A digital marketing trend that has been growing lately is the introduction of live chat buttons on websites, especially mobile ones. A site visitor clicks the button and gets instant customer service. Like many other trends, it could be mistaken for a fad that will soon be out of vogue. It's a myth that won't happen anytime soon.
SummaryConstant availabilityPersonalize the interactionAnalyze live chat dataSolve problems directlyOffer help, but don't distractIn conclusionThe fact that live chats work, especially to improve interaction with your customers and ensure loyalty, is what makes it an important marketing strategy. Live chats can be a source of direct conversion as Kissmetrics claims that 38% of website visitors make purchases via live chat. Its effects can also be indirect, as they also help to retain customers; for example, 63% of website visitors prefer chat with live chat for repeat purchase.
You can find examples of brands that have leveraged live chats to increase their conversion rates here. Without a doubt, live chat is a great method to increase lead conversion. However, before it can be as effective as it should be, like any other marketing approach, there needs to be a strategy in place that will ensure maximum value. To answer the question of how to use live chat to convert more, the following points are important.
When trying to communicate with an agent, nothing satisfies a customer like quick responses. In a study conducted by Drift across a number of countries, they found that responding to a customer in more than five minutes increased the chances of making contact by up to ten times. Therefore, you need to have agents on hand to respond to customer concerns, even in the dead of night.
The truth is that you are not the only person offering this service. Additionally, if a customer is willing to talk to you instead of just leaving your website for another similar business, you can prioritize their issues as well. It is a guaranteed way to retain customers and retain them for a long time. It also helps you manage your brand's online reputation. It would mean increasing your headcount, but given its lead potential, it's definitely worth it.
Automation is what everyone craves now. That's perfectly fine; automating repetitive tasks saves time and improves consistency. However, they still don't fill the gaps for customers who need to talk to someone, a real person.
Having a bot to answer queries is not the best way to voice concerns for your customers. Also, some questions cannot be simply answered using automatic responses. Personalize the interaction by having human agents who then interact with customers using their name, personal pronouns and more. A customer is a king, right? Make them feel like one.
What good is a tool or feature if you can't determine if it has an effect on your business, and to what extent? This would later help you decide what further steps need to be taken. Analyzing live chat data doesn't directly impact leads, but it does help you know where improvements are needed. For example, what type of questions do your customers ask the most? You might want to make his answer easily accessible and so on.
For this, your live chat agents must be thoroughly trained. A customer using the live chat feature wants to get as much information as possible in the shortest possible time. They don't want to gossip, they want quick fixes.
Therefore, agents need to be able to resolve issues directly and even discern what the real problem is when the customer can't seem to speak well.
The goal is to demonstrate value in as little time as possible. Avoid statements that show confusion or indecision. No client wants to hear that you can't help them; they expect you to help them and that's why they're in your inbox in the first place.
I've visited sites where, while I'm busy scrolling, a live chat button pops up right in my face and distracts my attention. Sometimes it can even be a full-screen pop-up that I need to close. Proactive live chat, where the chat button is intuitively configured to automatically launch at a given time, is fine.
However, you are trying to offer help, not turn off site visitors. You don't have to put it in your face. A button placed decently in a corner of the screen works for me. Visitors who need help will also find and use it.
See also:5 Effective Ways to Sound More Human in a Customer Support Live Chat
In the Drift study I mentioned above, researchers found that of the 433 companies surveyed, only 14% of them used live chats. This is to show that the majority of brand sales teams are not even adopting this approach yet. However, given its many benefits to your business, the best time to introduce it is right away. The results would prove themselves.
