One of the most important components in any business is the target audience. How you connect with the target audience is very important because it defines a brand and builds on their loyalty. While there are many channels of communicating with the target audience and clients, one of them remains outstanding; the live chart.
Live chat is special software that enables businesses to connect with users on their websites to get direct answers to queries. The chats are mainly designed in the form of pop-up boxes placed anywhere on the screen. Most of them are positioned at the lower or upper right-hand section.
Every time that a user clicks on the live chat, a bigger communication window opens to make it easy to write text and send to the customer representative of the respective company on the other side.
In some cases, the chat might require you to include some few personal details such as personal name. In other cases, the chats might be classified into various groups such as sales, general, or administrative. This helps to direct the inquiry to the right department for comprehensive answers.
Live chats are very common in e-commerce stores especially those dealing with fashion items. However, they can be implemented by any business.
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Main benefits that you will get by including a live chat on the website
Live chats are very convenient for your clients
In business, rarely do people have ample time to make direct calls. Therefore, having a live chat allows them to be able to answer every query from clients. Clients can, therefore, rest assured of getting you directly by simply hitting the live chat.
Live chat clears obstacles on your sales
For clients with questions about payment or want additional info before making the decision to buy, talking to them through a live chat makes everything personal and more persuasive. This will help you to avoid losing potential clients.
It is the best way to stay ahead of competitors
Are your competitors using live chats? If not, it is time to rush right ahead of them. By implementing a live chat, your target clients will enjoy better connection without incurring additional costs on making direct calls. It is the best way to ensure that your brand stands out.
Live chat keeps clients coming back for more
A live chat is a great way to retain loyal clients by ensuring they have all the info they want to make the right decisions. By liaising with them anytime they want clarification on prices, policies, and other details, they will feel part of the brand and come back for more.
A perfect way to cut on operational costs
As opposed to using a lot of money on calls, live chats help to link with clients more affordably. You can talk to more clients seeking clarification without incurring additional charges.
Important facts about live chats
The current statistics on live chats speak volumes.
- About 44% of online clients according to Kissmetrics believe that talking to a live person on a live chat is one of the most crucial things for businesses.
- In one of the surveys carried by American Online Consumers, about 68% of online consumers use live chats before buying while 63% more prefer using live chats for later purchases at the same stores.
- In their report, EConsultancy found that live chats provide the highest level of customer satisfaction of 73%. Other channels include the phone with 44% satisfaction and email with 61%.
What to consider when implementing a live chat
Having looked at the aforementioned benefits of a live chat, many people will be persuaded to implement one immediately. However, a good chat requires ample preparations. Here are some of the most important things to consider when implementing a live chat.
- Appropriate training for support staff: The people who will be answering clients’ requests should be knowledgeable on handling every question. Do they have answers to all questions? What do they do when a client asks a question they do not have answer?
- What is the purpose of the chat? Do you want the chat to answer questions about the product only or handle all inquiries? This is very important because it will define the segment that can use the chat.
- What is the time that you will be running the chat? The best time to run the chat should be the most active session. For example, an e-commerce should have its chat operational when most people do their shopping.
- The appropriate tone of the chat: The tone of the chat should be friendly. Many people feel the connection because they are talking to a real person directly before making an appropriate decision.
- Site’s transparency: The chat must help to cultivate transparency. If there are other people on the chat, it should be kind enough to tell the users how long they have to wait.
Note that there are many companies that offer live chat services out there. It is important to review them and even use their trial period to see what works well with your business.
