Boost your webshop with live chat

Timing is everything when it comes to sales, which highlights why it's so important to reach the customer at the right time, with the right message. What better timing to engage the customer than 'real-time'?

Let's discuss one of the many, increasingly underutilised tools called live chat and see how it can Increase your salesand give you a competitive advantage.

What is live chat?

We've probably all come across a live chat window at some point when browsing the internet. Put simply, it's a customer service software that can be integrated into your website, giving you the ability to communicate with your visitors in real time. Live chat is extremely convenient for customers, as it gives them instant access to your customer service if they have questions about a product/service. This is a powerful marketing and sales tool as you have the opportunity to engage your visitors and start a relationship with them at a time when they are most interested in learning more about you and your products.

How does Live Chat work?

A small customised chat window, often at the bottom of your website. Typically, this will be a pop-up on the user's screen inviting them to contact customer support if they have any questions while shopping. A live chat window is often very discreet and doesn't take any elements away from the website, but is still noticeable and designed to look like a permanent part of your website, giving the user the peace of mind they need to not leave your website again.

Most paid chat integration solutions for your online store can engage visitors with an automated greeting triggered when certain conditions are met or a manual greeting sent from live support. Either way, the proactive chat invitations are designed to increase customer engagement.

Live chat systems are cheaper than you think

The cost of adding a live chat programme to your website varies greatly as there are several providers. If you want full access, it can often be had from around £50-75 per month, depending on which programme you choose. If you don't think you want to invest your money in a live chat programme, but would like the opportunity to test it out - there are alternatives that are free, and quite excellent!
Live chat programme Zopim is super easy to integrate into your website, and their free plan can work just fine for smaller webshops.

It's a question of what your needs are for a live chat system!

Live chat often has a wide range of tracking and reporting features, including daily reporting of online chat activity, surveys, chat ratings, queues, visitors and any waiting times. Goals can also be tracked to directly measure any additional sales.

Your visitors also have the option to leave a message if your chat is offline and then receive a reply in their inbox when you're back at work the next day.

It reads Effectively?

It is - and if you're not convinced yet, here's a little more to convince you of the feature.

Why choose live chat?

According to a survey conducted by Forrester Research, 44% of online shoppers say that the live chat feature has been a decisive factor in their decision to shop with the store in question. Many also believe that this is the most important feature a webshop can have.

Live chat is an effective way to communicate with customers instantly and can reduce or replace your need for phone support.

Also - Don't forget.

Nothing turns off a potential customer's desire to buy faster than waiting in a queue on the phone. If you staff your live support properly, there should be no waiting time, or at least very little, either on the phone or live support.

There are also consumers who are so impatient when shopping that they don't have the time or inclination to pick up the phone and call with a question about a product. However, they are happy to write in the live chat if they can get a quick answer. Maybe you know this yourself?

How to optimise your live chat?

Live chat communication should be warm, friendly, personalised and help customers in their buying experience. One simple way to do this is to add pictures of your customer service representatives so that customers can associate with the person on the other side of the screen. This will serve as a reminder that it's not a robot they're chatting to, but a real person who wants the best for the consumer.

Depending on how many visitors you have on your webshop, it might be a good idea to review Google Analytics before implementation. This is done to best understand your customers and to be able to staff live support when it is most in demand. If the majority of your visitors are in the evening, you may want to consider having some extra staff to help between 19 and 21.

What are you waiting for?

Live chat is a powerful and cost-effective way to strengthen your position in the market. With a live chat feature, you'll find it easier to convert visitors into customers, which will undeniably bring more money to your bottom line.

It seems like a no-brainer to me. What's holding you back?