7 Reasons Why You Should Add Live Chat To Your Site

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In this era of social media and instant messaging, many online users prefer having real-time engagement with support staff. This trend has led to the development of live chat platforms which allow support staff to engage directly with users who visit their sites.

What does this mean for your business? Live chat makes it easier for you to answer your client’s questions before, during and after they’ve made a purchase through your site. Many companies are increasing their bottom line as a result of this nifty feature, and so should you.

Are you still wondering whether adding live chat to your site is the best decision? Here are seven  reasons why you should do so.

1. Create user satisfaction

According to research, users feel more satisfied after communicating with a company representative on the site, as opposed to via call or email. This is because chat systems allow support staff to guide them through their site easily and conveniently. As a result, your customers will feel looked-after by your company, thereby helping you create long-lasting relationships.

Bonus tip: Satisfied users usually translate to more repeat sales. They will refer you to their friends, family and people in their network, and remain long-time clients. You should aim towards developing this type of customer relationship.

2. Better responses to customers

Customers may ask questions that can be hard to answer when you are talking on the phone. This can be even harder for junior support staff, who might not know a lot. Live chat makes it easier for your staff to avoid these awkward situations. Some live-chat software packages allow you to save your own canned responses for frequently asked questions. This makes it easier for support staff to find the right answer questions, and revert to them as quickly as possible.

If the issue is complex and requires technical answers, employees can simply ask someone with more experience how to handle it. They can then communicate that information to the customer as fast as possible. This gives your customer the illusion that everyone in your company is well-versed with the products or services on offer. As a result, they will consider purchasing that service or product.

3. Convert site visitors to buyers

When it comes to converting users to sales, nothing is more convenient than the live chat feature. Recent studies show that users who engage with live chat are more likely to make a purchase. This is because support staff are able to walk them through the process. When the user is alone, they might get confused or encounter challenges they need to be clarified. These issues can often be a dealbreaker, and lead to abandoned shopping carts.

Studies also show that customers make extra purchases when they are engaged with an employee. This is because employees are in a position to recommend additional products that are a perfect fit for the client. This allows most shopping carts to make it through check out.

4. Free up your desk for other things

Live chat is convenient for your company and employees. You don’t have to hire a full support division just for this job, you can make use of your existing employees. This is because most chat plugins don’t have to be monitored. They have notification settings that can alert employees whenever there’s a user online. This allows your staff to concentrate on other issues in-between messages. This is convenient for small businesses that have fewer resources to work with, and require all the help they can get.

Some businesses hire freelancers as support staff. You just train them on what your business is about and have them respond to customer queries whenever a user visits the site. Not only is this a great solution, but you will save on hiring a full-time employee.

5. Provide additional options and convenience

Customers have many reasons why they may not want to contact you via phone. It could be high phone charges, language barriers or simply because they are in a loud environment that makes it hard to hear. Live chat provides a convenient option for such users by allowing them to engage with your support staff in real-time.

If you have a company large enough to have a call center, there is a high likelihood your customers are also trying to avoid the wait time associated with it. According to this survey, over 90% of internet users find live chat useful, with another 63% saying they are more likely to return to a website that has a live chat feature.

6. Cut down on expenses

Live chat is more affordable than the phone. You definitely can’t substitute one for the other, but live chat can complement your call center by reducing your phone bills. This is because a number of requests will also start coming through your live chat platform.

The software also allows customer care representatives to be able to reply to more than one user at a time. A phone call limits your employee to only one customer. It therefore helps to streamline the organizational efficiencies of your support staff.

You can also hire a freelancer to develop your site’s live chat platform. This will help you avoid monthly costs associated with premium live chat plugins.

7. Get an edge over your competitors

Most online sites don’t have a live chat feature, and this makes it hard for potential customers to contact them. Adding the live chat feature to your site may be the turning point your site needs in order to attract more clients. In fact, live chat is an essential feature for sites that require users to make purchases through them.

You will also get the opportunity of having one-on-one conversations with your clients, however short they may be. This engagement will leave a lasting impression on your customers, and probably lead to more return sales from them.

Bonus tip: In this digital age you need to get as much customer feedback as possible if you want to compete in the market. Customers prefer dealing with companies where they can voice their concerns. The live chat feature allows your customers to provide feedback directly to a customer representative.

If you are convinced that live chat is the best solution for your business, you can find leading live chat software here. You’ll realize there are many options you can choose from. As a rule of thumb, it’s always best to select one which will be easy to integrate into your current website, and has an easy-to-use interface.

Have you ever used live chat on your website? What was your experience? How helpful was it to your business? Please share with us in the comments section below.

Posted 23 August, 2017

LucyKarinsky

Software Developer

Lucy is the Development & Programming Correspondent for Freelancer.com. She is currently based in Sydney.

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