Is agent multitasking advisable for live chat support?

Faith Ocampo Published on July 25, 2016 Last updated on April 7, 2021

Live chat is the channel of choice both for brands and customers. It can save you a lot of time and money, while letting you personalize customer interactions.

There’s no denying that customers love live chat. A survey revealed that as much as 41% of customers prefer this channel, compared with 32% for phone, 23% for email, and only 3% for social media.

webchat live chat agent talking to customer on laptop

Consumers choose webchat mainly because it’s fastโ€”replies are instant and questions are answered quickly. Plus, chat plug-ins are easy to integrate at various moments in the customer journey, as long as they take place online. In fact, that’s the ideal setup especially for ecommerce businesses.

When customers browse product catalogs, add items to their carts, and proceed to checkout, a chat window or tab must constantly be available so customers can easily ask for assistance.

But even from customer service managers’ point of view, chat support is incredibly useful. They see it as a platform that optimizes agents’ productivity, as it allows multitasking. It’s not unusual for agents to handle three or more chat windows at a time, so more customers are being assisted at a shorter time frame. That means bigger savings and higher productivity, but is this approach sustainable?

Risks of multitasking

employee panic using laptop

Handling multiple live chat sessions simultaneously may allow agents to answer more queries, but the quality of interactions may be compromised. Some common scenarios that may happen are as follows.

  • Mixing up issues

    As agents switch from tab to tab, they might mix up customer issues. This can be annoying to customers and may also slow down problem resolution.

  • Making customers wait too long

    Customers prefer web chat support because of its speed. As many as 52% of customers would abandon an online purchase if they don’t get a quick answer to their question, so delayed replies aren’t an option.

  • Missing a chat

    With every customer interaction missed, you lose plenty of opportunities to generate leads and drive up conversions.

What should you do to avoid these risks?

It’s important to emphasize, as part of your call center training, that the quality of conversations must always be prioritized. Finding the balance between the number of customers being accommodated and the customer experience can be tricky. Your customer service strategy on live chat must boil down to these three rules.

  1. Understand agents’ limits

    webchat live chat agents panic head on laptop
    If possible, set a maximum number of chat windows that agents can handle. If they’re doing other tasks besides chatting with customers, take these into consideration as well. In this age, customer experience matters more than anything else. If you build a culture that focuses on customers’ needs, your agents will exert the right amount of effort it takes to deliver a memorable transaction.

  2. Prioritize

    webchat live chat agent working with customer service
    Agents must know how to prioritize the transactions they handle. For instance, simple queries can easily be resolved, but complex ones take more time. In these cases, agents must be able to decide when transactions are to be escalated to another channel (e.g., phone) or when they need help from a manager or supervisor. Also, agents themselves must be able to gauge how many more customers they can assist given the difficulty of the issues or tasks they’re already working on.

  3. Always personalize conversations.

    webchat live chat agent holding word balloon
    Agents must keep in mind, regardless of the number of web chat sessions they’re handling, that customers expect humanized conversations. Empathizing with customers and making them feel that you care will never go out of style.

Open Access BPO is a premiere multilingual firm offering live chat, phone, email, and other support services for businesses of all sizes. Don’t wait for your customers to jump ship due to bad customer service. Contact us today to begin your outsourcing journey.

Faith is a digital media enthusiast aiming to become an active part of the tech world by sharing her insights. She likes to blog about everything digimarketing, technology, and social media.
Join us on facebook
Open Access BPO 10 hours ago
๐—ข๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ป ๐—”๐—ฐ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€ ๐—•๐—ฃ๐—ข ๐—ฃ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐˜๐—ป๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€ ๐˜„๐—ถ๐˜๐—ต ๐—•๐——๐—ข ๐—Ÿ๐—ถ๐—ณ๐—ฒ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—ฃ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ ๐—™๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ถ๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—Ÿ๐—ถ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐˜† ๐—ช๐—ฒ๐—ฏ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐—ฟ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—˜๐—บ๐—ฝ๐—น๐—ผ๐˜†๐—ฒ๐—ฒ๐˜€

Open Access BPO recently hosted an exclusive financial literacy webinar on May 22, 2025, specifically designed to equip its employees with essential knowledge for personal #FinancialSecurity.

The event, ๐—ช๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜'๐˜€ ๐—ฌ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—ฃ๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐—•?: ๐—ฃ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ฌ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—™๐˜‚๐˜๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐˜„๐—ถ๐˜๐—ต ๐—ฆ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐˜ ๐—™๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ถ๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—ฃ๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ป๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด, was organized in collaboration with @BDO Life and featured the financial organization's Senior Assistant VP, Edward Castro as guest lecturer.

The webinar centered on crucial aspects of #ProtectionPlanning, offering clear, actionable guidance on how to secure future financial stability. It explored a range of practical financial strategies, from traditional savings and investments to entrepreneurial ventures.

This initiative is a reflection of Open Access BPO's deep commitment to the overall well-being and financial stability of its workforce. This webinar is one of many planned employee engagement activities aimed to help our employees grow personally and professionally.

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#IdeaHubOABPO
Open Access BPO 12 hours ago
๐—ข๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ป ๐—”๐—ฐ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€ ๐—•๐—ฃ๐—ข ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐˜‚๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐—ถ๐˜๐˜€ ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐—ฝ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ฏ๐—ถ๐—น๐—ถ๐˜๐˜† ๐˜„๐—ถ๐˜๐—ต ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—น๐—ฎ๐˜‚๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ต ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐——๐—ฎ๐˜ƒ๐—ฎ๐—ผ ๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ด ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—ถ๐˜๐˜€ ๐™‹๐™ก๐™–๐™ฃ๐™ฉ ๐™ž๐™ฉ ๐™๐™ค๐™ง๐™ฌ๐™–๐™ง๐™™ ๐˜๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฒ-๐—ฝ๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ป๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ถ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐— ๐—ฎ๐˜† ๐Ÿญ๐Ÿฐ, ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฑ.

Held in Barangay Eden, Toril District in Davao City's upland Toril District, employee volunteers planted 100 seedlings of the Philippine indigenous white Lauaan forest tree.

Partnering with the Department of Environment and Natural Resourcesโ€“Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (DENR-CENRO), this effort aids in the vital reforestation and rehabilitation of the Talomo-Lipadas Watershed, a crucial water source for Davao City.

๐˜—๐˜ญ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ต ๐˜ช๐˜ต ๐˜๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ธ๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ฅ highlights Open Access BPO's deep corporate social responsibility, demonstrating a tangible commitment to environmental impact and fostering a sustainable community.

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#OABPOPlantItForward
#OABPOcares #IdeaHubOABPO
Open Access BPO Yesterday
It's easy to assume that dips in your #CustomerService team's #productivity is because of laziness.

But be extra observant, because it could be an indication of a deeper concern: ๐—ฐ๐—ต๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ถ๐—ฐ ๐˜„๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ธ๐—ฝ๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—ฏ๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜‚๐˜.

๐—•๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜‚๐˜ ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ ๐˜๐—ผ:
โ€ข low productivity
โ€ข high employee attrition
โ€ข tanking service levels

Here are indications that your #CustomerSupport agents are burning out (and some team management tips for handling them!): https://buff.ly/UGegOw8

โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”
Go with the #outsourcing #BPO that cares for its teams: https://buff.ly/WKtkHMe

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#EmployeeManagement
Open Access BPO Yesterday
Night shift work inherently presents unique hurdles for #CallCenter agents, primarily through the disruption of natural sleep cycles.

This impact on their well-being can be substantial.

Here's how to foster a more supportive environment for your night shift team: https://buff.ly/SbBAZ1R

โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”
We're an employee-centric BPO company, so fostering a culture of employee care is part of our core.

Learn how ensure employee satisfaction with programs and opportunities for our teams to grow and thrive: https://buff.ly/3yaDcXW

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#CallCenterManagement #EmployeeManagement
#MentalHealthMonth #MHM2025 #OABPOforMentalHealth
#MentalHealthAwarenessMonth
Open Access BPO 5 days ago
Delivering exceptional #CustomerExperience starts with a passionate, unified team.
But if your #CallCenter agents are struggling with poor team dynamics and a lack of teamwork, it's time to intervene.

To supercharge employee engagement in your #ContactCenter, consider these powerful coaching strategies: https://buff.ly/w89ehB3

โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”
Ready to transform your customer experience and build an unstoppable team?

For quality #outsourcing frontlined by diligent, skilled experts: https://buff.ly/3yaDcXW

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#EmployeeDevelopment #CX #ElevateCX
#OutsourcingCallCenter #CallCenterTraining
Open Access BPO 7 days ago
How can we build stronger, more resilient teams together?
The answer starts with empowering employees to prioritize their well-being.

Self-care isn't a perk, it's a foundation for success for any brand, but only if you're sincere in your employee care.

Here are helpful ways to ensure employee self-care: https://buff.ly/pwwtsoR

โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”
We empower our teams to create #CustomerExperiences for your customers.

Our workplaces are built to prioritize self-care for our employees and drive success for our partners.
Outsource with us: https://buff.ly/3yaDcXW

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#MentalHealthMonth #MHM2025
#MentalHealthAwarenessMonth
#OABPOforMentalHealth