Give your SaaS customers what they want: fast answers and personalized service
Omnichannel communication is a must-have in today’s SaaS customer service landscape. Your customers expect seamless interactions across every channel. Providing an omnichannel experience means you can offer a consistent and personalized service, regardless of the customer’s preferred platform, which not only enhances customer satisfaction but also improves efficiency and productivity.
A powerful solution is Amazon Connect Chat, which is designed to integrate seamless chat functionalities into existing contact centers. By utilizing Amazon Connect Chat, your business can easily add chat as an additional channel for real-time communication with customers. Agents can engage more effectively, provide instant support, and resolve issues promptly.
A key benefit of Amazon Connect Chat is scalability and flexibility – it can easily scale to handle peaks in chat volume to ensure that customers are not kept waiting. Amazon Connect Chat also integrates with other Amazon Web Services (AWS) products, so you can leverage advanced analytics data and automation capabilities to further improve the customer experience.
Understanding Amazon Connect Chat
So what is Amazon Connect Chat, and how does it fit into the Amazon Connect suite? Amazon Connect Chat is a cloud-based customer service solution for businesses that adds chat functionality to any text-based communication channel, including websites, mobile apps, SMS, and other messaging applications. Delighted customers can interact in real time.
Here’s how Amazon Connect Chat fits into the Amazon Connect suite, offering:
- A seamless omnichannel experience: Amazon Connect Chat integrates smoothly with other Amazon Connect channels, such as voice and SMS, to provide a seamless omnichannel experience for customers.
- Scalability: Because it is built on the same infrastructure as Amazon Connect, high scalability and the reliability to handle varying chat volumes are assured.
- Analytics and reporting: Amazon Connect Chat offers robust analytics and reporting features that help businesses monitor chat performance, optimize customer interactions, and improve the overall customer experience.
The key features of Amazon Connect Chat support enhanced customer interactions:
1. Easily set up and deploy AI-powered chatbots along with guided workflows with step-by-step guides for customers who prefer self-service.
2. A unified generative AI-powered agent workspace gives agents access to everything they need, offering context from self-service interactions for a seamless transition. Amazon Q delivers responses, actions, and information in real time, so agents don’t have to search for the information they need.
3. An out-of-the-box communication widget is easily embedded into your website using Connect’s open-source JavaScript library, or you can build your own UI using Amazon Connect’s APIs.
4. Persistent chat allows customers to resume previous conversations with all context, metadata, and transcripts available to agents. Customers don’t have to repeat information when they return to a chat because agents have access to the whole conversation history.
5. Messaging analytics through Amazon Connect Contact Lens. Monitor and improve contact quality along with agent performance using conversational analytics such as sentiment analysis, and real-time alerts when chats need supervisor intervention.
Amazon Connect Chat gives your business the power to deliver personalized, efficient, and effective customer interactions through real-time chat conversations to enhance customer satisfaction and boost loyalty.
The benefits of Amazon Connect Chat integration
Amazon Connect Chat offers customers superior service, and businesses have an easy way to offer it. A key benefit is increased customer engagement. Chat provides a convenient and familiar communication channel for customers – they can easily reach out with questions or issues, and a rapid and problem-solving response makes customers feel a stronger connection to your brand. This can lead to more frequent interactions and more selling and upselling opportunities.
Agents can also handle multiple chat sessions at once, so they can address customer issues quickly. Chatbots and automated responses speed up the process by providing quick solutions to common questions.
Chat in general has been shown to boost customer satisfaction. Chat as a support option provides customers with flexibility and convenience to improve the experience – offering a responsive and personalized service through chat means your business has yet another chance to create a positive impression and build loyalty.
Amazon Connect Chat plays a crucial role in creating a seamless and integrated customer journey. When integrated with voice and other digital channels, such as email or social media, you can offer a consistent and connected experience across multiple touchpoints. When customers can easily switch between channels without having to repeat information, it leads to a more cohesive and efficient interaction across every channel.
How to set up Amazon Connect Chat
You can add a communications widget to any website that is hosted by Amazon Connect. You can configure the communications widget on the Amazon Connect admin website. Customize the font and colors, and then secure the widget so that it can be launched only from your website. When you’re finished, you will have a short code snippet that you add to your website, and because Amazon Connect hosts the widget, the latest version will always be live.
First, be sure you’re using a supported browser. These include these versions or higher: Google Chrome 85.0, Safari 13.1, Microsoft Edge 85, and Mozilla Firefox 81.0. Then:
Customize your communications widget.
1. Log in to the Amazon Connect admin website at https://instance name.my.connect.aws/. Select Customize communications widget.
2. On the Communications widgets page, choose Add communications widget to begin customizing. To edit, delete, or duplicate an existing widget, choose from the options under the Actions column.
3. Enter a Name and Description for the widget. The name must be unique for every communications widget created.
4. In the Communications options section, select how your customers can engage with your widget, and then choose Save and continue.
5. On the Create communication widget page, choose the widget button styles as well as display names and styles.
As you choose these options, the widget preview updates automatically so that you can see what the experience will look like.
Choose a button style
Choose the color, and then enter the hex values for the button background. Next, choose either white or black for the icon color – this color can not otherwise be customized.
Provide a widget header
Provide values for the header message and color and the widget background color.
Next, insert a URL to your logo banner from an Amazon S3 bucket or another online source.
It’s important to note that the communications widget preview on the customization page will not display the logo if it’s from a source other than an Amazon S3 bucket. There’s no need to worry, though – your logo will be displayed when the customized communications widget is integrated into your page.
- The banner must be in .svg, .jpg, or .png format. The image can be 280px (width) by 60px (height). Any larger image will be scaled to fit the space.
- For instructions about uploading a file to S3, see Uploading objects.
- Make sure image permissions are properly set so that the communications widget has permission to access the image. To make a S3 object publicly accessible, see Step 2: Add a bucket policy.
The chat view
1. Use the dropdown to choose the font for the text in the communications widget.
2. Then:
- System Message Display Name: Type a new display name to override the default, which is SYSTEM_MESSAGE.
- Bot Message Display Name: Type a new display name to override the default, which is BOT.
- Text Input Placeholder: Type new placeholder text to override the default, which is Type a message.
- End Chat Button Text: Type new text to replace the default, which is End chat.
- Choose the agent chat bubble color: Designate the colors for agent message bubbles by entering hex values.
3. Select the customer chat bubble color: Enter the hex value codes to set the colors for the customer’s message bubbles.
4. Save and continue.
Next, specify the website domains for your widget
Enter the website domains where you want to place your widget. Chat loads only on websites that you select in this step.
- Choose Add domain to add up to 50 domains. Note that it’s important to double-check that your website URLs are valid and do not contain errors. Include the full URL starting with https://.
- Under Add security for your communications widget, we recommend choosing Yes. Then work with your website administrator to set up your web servers to issue JSON Web Tokens (JWTs) for new chat requests. This gives you more control when initiating new chats – including the ability to verify that chat requests are from authenticated users.
- Choosing Yes results in the following:
- Amazon Connect provides a 44-character security key on the next page that you can use to create JSON Web Tokens (JWTs).
- Amazon Connect adds a callback function within the communications widget embed script that checks for a JSON Web Token (JWT) when a chat is initiated.
- You must implement the callback function in the embedded snippet. If you choose this option, you’ll get a security key in the next step for all chat requests initiated on your websites. Have your website administrator set up your web servers to issue JWTs using this security key.
- Choose Save.
Now, Confirm and Copy the Communications Widget Code and Security Keys
Confirm your selections, copy the code for the communications widget, and embed it on your website. If you used JWTs in the second step, you copy the secret keys for creating them.
Security key
Use this 44-character security key to generate JSON web tokens from your web server. You can update, or rotate, keys if you need to change them – when you do this, Amazon Connect gives you a new key and maintains the previous key until you have a chance to replace it. After you deploy the new key, come back to Amazon Connect and delete the previous key.
When your customers interact with the Start chat icon on your website, the communications widget requests your web server for a JWT. When this JWT is provided, the widget will then include it as part of the end customer’s chat request to Amazon Connect. Amazon Connect then uses the secret key to decrypt the token. If successful, this confirms that the JWT was issued by your web server, and Amazon Connect routes the chat request to your contact center agents.
JSON Web Token specifics
- Algorithm: HS256
- Claims:
-
- sub: widgetId
- Replace widgetId with your own widgetId. To find your widgetId, see the example at Communications widget script.
- iat: *Issued At Time.
- exp: *Expiration (10-minute maximum).
For information about the date format, see the following Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) document: JSON Web Token (JWT).
The communications widget script
When your website loads, customers will see a Start icon. When the icon is chosen, the communications widget opens, and customers can send a message to your agents. To make changes to the communications widget, choose Edit.
Please note that saved changes take a few minutes to update the customer experience, so confirm your widget configuration before saving it.
Best practices when using Amazon Connect Chat
Using these best practices and strategies for training agents to effectively use Amazon Connect Chat and leverage chatbot and AI functionalities:
1. Train your agents
- Provide thorough training, including how to navigate the interface, manage customer interactions, use canned responses, and escalate issues.
- Emphasize the importance of active listening, empathy, and clear communication skills in chat interactions.
- Role-play different customer scenarios to help agents practice their responses and problem-solving skills.
2. Utilize chatbots and AI
- Build a robust chatbot with Amazon Lex to handle frequently asked questions, common issues, and initial greetings with customers.
- Integrate AI functionalities to analyze customer interactions, sentiment, and intent. This will provide personalized responses and suggestions to agents.
- Train AI models regularly to improve accuracy and effectiveness.
3. Automate for efficiency
- Set up chatbot workflows to automate repetitive tasks, such as collecting customer information, providing order status updates, and routing inquiries to the appropriate agent.
- Implement predefined responses and quick replies. This will streamline agent interactions and ensure consistent messaging.
- Monitor chatbot performance and customer feedback to continuously refine and optimize automated responses.
4. Feedback and continuous improvement
- Encourage agents to provide feedback on chatbot performance, customer interactions, and system usability to identify areas for improvement.
- Analyze chat transcripts, customer feedback, and metrics to identify common issues, trends, and opportunities for enhancing customer engagement.
- Implement regular training sessions, knowledge sharing, and updates to empower agents with new skills and knowledge to better serve customers.
Following these best practices and leveraging chatbot and AI functionalities effectively, empowers your agents to engage with customers more efficiently, provide personalized responses, and deliver exceptional customer experiences.
Optimize customer interactions with analytics
- Know your metrics: Define key metrics that are important for tracking chat performance and customer satisfaction, such as average response time, resolution time, customer feedback ratings, and first contact resolution rate.
- Use real-time analytics: Take full advantage of Amazon Connect’s real-time analytics capabilities and monitor chat performance in real time. This allows you to quickly identify any issues or trends and make adjustments on the fly.
- Utilize historical data: Analyze historical chat data to identify patterns, trends, and areas for improvement. Look for common customer issues, successful resolution strategies, and areas where customer satisfaction can be boosted.
- Implement sentiment analysis: Use sentiment analysis tools within Amazon Connect to gauge customer sentiment during chat interactions. This can help you understand customer emotions, identify potential pain points, and proactively address issues.
- Create performance reports: Generate performance reports to track chat performance over time.
- Implement machine learning: Leverage machine learning algorithms within Amazon Connect to predict customer behavior, identify trends, and personalize interactions.
Integrate Amazon Connect Chat with Other Tools
Integrate Amazon Connect Chat with CRM systems and third-party applications to further enhance your customer service capabilities with a comprehensive view of the customer journey.
- Determine which customer information is crucial for your agents to deliver personalized and effective service. This may include previous interactions, purchase history, preferences, and any relevant data stored in your CRM system.
- Amazon Connect Chat offers APIs and SDKs that can be used to connect with various CRM systems and third-party applications. You can either build custom integrations or use pre-built connectors offered by Amazon Web Services Marketplace or third-party developers.
- Ensure that customer data is synchronized in real-time between Amazon Connect Chat and your CRM system.
- Utilize the integrated data to implement smart routing rules that direct chats to the most appropriate agent based on customer profile, history, and preferences. This can help reduce wait times and improve first-contact resolution rates.
Examples of integrations and their impact
By integrating Amazon Connect Chat with CRM systems and third-party applications, you can create a unified and streamlined customer service experience that leads to increased customer satisfaction, loyalty, and retention. Here are some examples.
- Salesforce integration: By integrating Amazon Connect Chat with Salesforce CRM, agents can access customer profiles, purchase history, and support tickets directly within the chat interface. This helps agents provide personalized and efficient support, leading to improved customer satisfaction and retention.
- Zendesk integration: Connecting Amazon Connect Chat with Zendesk enables seamless ticket creation and updates based on chat interactions. This integration streamlines the support process and allows for a unified view of customer interactions across channels.
These integrations enable:
- Improved agent efficiency because agents have access to comprehensive customer data within the chat interface, reducing the need to switch between multiple applications.
- More personalized customer interactions with integrated data from CRM systems. Agents can personalize interactions based on customer history and preferences.
- Enhanced reporting and analytics: Integrating Amazon Connect Chat with CRM systems means better tracking of customer interactions and outcomes to enable data-driven decisions that improve service quality and efficiency.
The future of chat
Chat is already popular. Forrester predicts that asynchronous chat – wherein participants on either side of the conversation can start, pause, and resume l messaging on their terms, with no wait for a direct live connection (synchronous messages). These asynchronous messages can be sent when an immediate response is not required, making it akin to texting, but for brands.
Others believe the future of customer service lies in more AI-powered chatbots, although it’s acknowledged that they cannot replace the emotional intelligence and judgment of human beings.
Transform your SaaS company’s customer service
Amazon Connect Chat can revolutionize your customer service approach by fostering:
- Efficient communication
- A personalized experience
- 24/7 support with chatbots
- Scalability
This aligns with customer demands for instant responses, convenient and accessible support, and multi-channel integration.
It’s time to embrace advanced chat solutions to enhance service delivery. By leveraging these tools, SaaS companies can not only streamline their customer service processes but also create meaningful interactions that drive customer satisfaction and loyalty.
It’s time…
Let’s empower your team to provide exceptional support and stay ahead of the curve! Remember, happy customers lead to a thriving business.
CloudHesive can jumpstart your Amazon Connect Chat journey. Just reach out and we’ll help you create a sound and effective strategy that serves the test of time and manages the process every step of the way. Contact us today and see your business reach new heights in the cloud.
