Is Web Chat Cheaper Than Voice Call?

Updated: 30th November, 2023 Web chat can cost about 33% less than a phone call when the agent is chatting with three people. In fact, chat support can be cheaper than email and much less expensive than phone contact, with costs per incident being around $1.60 for chat compared to $2 to $4 for email. […]

Updated: 30th November, 2023

Web chat can cost about 33% less than a phone call when the agent is chatting with three people. In fact, chat support can be cheaper than email and much less expensive than phone contact, with costs per incident being around $1.60 for chat compared to $2 to $4 for email.

Phone Call VS Web Chat Which One is Cheaper and Why

Web chat is generally considered cheaper than phone calls due to lower infrastructure and technology costs. Web chat allows agents to handle multiple conversations simultaneously, reducing staffing requirements and increasing efficiency. International calling rates can be significantly higher than web chat costs. When comparing the cost of phone calls and web chat, it’s important to consider several factors that can influence the cost of each channel:

Infrastructure and Technology: Setting up and maintaining a phone system typically requires more infrastructure and hardware, such as telephony equipment and phone lines. On the other hand, web chat platforms usually require less investment in physical infrastructure as they primarily rely on internet connectivity.

Employee Costs: Handling phone calls often requires hiring and training dedicated call center agents. Voice support may also involve additional expenses like salaries, benefits, and overhead costs associated with operating a call center. Web chat, on the other hand, allows agents to handle multiple conversations simultaneously, potentially reducing staffing requirements and associated costs.

Efficiency and Productivity: Web chat can be more efficient than phone calls due to features like canned responses, easy access to knowledge bases, and the ability to handle multiple chats at once. Increased efficiency means agents can help more customers within a given time frame, potentially reducing operational costs.

International Considerations: If your customer base is global, international phone calls can be significantly more expensive than web chat. International calling rates can vary greatly, and long-distance charges can quickly add up. Web chat, on the other hand, relies on internet connectivity, which is typically a flat or predictable cost regardless of location.

Customer Preferences: Customers may have different preferences when it comes to communication channels. Some may prefer the convenience and speed of web chat, while others may prefer the personal touch and immediacy of a phone call. Offering both options can cater to different customer preferences and enhance customer satisfaction.

Phone Support 

Voice call or phone support is still in business when it comes to customer support and lead generation. In general, businesses that deal with physical goods and services, including the supply chain prefer phone support for both B2B and B2C channels.

The premise is simple. Companies display a phone number on the website for queries or support and users can call them anytime for answers.

Still, the rise of social media and other “efficient” and “seamless” modes have put a dent in the appeal and reach of phone support.

To better understand the “haves” and “have nots” of voice call support, let us take a look at the SWOT Analysis of phone support.  

SWOT Analysis of Phone Support

SWOT Analysis is a study of the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats of a business, process, or operation. It gives a clear view to researchers and other concerned parties about the advantages and disadvantages of the subject under study.

In this section, let us examine voice call support or phone support in detail.

Strengths

• Phone calls or voice support gives a reflection of the caller’s tone, emotions, etc., which makes it more intimate and clear
• Complex issues and grievances could become easier to sort out through phone calls instead of typing a long message
• Phone support or voice call support offers better metrics integration and lets companies know what is working and what is not in the customer satisfaction department
• For better feedback, phone support is considered superior to other channels     

Weaknesses

• Phone support or voice call support is not affordable or cheap by any means. Any agent can handle one call at a time which could result in rotating shifts and added costs to running the customer support department
• Customers are suitable to get frustrated with long queues on the phone support number and multiple extensions to trace their way from start to the relevant representative
• Many organizations do not document phone call conversations. This could lead to the loss of meaningful data and information regarding customer support and the resolution of grievances

Opportunities

• Phone support allows companies to train staff on the best industry practices
• The addition of voice call support opens avenues for omnichannel support which allows users to pick a mode of their own choice. Since phone support is often hard to get. Having that in the very beginning paves the way for more to come    

Threats

• Competition is cut-throat when it comes to phone support as customers often do not anticipate wait times and queues
• The future trends are not very promising for voice call support because people are moving toward chat options, both dedicated and social media channels        

Chat Support 

As the name indicates, live chat support offers a portal to users where they can connect with the company through texts. The idea that there is always a live agent at the other end of the conversation is not true anymore, thanks to AI and ML-based chatbots.

Chatbots allow users to get quick answers for a wide range of issues. And when they cannot determine the problem, they can notify a live agent to deal with the problem.

When compared to phone support, chat service is a relatively new technique. But its seamless operations and quick results have allowed it to become popular and even a contender against phone support.

The rise of chat support was the brand child of many instant messaging applications that were developed and introduced by tech giants, such as Yahoo, Microsoft, and many more. This also led to the development and adoption of chat “vernacular” that consists of shortened words and phrases.  

SWOT Analysis

Chat support or web chat offers a lot of benefits to businesses. Still, there are many challenges and drawbacks to it. 

Let us take a hard look at all of these factors through a SWOT Analysis of chat support.

Strengths

• When it comes to easy accessibility, organizations can never go wrong with chat support because of its integration and free use for customers
• Chat support does not need a dedicated agent for each case as much of the work is automated. This leads to streamlining of work and cost reduction
• Chatbots have become smart thanks to AI and ML algorithms. This allows them to automate responses and clear backlogs of inquiries and cases related to customer support
• There is no comparison between chat support and phone support when it comes to cost as the former is way cheaper and affordable to acquire and maintain
• It is a lot easier to document, process, and store data and insights of customer support that are collected through chat support. It is because many chat support tools offer integration for web analytics resulting in a better understanding of consumer behavior and proportional results        

Weaknesses

• It is hard to balance a load of work for agents when they can handle multiple clients at once, resulting in poor workflows 
• Even though chat support offers cheap and quick solutions, there are many legal and compliance issues surrounding its usage. This requires general customer training as well as documentation through agreements
• Customers demand quick resolution through chat options but there are chances of delays and waiting queues because one agent handles multiple clients at once
• There is always a limitation to chat support which is the inability to explain complex ideas and issues

Opportunities

• Web chat has the potential to reach out to customers to rate services and inform them about products or other services in a frictionless manner
• Chat support can be integrated or even augmented with phone support. In the case of an emergency or quick inquiry, customers can switch through the application, and agents are notified about the switch

Threats

• Compliance and legal issues surrounding web chat support can be a threat to businesses that are planning on expanding the reach and scope of this support channel
• Chat support agents require additional training and grooming which could be problematic to organizations in case of new employees  

Differences Between Chat & Phone Support

By taking a look at SWOT Analyses of both chat support and phone support, we can see a lot of similarities and differences in their structure and application. They are different in many ways, which is the underlying appeal for organizations whether they are simply dealing with customer support to using the communication channels extensively for sales, marketing, and customer acquisition.

To better understand the complete picture, here are some key differences between the two modes of communication.

Reach & Scope

Voice call support offers a personalized approach toward client inquiries and queries because communication is always happening in real time. In addition, phone support provides more insight to businesses regarding customer interaction including their tone, voice, mood, and so on.

Chat support is effective without a live agent unless the subjects are generic. It has delay potential but it does not offer a personal touch to the clients and customized communication that is extremely tailored to their needs.

Cost & Affordability

When it comes to the cost of operations, chat support is the king as it allows automation for the better part of the process. Businesses need less money and time to develop and integrate chat support systems.    

Growth Potential     

When it comes to growth potential, chat support lends more muscle as it can engage with users while they are surfing the website. This leads to site visitors becoming paying clients. 

Using Trust Analytica to Manage All Web Chats from Various Platforms in One Place

Trust Analytica’s Unified Messaging Feature can help businesses effectively manage all web chats across different platforms by providing a centralized and streamlined approach. Here’s how it can help:

Centralized Communication: The Unified Messaging Feature brings together web chats from various platforms into a single interface, allowing agents to access and respond to conversations in one place. This eliminates the need to switch between multiple chat platforms, saving time and effort.

Efficient Agent Workflow: With Unified Messaging, agents can handle multiple chats simultaneously, improving efficiency and productivity. They can view and respond to incoming messages in real-time, ensuring prompt and consistent customer support across platforms.

Message Routing and Assignment: The feature offers intelligent message routing capabilities, automatically assigning chats to the most appropriate agent based on predefined rules or skills. This ensures that chats are directed to the right person, optimizing resource allocation and enhancing customer experience.

Monitoring and Analytics: Trust Analytica’s Unified Messaging provides analytics and reporting tools to track and monitor chat performance across platforms. Businesses can gain insights into chat volumes, response times, agent performance, and customer satisfaction, enabling data-driven decision-making and process improvements.

Integration with CRM Systems: The Unified Messaging Feature can integrate with customer relationship management (CRM) systems, allowing seamless transfer of chat transcripts, customer data, and conversation history. This integration enables agents to have a comprehensive view of customer interactions and enhance personalized support.

The Final Verdict

For businesses both small and large, a modern chat support system can cover grounds that were used to get covered by phone support. It has easy integration and vast scope and reaches across different departments of a business, including customer support, sales, marketing, customer acquisition, and many more.

Trust Analytica is a leading brand when it comes to online brand reputation companies. It has a modern live chat widget for websites that can help businesses grow better and faster by handling all client-related communication issues in a timely and effective manner.