Text chat is a valuable tool in e-business. Most prospects use it with ease to answer basic questions or solve minor product issues. The benefits to organizations are clear, as well. By decreasing the need for labor-intensive call centers, companies can maintain touch points with customers while staying in budget. However, despite chat’s strengths, it isn’t always enough.

Sometimes, customer needs warrant more attention. E-businesses must spot these situations quickly and respond appropriately. Here are several scenarios in which customer service agents should escalate chat sessions to more collaborative experiences:

  1. The prospect is considering a high-value purchase. The consumer who is car shopping might ask a quick question via text and then bounce from the site. However, if the rep. incorporates product video into the session as well as video chat, he is better equipped to entice the prospect in for a test drive.
  2. The customer must accurately complete complex forms to close the deal. A loan applicant, for example, is likely to struggle with paperwork. Those difficulties can extend the sales cycle or derail a deal altogether. Joint form fill can solve that problem.
  3. Visual collaboration is a critical part of your offering. For designers, architects and others who deliver visually intensive products and services, text chat can be inadequate. File sharing, annotation and collaboration capabilities can be valuable when it comes to sharing and editing plans or blueprints.
  4. There are indications for upselling opportunities. On text chat, a prospect might ask a question about a camping stove. By adding a product video or live video feed, the service rep. might also be able to sell a tent, sleeping bag or other product.
  5. The business is based on sensitive data that requires personal interaction. A doctor, as an example, can certainly deliver test results electronically, but doing so via chat feels impersonal.
  6. The prospect fails to understand advice delivered via chat. If your rep. senses frustration or a lack of understanding during a session, he or she can save a sale by escalating to real-time multimedia collaboration.
  7. The customer’s history indicates a need for more attention. When your live support platform is tied into your CRM system, your reps. can easily flag the customers who – because of their history – merit more attention than can be delivered via chat.