfortable

The difference between email and instant chat is the formality. Emails tend to put pressure on the customer to be as literate and precise and clear when expressing the issue they are facing. This is not the case when it’s a live chat. This medium is quite familiar and casual and puts less demand on the customers to know everything about their problem or to fully contextualize their questions. Through live chat, the interactions are digestible and the agent can guide them through and help them understand what the issue is in real-time with less chance of miscommunication or delay due to incomplete info in an email.

What are the Pros & Cons of In-house VS. Outsourced Live Chat?

Software is just one piece of the puzzle. You also need the human resources to operate your live chat service. Let’s take a look at your two options to outsource live chat and the benefits and disadvantages of each. 

In-house

Managing live chat in-house entails that you will be responsible for handling all the hiring, training, software selection, and all other operations needed to get it up and running. 

Benefits

• You and your employees can manage brand image more easily. 
• You have full control of everything.

Disadvantages

• It’s more expensive considering overhead costs like employee benefits. 
• Less professional training around live chat operation means less effectivity 
• No expert advice or guidance to help 
• Might not be able to run the chat 24/7, which means potentially lower response times 
• High influx of visitors might mean overwhelmed operators. Conversely, low influx could mean that they aren’t being used as efficiently.

Outsourced

Allowing a team to manage your live chat operations could mean letting go of control and stepping out of that comfort zone. However, it could also mean giving the reins to experienced professionals who can get you the results you are looking for. 

Benefits

• All processes are taken care of. You can sit back and relax.
• Get a dedicated, well-trained team handling your chat support. 
• 24/7 ready support  
• Semi-outsourcing could mean hiring a consultant to guide you through some operations. 
• It’s cheaper.

Disadvantages

• Investing in an outsourced team does hold a level of risk. 
• Your brand image is on the line when you give the reins to an outside team.

Where Can I Find VAs to Help with Live Chat Support?

Virtual Assistant Talent

Here you can hire a trustworthy dedicated chat support agent to handle visitor and customer questions and concerns. Level up your customer experience and increase conversions with a readily available live chat service.

20four7VA

If you want a full-service option, 20four7VA Virtual Staffing Solutions has you covered. Get connected with a virtual assistant trained and vetted to handle chat support functions. No long term commitments are required.

Express Virtual Assistant

As the frontrunner in terms of live chat support, you can’t go wrong with Express Virtual Assistant (EVA). Their company specializes in live chat and has extensive knowledge and experience on what it takes to run live chat all day, every day.  From recruitment to training, they make sure their virtual assistants will make your business more successful.  

How Much Does it Cost to Outsource Live Chat Support?

The cost to outsource live chat will fluctuate based on which country you decide to outsource your chat support needs to.  The price can range from $5-$60 per hour. This rate range applies to independent contractors, agency hires, and virtual employees. You can opt to cut costs by outsourcing to countries where the exchange rate is favorable and the cost of living is much lower than your own country. If you do, keep in mind that paying lower rates means hiring agents with less experience, poorer internet connections, and less-than-fluent English.

Take note also of the specific pricing of live chat software, services, and call centers.

What Do I Need to Consider When Hiring VAs for Live Chat Support?

Infrastructure – Make sure the software not only runs the basic functions excellently but also contains all the bells and whistles you want for your website chat support.

Culture – Make sure that you’re on the same page about the culture of your company to avoid clashing or miscommunication.

Competence – Make sure the service providers are knowledgeable and skilled at what they do and can deliver excellent results.

Experience – Make sure that the one you work with has extensive experience in the space and a good work record with other clients and projects.

Final Thoughts

When you outsource live chat, you get all the advantages of long experience and practiced skill. Outsourcing also helps to keep you safe from the risks of hiring an in-house team in an area that has flexible demand. With the right partner, you can also avoid the risks involved in opening up your company to outsiders.

 

When you outsource marketing to freelancers and virtual assistants, thee are some keys to keep in mind. In this post, we’ll go over outsourcing basics, training, where to hire, what to outsource, and key best practices.

How Does Outsourcing Marketing Tasks to Freelancers and VAs Work?

When searching for freelancers or VAs, most people go to freelance marketplaces. This proves to be more successful and reliable than posting on your social media pages and even potentially cheaper than putting out an ad post online. 

These marketplaces house tens of thousands of talented individuals from across the globe. They fall under hundreds of different service and skill categories like web design, eCommerce, and yes, digital marketing. These platforms usually let you review freelancer profiles and see their reviews and work history. Some even include a rating system where clients can indicate how well a particular freelancer did on the job. 

The typical process of hiring a freelancer to outsource marketing to involves posting a job on a marketplace or searching for them. When you find one that you’re interested in hiring, these marketplaces usually offer specialized ways of contacting them and setting up an interview. If you are sure of a candidate, you can start discussing rates. It’s worth noting that some marketplaces negotiate payments differently than others. 

Do I Have to Train Them in Marketing?

Most freelance marketplaces have contract workers who are already experienced in the service categories they are under. The same applies for those who want to outsource marketing. A lot of these marketplaces advertise that they thoroughly vet their hires to ensure that these workers do have the skillsets and even the right work attitude before their applications are accepted. Some of these places even offer ongoing training to their workers to keep them updated on the newest and best practices in that field. 

Where Can You Outsource Marketing Tasks From?

1. FreeUp

FreeUp is a freelance marketplace that aims to connect businesses with the top 1% of freelancers and virtual assistants. One of their most popularly outsourced services is digital marketing. 

Waste no time getting to work with their fast onboarding processes. Their hiring practices ensure you are getting only the best of the best in whatever service category you choose. They vet thousands of applicants across the globe by their skill level, communication ability, and even personality. Not only that but they offer an account manager to help you make the best hiring decisions. 

Their “No Turnover Guarantee.” means that they will shoulder any costs applicable to replace any freelancer that quits on the job.

2. Upwork

Dubbed “the world’s work marketplace”, Upwork aims to provide businesses with more flexibility while at the same time providing talented workers with great work opportunities. With Upwork, you can find talent to outsource marketing to. And pay for their work only when you approve of the job done. 

You can find talent in three main ways on Upwork. Project Catalog allows you to browse pre-made templates that may fit your project needs. On Talent Marketplace, you can post a job request and wait for the applicants to roll in for review. Talent Scout is a service where a recruiter will help you find the right talented individual to suit your specific needs. (Note that Talent Scout is only applicable for those projects lasting a month or more.)

3. MarketerHire

If you want to hire digital marketing experts who have worked with top global brands, you may want to check out the MarketerHire platform. MarketerHire screens all freelancers from the perspective of being marketing experts themselves, ensuring that the hired applicants have proven experience and are among the best and most effective. 

They help match businesses with their ideal marketer. After filling out a short form and providing details on your business, they will review and assign a marketing manager to help pair you to the ideal marketing freelancer or team to fit your business goals and needs. This matching process takes no more than 48 hours. Most clients keep on with the suggested marketer for well over 3 months. The manager will also keep track of the working relationship. If the chosen marketer does not perform up to standard, they will assign you a new one. 

4. OnlineJobs.ph

The Philippines is among the top countries to outsource from next to places like China and India. OnlineJobs.ph is the largest marketplace for outsourcing Filipino talent to date. You can pick from thousands of profiles and resumes to find the perfect digital marketer for you. Their profiles are very detailed and include information such as their educational attainment, specialties, years of experience, working hours per week, and even their expected salary. 

Searching for talent is incredibly easy. There are two ways you can go about it. The first method is to post a job and wait for the talent to come to you. The second way is to simply search for the specific skill you need and scroll through the candidates. 

It’s worth noting that you can’t get in touch with any freelancer on the platform until you have purchased a plan from them. 

What are Some Examples of Marketing Tasks You Can Outsource?

Market Research – This involves looking up the competition, looking at what currently is popular in your space, and can involve figuring out where your audience is most active. Researchers figure out what the best practices are currently, what your ideal buyers look like, and if your pricing is competitive. This typically informs your marketing strategy as well. 

Marketing Strategy and Analysis – This involves planning and implementation of a combination of tried and true and latest marketing methods to generate the best results. Strategists and analysts will come up with game plans for how to attract more customers, how to allocate your budget, etc. The analysts then take a look at your metrics, generate reports, and coordinates with you and your strategists to find the best plan of attack. 

Website Design and Content – You may not think about graphic design and content creation as marketing related tasks, but they do play an important role. When you think about brand recognition and brand identity, they are vital. Your website and your ad copy must communicate to your target audience who you are as a company. 

Campaign Management – This can involve setting up, running, and monitoring paid advertising on search engines like Google and Bing, social media campaigns on platforms like Tiktok, Facebook, and Instagram, and email campaigns. This can also include hiring someone to run an organic SEO campaign to rank on search engine results pages.

What are the Best Practices When Outsourcing Marketing Tasks?

1. Establish Your Goals Clearly 

Before you even begin looking for marketing freelancers or VAs, it’s important to lay out the parameters of a project. What specific skills do you need? What are your objectives? You need to know exactly what your needs are so you can find the right person for the job and be able to effectively communicate these goals to them. More than just listing the tasks that need accomplishing, it will benefit your business and your partnership greatly if you can convey what your vision is. This is especially important in marketing where your brand image, identity, and even the values of your company will be delivered through your advertising efforts and strategies. 

2. Choose Freelancers from A Recognized Marketplace

Some businesses are worried or are hesitant when it comes to the idea of outsourcing. These concerns can be mitigated by carefully selecting the marketplace or agency where you find your freelancers or VAs. The 4 platforms we listed earlier are among those that have a good reputation and are experienced and established in the space. You should also consider some of the unique benefits that each platform offers. Some have better support, better turnover guarantees, etc. When hiring, you may also want to consider freelance agencies that specifically cater to your needs. MarketerHire is one of those places dedicated to digital marketing services. This doesn’t mean that you won’t find an excellent marketer elsewhere, of course.

3. Communicate Effectively with Your Hires

This relates to the first best practice, but while the first one focuses more on initial onboarding, this time we’ll talk about the importance of consistent and clear communication. Letting them know your goals and objectives as a company is the first step to effectively communicating and avoiding any misunderstandings. However, if you want your working relationship to remain smooth and your projects to remain on target, it’s crucial to schedule regular updates and check-ins. 

Keeping your outsourced hires in the loop means they can adjust quickly to any changes that could affect how they do their job for you. For instance, if you are hiring a marketing strategist, they need to be updated as soon as possible if the ad budget increases or decreases. An extra $100 added to the daily ad budget could significantly change the way they go about planning. A closer communicative relationship also means that any feedback or changes you want made regarding the work can be acted on as soon as possible. A few hours every week could save you more time and money in the long run. You will avoid course-correcting because there was a miscommunication somewhere along the way. 

Conclusion

If you are thinking of outsource marketing tasks, you also need to be flexible. Be willing to receive their expert advice or recommendations. Ideally, these workers will have years of experience under their belt and will have worked with other clients. As your working relationship develops,  they will get more familiar with who you are as a company. They may then suggest a little tweaking to your plans or objectives in order to make your efforts more successful. Recognize that these individuals have valuable insights to bring to your business. The success of your project is about balancing your vision for your business and taking in the advice from seasoned professionals in the field to produce the best outcome.