From guest blogger, Lance Overbay – Lance studied engineering and minored in English. He has a love for all things Android.

Today’s entrepreneur and startup business owner is born into a world of digital communication. Mobile phones are often used for texting rather than talking. Requests for information now involve finger-walking the Internet rather than physical journeys backed by research in yellow pages, the print newspaper or word-of-mouth testimonies.

It seems that many prefer the anonymity of computerized contact over the visual or verbal upfront requirements of a personal meeting or phone call. To compete in this digital society, business owners must learn how to apply current technology to all matters involving customer support. The power of live chat software, social media programs, and email can help promote quicker response times, fulfill customer expectations and save money in the process.

A Swelling Population Demands New Methods of Customer Support

There was a time when society consisted of small communities, mom-&-pop businesses, and a local economy based on friends serving friends. One-on-one customer support was easy to maintain, desirable and satisfying to both the business owner and the customer.

Even small communities consist of many groups of strangers among friends. The demand for service exceeds the capacity of upfront visual and verbal customer support.

Old methods of live customer support can be:

  • Expensive
  • Difficult to monitor
  • Time consuming
  • And employee intensive.

On the occasions when staff overload results in 45 minutes of recorded messages, menu phone trees and customer frustration, the customer can develop a negative attitude toward the business, its products and its customer support policies. By applying the features of a chat application and other various social media tools, an aggressive business can use this focus on technology and anonymity to help connect users to the proper support networks in a manner that is less expensive to manage and still customer-preferred.

Social Media and Live Chat Software Uses Technology to Improve Customer Support

Current technology promotes the opportunity for every business to provide instant access to real-time customer support. Unlike call waiting, customers who make contact via digital devices are not forced to endure the monopoly that accompanies dial-tone silence and recorded messages. Even in the event that a particular online customer support session involves a customer wait, working from a computer or the likes of an iPhone gives that customer an opportunity to fill the lag time with personal research, a review of currently posted online answers or any other type of online interest. So your customers can research, chat with a friend, update your status on Facebook, Tweet, or check your email while you wait for your customer support specialist to assist you. Embracing new technology in your customer service model can help your customers to connect and might improve your profits overall.

So…do you see this as a positive trend?  Or are there trade-offs?