Once upon a time, customer service via phone was the only way to go, and for a while, email was a popular—and lengthy—buffer between customer and associate. However today, live chat for websites and eCommerce stores are the go-to method.
No matter what someone’s doing on the Internet, whether it’s reading a blog about SEO tactics or shopping for new tableware, the process is about convenience. That’s why people shop online. That’s why they have smartphones and tablets. Live chat for websites adds another layer to the convenience that brings people to your website in the first place.
1. There’s No Hold Music On The Internet
Endless wait times and incessant hold music are frustrating and mind-numbing enough to put off consumers who genuinely need help. Instead of receiving the information they need in a timely manner, they deal with their unhappiness and just don’t return to your website.
Hold times for live chat systems are substantially shorter, and in most cases, they’re so negligent that they barely qualify as a wait. Hold music becomes a thing of the past, thankfully. Visitors who reach out for help aren’t discouraged by constant transfers. Easy and instant accessibility encourages them to reach out.
2. Live Chat Offers Cost-Efficient Customer Service
Phone support is a turn-off for customers, and it’s also the more expensive option for businesses. Each representative has to focus on a single caller at a time. This causes the goal of customer service call centers to devolve into getting people off the phone as quickly as possible. Satisfaction is still a priority, but it sometimes gets lost in the rush.
In contrast, live chat agents can talk to several people at once, moving from window to window and answering inquiries. There’s little lag between each chat, and on the other end, the visitor is likely continuing to browse the website or multitasking, too. The average live team member can easily chat with three to four people at once, and some of them can manage upwards of five or six without sacrificing customer satisfaction.
Helping that many people at once is clearly a money saver, but it’s not the only cost-effective aspect of a live chat system for a website. This type of system is anywhere from 17 percent to 30 percent less expensive than phone support. It’s a bit more than the cost of your email provider, but not by much. Besides, the reputation you can build when you have excellent customer service is priceless.
3. Sales Soar Through the Roof
Numerous studies point to the ability of live chat systems to strengthen conversions by a minimum of 20 percent. Providing instant access to help is the tipping point that shifts the balance and turns someone new into a repeat customer or visitor.
Incorporate live chat for a sales team, and you could see your ROI rate go up to 300 percent. Throw in the fact that a customer or visitor who talks to a live customer service agent is three times as likely to return or purchase something, and you have to wonder why you haven’t switched over yet.
4. You Become Known for Customer Satisfaction
Satisfaction is everything, no matter what you offer. A blog that provides information, a specialty shop for kitten-themed crafts, a web hosting site—they all offer different goods and services, but their success depends on the same factors. The people who visit your site have to leave feeling happy. Not only do unhappy customers fail to convert, but they’re also more likely to share negative opinions than positive ones.
Implementing a live chat system for your website or store will increase customer satisfaction, which then blossoms into customer loyalty. Live chat for websites beat out the competition in terms of positive support levels, even performing at a higher rate than email support, which can also take far too long.
5. Live Chat For Websites Increases Order Value
Live support agents have the chance to tap into a visitor’s purchasing pains. Your service team can tap into what a customer or visitor finds confusing or frustrating. If they’re looking for a particular product or have a troubleshooting question, they can talk to someone in the moment. The agents have a unique advantage thanks to their ability to not only calm the visitor but also fulfill their request at the point when it has the most emotional impact.
It also places agents in a position to learn about the consumer. This is where a live chat system for your website shines. Spending time learning about a customer and understanding precisely what that person needs is a sure way to create a bond between the agent and the visitor to your site or web store. At that point, the support team member can make recommendations for other products that might fulfill the customer’s needs.
What started as an inquiry about a photo printer might lead to the agent upselling a self-printing Polaroid. A question about an SEO practice could result in an e-book purchase or a seminar sign-up. A steady increase in sales is already a benefit of live chat for websites. Forging that personal bond has the potential to take them even higher.
It doesn’t take much of an investment to implement a chat system for your website. The payoff is enormous, however. Are you considering it?
