U.S. vs India Chat Agents: Can Customers Tell the Difference?

With the world becoming smaller thanks to technology, outsourcing some certain aspects of business operations to overseas companies has become increasingly easier. However, the biggest driver of using offshore staff is that it usually costs a fraction of what it would cost locally.

One country that has been helping many businesses cut down staffing costs is India. Thanks to the countries technological advancements and cost-effective compensation rates, many companies, particularly in the IT sector, are relying more and more on outsourced staff from India. 

When it comes to customer support, however (particularly with live chat), this cost-cutting is not as good an idea as it seems.

US vs India live chat agents - Are the differences obvious?

So, is there a difference between U.S. and India based live chat agents? After all, it’s not like your customers will ever have any face time with them. So it doesn’t matter, right?

While it’s true that your customers won’t interact with your live chat agents face to face or over the phone, they will still be able to tell that they are not chatting to a local.

Here are a few things that will give your offshore live chat agents away.

1. Language

The first element that will make your customers suspicious is the differences in language. Yes, live chat is text-based, but the differences in language between U.S. based live chat agents and India based live chat agents will still show. While they may be subtle, these differences can affect how your customers “feel” about your brand.

2. Local references

Good live chat agents chat in a conversational manner. In most cases, this includes infusing local references into conversations. If your live chat agent is from India, they’ll obviously get lost as to what your customer is trying to say. Of course, this will end up in confusion, frustration, and time being wasted. All 3 are never good for business.

3. Legal references

When it comes to the U.S. vs India based live chat agent debate, one of the biggest reasons we are against the latter is the fact that they’re usually not familiar with local laws surrounding your business or products.

Particularly with the way some states in the United States have their own laws regulating certain businesses and products, it can actually be dangerous to use a live chat agent who is not familiar with those laws. 

US vs India live chat agents - Use Smith.ai’s trained U.S. agents

If you’re looking for reliable live chat agents to entrust with your business, look no further than Smith.ai. Because we value your business, we only hire the best U.S. based live chat agents. These are chat agents that will understand your business, products, and customers.

If there’s one area of your business in which you should never try skimping on, it’s your customer support. In the long run, offshore live chat agents will do more harm than good for your brand. That’s why you should use only the best live chat service for your customers, and Smith.ai certainly ranks as one of the best.

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