In this post we run through some of the things about how to choose live chat software. We’ll explain what live chat is (and what it isn’t). We then look at how you as the consumer can evaluate your needs. We do this by assessing the benefits of live chat for customer support, for marketing and for sales. Finally, we conclude by highlighting important features for you to consider when making your choice.
What is Live Chat?
Live chat is a text tool that usually lives in the bottom corner of your website, located somewhere on your site. It connects visitors with a live agent. Live chat doesn’t have to be only through the medium of text. Voice chat, video chat as well as co-browsing available as alternatives. However, as these options inevitably increase the demands on your human resources, this blog will stick to the text-only options.
For better customer service to be provided by companies, Live chat evolved, bringing more of the customer journey online. As it increased in use, the strategy moved from customer service to the sales and marketing strategy as well. A framework to receive, assess and respond to any interaction must be created by a company. Also, consumers often favour companies that respond more quickly to their problems.
Comm100 discovered from responses by consumers, that 82% of them were satisfied with their live chat experience. This is compared to just 61% of people using email and a worrying 44% of phone users.
What Live Chat isn’t
When considering how to choose live chat, buyer’s can often get live chat mixed up with messaging and chatbots. Although frequently marketed separately, the confusion is unsurprising given the key synergies these tools can form. Messaging is the use of direct communication within an app provided by a third party.
Chatbots are preprogrammed dialogues designed using principles of AI or rule-based conversation flows. They help companies interact with users of their website at scale.
Evaluating your needs
For Customer Service
To assess your needs you must be clear on the benefits of live chat.
In respect to customer service, speed is one of the key advantages. Live chat allows companies to address consumer demands and problems as quickly as possible. Live chat helps remove simple barriers that make consumers reach for an alternative in their search results.
Another benefit is accuracy. By using Live chat, customers have time to think about their reply without being rushed. It allows both parties more space to carefully craft messages, create efficient conversations and develop good relationships. Live chat also avoids any miscommunication when passing along complex information.
Hand in hand with accuracy and speed is efficiency. Quick messaging responses, even just to say when and why you’ll get back to someone, shows you’re concerned. By using Live Chat, customers can multi-task and move on to something else.
Finally, personalisation is a major factor in modern marketing. Customers expect a relationship with their brands. Companies need to mirror more and more closely what consumers would receive from an in-person exchange. Live chat is much more personal than emails or standardised contact forms.
For Marketing
For those in marketing out there, activation of visitors is a key advantage of live chat.
Automated greetings can grab visitor attention by popping up and inviting them for a conversation. Not only is this an opportunity to engage but also to qualify your lead by gathering some info. Anything extra you get from live chat will enrich your CRM.
By tailoring live chat to a specific landing page content, businesses can target visitors with more appropriate support.
Often, if there’s no prior indication why a visitor has come to your site, it can take a while for a live chat agent to identify their needs. By connecting live chat option with a specific campaign, agents can immediately narrow down their support and improve customer experience.
For Sales
Some live chat providers integrate with third party messaging apps, so conversations can continue when a user leaves their desktop.
Even integrations are not available, many have the option to switch to a live call with a sales rep. By easily linking with mobile, businesses can easily reach 91% of adults that keep their phone at arm’s reach. This means you can quick and seamlessly turn visitors into prospects.
Live chat is a channel for solving doubts and complaints. People go there expecting some kind of resolution. Surpassing their expectations at this moment is a powerful way of bringing them to your side. By building trust, your company can more easily move prospects down the sales funnel. You can also upsell to them whilst they’re feeling positive about your brand, converting service into sales.
With a salesperson ready to hop on a chat, someone who knows the product well is always there to close. Many buyers have last-minute doubts. Live chat provides a quick and easy way for salespeople to solve questions and explain additional arguments.
The key to choosing a live chat provider
According to CrazyEgg, 38% of consumers are more likely to buy from a company if they offer live chat. Our own research has identified a few popular live chat features. These include: automatic (or proactive) chat invites, agent routing, chat templates, mobile optimisation, searchable transcripts, custom branding and app notifications.
How to choose live chat relies heavily on your HR capacity, so you must be wary of the risks associated with taking it on as a stand-alone tool.
For example, Forrester’s Raising the Bar report found that 1 in 5 customers are willing to stop using a product or service for slow response times via online chat.
However, this shouldn’t deter you from implementing or exploring live chat options further. For example, automated chatbot technology as well as integrations with messaging apps can offer you a way around this pitfall. Check out our linked blogs to understand how these tools work in harmony with each other.
