In today’s customer-first world, speed, personalization, and convenience are king. Businesses that invest in top-tier customer service channels—like live chat, phone support, and virtual assistants—are reaping the rewards in loyalty, revenue, and retention.
Whether you're scaling your operations or refining your support strategies, these 28 industry-leading statistics will give you insight into what’s working in 2025—and where your business needs to focus next.
Live Chat Support: Stats That Prove It’s a Must-Have
1) 79% of customers prefer live chat over other channels because it offers instant responses. (Kayako)
2) Companies using live chat see a 48% increase in revenue per chat hour. (ICMI)
3) The average response time on live chat is less than 2 minutes, compared to 12 hours via email. (LiveChat Inc.)
4) 63% of millennials say they prefer having their questions answered via live chat than over the phone. (Forbes)
5) Live chat leads to a 73% satisfaction rate, the highest of any support channel. (Zendesk)
6) 41% of consumers expect live chat to be available on your website 24/7. (HubSpot)
7) Adding live chat to a website can increase conversion rates by up to 40%. (Invesp)
8) Businesses that respond to live chat inquiries within 60 seconds are 3x more likely to convert visitors into customers. (Drift)
9) 90% of customers consider “immediate response” to be critical in support. (HubSpot)
Phone Support: Still Vital in the Human-First Era
10) 61% of consumers still prefer to talk to a human when solving complex issues. (PwC)
11) 78% of customers say a phone call is the fastest way to resolve urgent concerns. (Salesforce)
12) The average first-call resolution rate for phone support is 74%, a key metric for customer satisfaction. (SQM Group)
13) Poor phone support experiences lead to 33% of customers switching brands. (American Express)
14) Calls handled by trained agents have a 94% satisfaction rate. (Talkdesk)
15) Phone is the preferred channel for customers over the age of 55. (Zendesk)
16) The average hold time that callers tolerate is just 2 minutes. (Velaro)
17) Businesses that offer 24/7 phone support see a 32% increase in customer retention. (Customer Contact Week Digital)
18) Call abandonment rates drop by 22% when IVR systems are user-friendly. (Genesys)
19) The phone agents can reduce average handling time by 15–20%. (Gartner)
Virtual Assistants: The Future of Scalable Support
20) The global virtual assistant market is expected to reach $50 billion by 2028. (Statista)
21) 70% of businesses now use virtual assistants for customer service and back-office support. (Gartner)
22) Virtual assistants can reduce support costs by up to 30%. (IBM)
23) 68% of users say a virtual assistant helped them solve an issue faster than traditional support. (Capgemini)
24) 24/7 availability is the top reason businesses invest in virtual assistants. (Oracle)
25) 80% of customer queries can be resolved by virtual assistants without human involvement. (Accenture)
26) Remote virtual assistants improve team productivity by 13–20%. (McKinsey)
27) 1 in 3 companies now uses VAs for social media, ecommerce, and IT support. (Clutch)
28) 87% of businesses say virtual assistants help scale operations more efficiently. (Deloitte)
FINAL THOUGHT:
Whether you’re investing in real-time live chat, human-powered phone support, or versatile virtual assistants, the data makes one thing clear: modern customer support is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity.
Use these statistics to benchmark your current support strategy and identify areas where your business can enhance CX and efficiency.
If you're ready to scale your support operations without scaling your costs, Hire Live Support offers tailored solutions in all three domains.