Most online customers are pretty tech-savvy these days, and Brand loyalty depends on much more than a traditional ‘handshake’, or a phone call with a rep. To a large extent, the old toll-free numbers of past have been replaced by live Chat and instant messaging.
Live chat is an effective way to add value for your customers. It will also boost your conversion rates by bridging the divide between the expectations of today’s clued-up consumers and traditional customer support. Read on to find out how!
Does live chat really work?
Absolutely! By communicating with your customers in real time, live chat transforms your website into a lead generation engine that will boost your conversion rate and capture more leads.
Here are four compelling stats to prove it:
- 38% of customers said they bought a product thanks to a live chat session.
- 63% of customers said they would be more inclined to revisit a website with live chat than one without.
- 44% of online consumers regarded dealing with a live person during an online transaction as very important.
- Live chat boosts conversion rates by 40%, and increases revenue 48% per chat hour.
How live chat can help you generate leads and increase sales
It gives your brand a strong online voice
Brand messaging is ultra-important to any online business. It spells out the unique value proposition your brand offers, and clearly defines your online personality.
Having a live chat function that communicates your core brand messaging helps build and cement a relationship with your customers. Live chat agents can act as brand ambassadors, creating a connection with the prospect, motivating them to make a purchase, and reinforcing their brand loyalty for the future.
Related content: Top 10 Live Chat Etiquette Rules
Live chat cuts down on cart abandonment
It is estimated that cart abandonment costs the ecommerce industry as much as $18 billion annually. Losing a customer on your checkout page is really unfortunate! They had in essence decided to buy your product, but then changed their mind at the last moment.
Live chat invitations can lessen cart abandonment. These are short, personalised messages that encourage customers to start a conversation with a customer support agent.
This can be very effective in helping customers feel more at ease with the checkout process, and can also help them which product to buy if they’re vacillating between two similar options.
Live chat is cost-effective
Employing live chat is both easy to implement and more cost-effective than telephonic or email support. Research by the American Marketing Association found that live chat can boost conversions by up to 20%, resulting in a ROI of as much as 300%!
Not only is the cost per interaction lower, but individual interactions also tend to be significantly shorter compared with more traditional support channels like phone calls. This means agents can serve more customers in less time, making your entire CS department more efficient.
Live chat promotes greater customer satisfaction
Providing your customers with excellent service and support will boost your customer retention rates and increase sales figures and profitability.
Conversion rate optimisation company Invesp found that that 73% of customers regard live chat as the most ‘satisfying’ way of interacting with a brand. The same study found that 63% of customers were more likely to revisit a website that offered a live chat function.
Live chat is much more than a mere CTA (call to action) at the bottom of a website’s product page. Positive interaction with a real person in real time builds trust between a customer and a brand because it increases personalised engagement. This leads to happier customers with greater brand loyalty.
Related content: How to drive lead generation through great customer service
Live chat transcripts can give you valuable insights
Live chat transcripts are easy to store and analyse, and are a veritable treasure trove of valuable customer insights to help you make informed brand decisions.
Here are just some of the significant benefits of live chat transcripts:
- They offer a great way of identifying recurring issues or complaints.
- They highlight bugs and glitches on your website – enabling you to troubleshoot effectively.
- Analysing FAQs forms the perfect basis for expanding existing knowledge bases and support materials.
- They highlight issues from the customer’s
- They help you develop a more proactive live chat strategy.
- They identify customer needs, expectations, and pain points in their interaction with your brand.
- They enable you to design a better user interface (UI) for your website and mobile apps, ensuring better UX and CX for your customers.
Conclusion
Prospective customers land on your website for many different reasons. They might want to find out about your brand, ask a question, or check on the price of something. They might have simply stumbled across your site by chance while they’re browsing!
Live chat gives you a golden opportunity to reach out to those people at the right moment, and within the correct context.
By sending a personalised ‘trigger’ message at that opportune moment, you can motivate them to stay on your website longer, thus boosting your chances of converting their visit into a sale.
Best of all, you don’t have to do it alone! We offer outsourced live chat services, custom-made for your business and budget. Get in touch today to find out more.
