We've compiled X live chat benefits that are sure to help with growing your business, generating leads, improving the overall customer experience.
In today's digital age, more customers are interacting with your business through online channels than ever before. Implementing a live chat software on your company website will provide a variety of benefits to servicing and supporting those online customers, such as:
- Providing instant communication
- Shortening inquiry wait times
- Pointing them in the right direction
- Converting them into leads or customers
Live chat software isn’t of course anything new; rather, it’s something that is valuable to customers, and should be used even more extensively and properly.
But, what else can live chat do for your business?
Let's take a look.
Live chat benefits for business growth and success
For any business to succeed and make customers feel that they’re being heard and are important to your business, communication is key. When offered a proper communication channel such as live chat, customers are more likely to become loyal customers.
1. Instant real-time interactions with online customers
The primary reason behind live chat software becoming the future of customer service is that it delivers support to customers immediately upon landing on the business’ site. Customers don’t need to navigate through the entire site in order to search for the information they want.
Typically, customers get irritated and impatient when they can’t find what they are searching for on the site within moments and without wasting time. This is where having live chat on your site becomes a must-have for boosting engagement and interaction with online customers.
Making a phone call or responding to long emails interrupts workflow and requires sitting on hold with slow response times, but live chat is quick and more personal. If used properly and as part of your overall customer service strategy, live chat can significantly boost conversion rates and improve customer service and experience by delivering customers with quick access to live support.
2. Less waiting and quicker answers
Online shoppers are happier and more likely to purchase if their queries are resolved instantly. These queries are generally related to the product information, price, and availability.
Live chat is the best way to resolve these problems quickly and upon removal of customers’ objections, to making a purchase. Today’s customers prefer not to resort to emails or phone calls, which demand longer wait times.
In other words, answering questions faster and keeping them on your site ensure they stay a customer and not visit your competitors.
RELATED
How to use live chat with an ecommerce site
Find out how to implement live chat on an ecommerce site and skyrocket sales.
3. Expand global reach of your brand and business
To expand the business reach globally, it has become necessary to showcase your business to customers. The only other way to do this is by offering multilingual live chat options on your site.
It’ll not only deliver real-time assistance to online customers around the clock but by incorporating the multilingual aspect, it means that you’re providing the interaction option for customers with agents in any of their preferred languages. This helps companies to break the language barrier and take their business to the next level.
4. Building customer loyalty
An effective live chat can result in a less-coercive overall customer support experience. Live chat is recommended for making your brand more warm and approachable because it assists your support team to reach customers and prospects. It also helps with increasing conversations and in the long-term, growing a client base.
Making a call to the official helpline can be a bit of a daunting process and can feel formal and intimidating for some customers. Having an online chat with a business person gives a casual and personal touch.
Receiving a “Hi, there!” provides customers with the confidence and encouragement for a long-lasting relationship. 63% of shoppers will return to a website with a live chat feature. This will boost customer loyalty and sales revenue.
5. Identifying Customer’s Needs
With live chat, customers can interact with a real person who recognizes their problems and assists them will all their queries and needs.
Customers can also provide feedback that allows the businesses to better understand the customers and their needs as well as the business’ limitations.
This is incredibly useful feedback that allows businesses and organizations to apply these suggestions to products, services, and the website as a whole.
6. Live chat results in higher customer satisfaction
A poor customer experience is enough to hinder your business. It’s important to offer a customer experience that’ll satisfy their needs. People today are even ready to pay more in return for being treated properly.
According to Econsultancy:
- 86 percent of customers refused to shop with a brand that didn't meet their expectations.
- Live chat offers the highest customer satisfaction rate with 71 percent as compared to 44 percent for phone support and 61 percent for email support
These statistics clearly show that live chat is the preferred communication method by customers because it allows them to get instant attention. That’s why live chats have become the most effective and convenient way of interacting with a brand with less response time.
7. Live chat boosts conversion rates by 20 percent
Live chat assists in answering customer queries and helps instantly deal with doubts and objections during the purchasing process. It also provides customers with the confidence to make a purchase, since they have already spoken to the brand and know that they can trust it.
For example, if a customer is confused, stuck, or frustrated with elements of your website, they can chat with a live customer support agent that can help with their questions. If their inquiry was about finding a specific product they might have search for incorrectly, the agent can easily link them the product they were looking for.
Now, instead of getting mad and leaving your site, they were directed to the right product, found what they wanted, and purchased the item. Without live chat, that visitor would have left and not become a customer of yours.
RELATED
Not reaching your conversion rate goals?
Learn how to use live chat to improve conversion rates along with other metrics.
Convert visitors into customers
8. Customers who chat are 3X more likely to make a purchase
Live chat offers a method for more personal and direct interaction with customers, resulting in an increase in the probability that customers will buy. According to a survey, 62 percent of online shoppers accepted that they are more likely to finish a purchase if there’s a live chat option available.
Why is that the case? Because they feel there is always someone there to help, similar to in-store shopping, an actual person ready to assist in their online shopping experience
Live chat has evolved
Live chat has come a long way from just simple text-based chat solutions using a small tab at the bottom right of your site screen. Within a short span of time, live chat tools have gained significant popularity.
It's evolved over the years due to fierce competition and the expectations by customers to get answers right away.
Customers who’re shopping online may sometimes feel disconnected from customer service and have doubts regarding the products or services. When shopping in a brick and mortar shop, there are salespersons and other employees who are available to clear up any doubts, but what about while online shopping?
Live chat is an essential tool for businesses of all sizes when it comes to having an influencing online presence and improving customer engagement.
With more and more people now shopping online, live chat has developed into a basic feature for talking to customers in real-time and helping them with their shopping needs.
Does your company have a live chat software on their website? How's it been working?
Let us know in the comments below, also give it a share on social media.