When you are at home after finishing work, you may find yourself chatting to several friends and family members simultaneously. For example, you might be chatting to one friend on WhatsApp, another on Facebook Messenger...and a third on Viber, Line, or some other chat app.

We’re all used to handling multiple conversations easily, swapping between one conversation and the next without difficulty. Well, guess what? You can do that in the live chat world, too. 

Multitasking is one of the ways in which agents can get more done during the working day. Handling just one conversation at a time would not only be inefficient but rather dull, too. You would spend much of your day just waiting for the other person to respond.

Because of this, agents are usually expected to multitask. You will handle several chats at the same time, increasing the number of customers you can help. It’s normal for agents to handle three to five chats at once, but some experienced pros can manage up to ten!

Don’t panic, though. No one will expect you to handle that many simultaneous chats right out of the gate. Three is a more common and practical number.

Chat multitasking works in precisely the same way as it does in your private life. When a new visitor starts a chat, you simply engage by replying. Then while that chat is in progress, you can start a second conversation...and then a third.

There are actually two different ways in which you may be asked to multitask in live chat work:

Let’s take a look at both of these and see how you handle them in practice. 

This is the most common scenario, as we have already discussed. You will find yourself conducting multiple chats at the same time. This is not difficult in itself, but you do need to pay attention...as things can go wrong if you don’t. 

For example, if you are not properly focused, you may find yourself mixing up conversations. This happens most often when you have to switch back and forth between conversations. As a result, you can find yourself giving the right answer but in the wrong chat tab. Oops!

Another common mistake is leaving a customer hanging. When you are swapping between chats, it’s easy to forget one. Some chat systems use colored indicators to warn you when this happens, so you can get back to the forgotten visitor asap.

Sometimes you will need to buy yourself a little time with one customer while you talk to another. You can do this by using phrases such as:

If you find yourself waiting for one customer to answer, use the time to quickly cycle through your other chats to make sure you haven’t missed anything. 

In smaller chat teams, you may find there are not enough inquiries to keep you busy all day. In this situation, your employer will probably ask you to do other tasks in your free time. You will combine both chat and non-chat work to make the best use of your day.

This usually works out well, but there are a few dangers to be aware of. The most common mistake is missing a chat. You may become so engrossed in your non-chat work that you forget to check for new chats, with the result that a visitor is left waiting. 

You can avoid this by switching on both sound and browser notifications in your chat software. That way, you will be alerted when a new chat starts, and you will eliminate the problem.

Another common error is forgetting to put yourself on ‘Away’ when you take a break. You may take a 15-minute coffee break and come back to find several irate customers demanding attention. Sticking a Post-It note on your screen may help you remember.

One of the problems of multitasking is that it’s hard to keep switching focus between one task and another. When you finish a chat, you may forget which non-chat task you were working on. So keep a To-Do list to remind you of what’s next on your list. 

Finally, be sure to finish your conversations conclusively. You don’t want to finish a chat and move on, only to discover your chat partner has more to say. So make sure you end each chat with a phrase that clarifies that the conversation is over, such as:

Multitasking does have its challenges, but with a bit of practice, you will soon get the hang of it. It’s an essential skill to learn, so you should tackle this as soon as you can.