Published on October 4, 2023
As the demand for seamless customer experiences continues to rise, integrating the latest techniques like Chat, could be a big help for Managed Service Providers (MSPs). Gartner research has shown that self-service alone delivers a very low rate of issue resolution for customers. So why aren’t more MSPs adopting Chat alongside self-service portals to improve this situation?
One would expect MSPs to see Chat as a quick and easy win, helping to give customers a better and more responsive experience. Customer surveys regularly show that, due to the instant nature of Chat, it is often preferred over other communication channels, such as email, phone or portal.
However, many MSPs still seem slow to fully appreciate how this technology could help them, sometimes preferring the status quo or investing their efforts in other areas rather than challenging themselves with a new perspective. Now, let's take a look at some of the reasons why.
Why Chat is not being adopted quickly enough
MSPs have displayed a hesitancy in embracing Chat as a pivotal customer engagement tool and several factors are contributing to this slow adoption. Firstly, the traditional nature of the MSP industry, often built upon established service models, can create resistance to change. Also, concerns about the effectiveness of Chat in handling complex technical inquiries might lead to a perception that more personal interactions remain irreplaceable. There may be apprehension about a lack of resources, such as a developed knowledge base and skilled agents to manage Chat facilities. Then there is the time and cost to bridge the gaps and develop the resources required for implementing a Chat platform and training staff.
Lastly, a lack of awareness about the evolving landscape of customer preferences, coupled with a potential underestimation of the transformative potential of modern communication technologies, could contribute to this slower uptake. However, as customer expectations continue to evolve and the benefits of Chat become more apparent, the tide may gradually shift towards a more widespread and enthusiastic adoption among MSPs. In the meantime, service providers continue to lag too far behind other industry sectors, with what is fast becoming a common channel of communication between businesses and their customers.
Leveraging Chat for frictionless customer engagement
The benefits of instant and real-time customer interactions cannot be overstated, and a responsive Chat system can provide MSPs with several key benefits:
- Instant Support
Customers expect swift resolutions to their issues. Chat offers the advantage of immediate assistance and triage to the correct team for more complex issues, minimising frustration and increasing customer satisfaction. - Personalisation
Chat allows agents to tailor their responses to individual customer needs, creating a more personalised and engaging experience. - Multitasking
Customers can engage in productive conversations while continuing their tasks, leading to improved efficiency and overall experience. - Proactive Engagement
Chat enables MSPs to initiate conversations, offering assistance before customers even realise they need it. - Data Collection
Valuable customer insights can be gathered through Chat interactions, helping to refine services and strategies.
Integration benefits
Like any technology, more benefits can be leveraged by integrating it with other tools and platforms. For 
example, some MSPs use Microsoft Teams to communicate with customers, but if that is used as a standalone channel then conversations may not be logged or tickets automatically raised. This could result in additional manual intervention to sync conversations with different systems and may lead to SLAs not being kept and other service related issues. With no records, the customer doesn’t get the benefit of seeing a full history of their interactions when they login to the portal. As well as giving the customer a single place to see everything, it helps the MSP if agents are working in one tool and not tab-switching all day long.
Next steps
There are some MSPs already dipping their toes in the water but there remains a lot of untapped potential throughout the industry. We see Chat as not only an efficient and obvious communication channel for MSPs but also pivotal in linking with other technologies that can further enhance the customer experience in new and exciting ways, such as AI for example. To find out more about how Chat could help your MSP, get in touch today.
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