Would live chat benefit your business?
Intro
Live chat is a facility on your website that enables you to engage with visitors on a real-time, live basis. A live chat facility allows you to answer questions and queries potential clients may have prior to them leaving your site. Thus, reducing the chances of you losing a potential client and improving your bounce rate. Live chat facilities are often found on e-commerce websites where users may be unsure as to a product or service’s full specifications prior to making a purchase.
When did the first live chat facilities launch
The first online chat facility was produced in 1973 however it was not until the mid noughties that saw online, live chat facilities rise to prominence. It didn’t take long for large multinational companies to see the benefits of having a live chat facility on their site to engage with website visitors and answer any questions or concerns a visitor may have before they have chance to leave the website and visit a competitor. As a result of which live chat became a huge part of many international brands online customer and sales service.
Pro’s
- Most wait times for a live chat facility are far shorter than that of the corresponding call centre. If you have a staff member who answers the phone they can just as easily type a message.
- You are instantly informed when a visitor enters your website.
- Monitor site interactions and user movements to identify what products and service the user is interested in purchasing.
- Identify weak elements of your website by monitoring where users tend to exit your website.
- Reduce the number of potential customers leaving your website with unanswered questions or queries prior to making a purchase.
The stats
- 52% of online consumers say are more likely to re-purchase from a company that offers a live chat facility
- 95% of online consumers say they value a websites high quality support over its run speed
- 79% of businesses say that by offering a live chat facility they have seen an improvement in sales revenue and customer loyalty
- 38% of customers are more likely to buy from a website that offers a live chat facility