It’s not difficult to make a case for Live Chat Support! Cost savings and convenience for both staff and customers make it a viable option for businesses today, an essential tool for any company that thrives on providing excellent customer service and a Top Trend for 2015 and beyond! For example:

  • “Forty-four percent of online consumers say that having questions answered by a live person while in the middle of an online purchase is one of the most important features a Web site can offer.”
    [“Making Proactive Chat Work,” a study conducted by Forrester Research]
  • “Ninety percent of customers consider live chat helpful.” [ATG Global Consumer Trend study]
  • “Sixty-three percent [of online customers] were more likely to return to a website that offers live chat.” [emarketer.com survey]
  • “Thirty-eight percent of respondents said they made their [online] purchase due to the chat session itself.” [emarketer.com survey]
  • High customer satisfaction scores and a double-digit increase in converted shoppers have shown the value once and for all of this technology [for Wells Fargo].” Forrester case study

Quality customer service is becoming more and more crucial to the long-term success of any business. If you provide worthwhile, positive and memorable experiences each and every time your customers connect with you, existing customers will become your most vocal advocates, and they will help to grow your customer base for you through word-of-mouth.

Why Customers Prefer Live Chat Support

An ATG Customer Service Survey found, “For simpler queries, such as those about order status, promotional information, shipping options or cheaper services, live chat was the preferred customer service option [over click-to-call].” Other specific reasons include:

  • Provides immediate access to help
  • Can multi-task online while waiting or while at work
  • No 800 number to call and complicated menus to navigate
  • Wait times usually much less than when contacting support by phone

Why Live Chat Support Is a Smart Service Choice

Increasing sales might be your primary reason to include Live Chat Support on your website. Studies prove that it provides a simple way to connect with customers who spend a lot money online, as well as encourage them to do more of the same. “Almost two in 10 live chat respondents did more than 75% of their holiday shopping online, compared with 14% of those who did not chat. A further 25% of chatters made 51% to 75% of their purchases on the Web, versus just 10% of those who did not participate in the chat service,” states a report by E-Marketer. Bold Software, creator of an e-commerce live chat solution, conducted a survey of US online buyers. They found that online buyers who had used live chat were more likely to make online purchases at least once a week (40%) than buyers who had never chatted (22%).

Some additional reasons that Live Chat Support is a smart business decision include:

  • Improves efficiency and reduces overall contact center costs:
    • Lowers average interaction costs
    • Allows live chat representatives to handle multiple chats simultaneously
    • Reduces the need to hire more representatives.
    • Reduces phone line expense
  • You get it in writing: easy to copy-and-paste live chat support sessions
  • Reduces repetition
  • Maintains privacy
  • Gives you an edge over competitors who don’t have it
  • Reveals customer pain points, allowing you to correct problems
  • Builds deeper relationships and trust with customers; someone is always there to help

How to Prepare to Chat
It doesn’t guarantee success if you just add a chat program to your website and staff it with reps who are not prepared to respond in writing. The key is to have trained staff members who can immediately walk customers through a sale, if they become confused, or answer questions that can make or break a sale. The goal for retailers is to help eliminate bounces away from websites and ensure that full Shopping Carts make it through check out. Live Chat also provides upsell opportunities. You need to train reps to engage with customers and recommend other products during the “conversation.” To prepare for successful chats:

    • Consider hiring employees with sales experience (or train current staff in sales skills)
    • Train your team in the specific skills required for a successful chat
    • Give the customer a personal vs. a robotic experience
    • Be aware of peak shopping hours for customers in all time zones
    • Boost your social media presence by asking chatters to Like your Facebook page and make comments there in other communications
    • Have a plan for surges in chat volume and how to tactfully relay wait time to customers
    • Offer customers helpful support/chat features such as changing the font size and obtaining a transcript of the chat.
    • For more preparation tips, click here: https://blog.kissmetrics.com/live-chat/

If you still aren’t convinced that live chat is for your business, check out this article by Brian Honigman, and this study conducted by Bold Chat.

Happy Chatting!