Most Consumers Talking Up Live Chat

How effective is your online customer service strategy? If you're not sure, a new Oracle study has revealed some valuable insights into consumers' preferences when it comes to reaching customer service help online.

The Consumer Views of Live Help Online study surveyed consumers from all over the world in regards to their use of customer-service channels. One of the most interesting statistics from the study shows that social media users expect a rapid response to questions or complaints, with more than half of Twitter users anticipating a personal response within two hours of tweeting and 81 percent expecting a same-day response.

However, Facebook users aren't as impatient, with only 29 percent expecting a response within two hours and 51 percent expecting same-day responses. 

Consumers are also relying more on live help, with the study revealing that 57 percent of consumers believe that live help is among the most important features of a website. The findings also show that half of consumers have used live chat or click-to-call, which is an increase from the 37 percent that used live help in 2009.

And according to 38 percent of consumers, live chat is a preferred customer service channel because it enables consumers to multitask while they wait for a response.

"As consumers frequent online sites more than ever, they expect to engage with companies' customer service representatives while they are there," says Mike Webster, senior vice president and general manager, Oracle Retail. "Whether the customer visits the company's commerce site or social media page, there must be a clear link to a customer service person that is informed and able to help."