Customer service is one of the fundamental components needed for a business to effectively convert mere site visitors into paying clients. However, as the industry evolves, shoppers become stricter and more impatient; and staying aligned with these inconstant demands and expectations of consumers can be very challenging.
Thankfully, the digital era’s robust advantages have provided a way for businesses to stay on-trend amid such drastic changes in the retail sphere. One great example is by incorporating live chat services for websites.
What is Live Chat?
Live chat is a customer service feature that allows clients to communicate with a company’s customer care portal and gain assistance in real-time. A stark contrast to traditional customer service, live chat is an online chat tool for websites that provides live interactions with agents via a chat box embedded within the company’s website. Moreover, live chat can be operated by both human and AI operators.
Thanks to the universal and easy availability of the internet, the advantages, and convenience of using live messaging are said to be limitless. The most typical way it can be integrated into a business’ website is through hiring live chat software providers like New Media Services.
Though live chat may sound prolific, it is one of the most untapped areas of business growth. Business owners are entirely unaware that live chat can be a game-changer in several ways. In fact, recent statistics exhibited that live chat is a viable solution in enhancing conversion rate and increasing ROI when implemented.
If you are still skeptical about live chat and its advantages, here are six main reasons why your business needs this messaging channel to leverage sales, customer retention, and stability.
1. Live Chat is Cost-Efficient
Providing efficient and fast-responding customer support can be very expensive especially for small businesses. Incorporating an effective live chat app for websites, however, will allow businesses to use their regular budget intended for onboarding as they don’t need to hire additional manpower. Live chat creates fast-paced interactions between customers because it supports handling multiple messages simultaneously. Adapting to sudden volume spikes in messages is not a problem.
2. Attracts a Loyal User-Base
Attending to user concerns in a swift and consistent manner, regardless of the magnitude of their issue, conveys sincerity, commitment, and most importantly, professionalism. Constant delays in replying to FAQs or the lack of capacity to handle escalations in real-time due to jammed phone lines or unnoticed email notifications are all red flags that push leads and customers away from brands. Whereas, live chat works best in reducing long queues of unanswered messages due to volume surges. Providing immediate assistance and assuring high-quality services makes people feel well-treated and therefore, makes them stay loyal to the brand in the long run.
3. Unleashes Your Competitive Momentum
This can’t be stressed enough, but live chat is indeed a game-changer. With the emergence of different brands, maintaining momentum can be daunting. Integrating an online chat for a website, however, enables businesses to provide assistance in real-time and cater to a broader range of possible clients online. The more they interact with leads and existing clients, the more they learn about how their brand affects the people surrounding them. As they continue to generate more valuable user data, businesses are paving the way to hone their competitive edge and stay ahead of their competitors.
4. Strengthens Business-Customer Ties
Satisfied customers are less likely to find or shift to a new brand. Despite the inevitable price hikes, they tend to stay true and loyal. This is due to the confidence and quality assurance that a business has raised in the perception of its customers. Live chat is highly instrumental in fortifying the relationship between businesses and customers by fostering an open space where the customers’ voice is being heard by the business. Unlike emails and calls, live chat messaging evokes a more casual and easy-going atmosphere between agents and customers. It is easier to converse and discuss issues, and the light, stress-free interaction encourages more open communication the next time the customer reaches out using the said channel.
5. Highlights 24/7 Availability thru Chatbot Technology
For some businesses that are working with human operators to handle multiple clients, providing 24/7 services is easier said than done.
Activating a trusty live chat helpdesk powered by machine learning and AI technologies in place, however, enables companies to operate during business hours while customer support can be covered by chatbots.
Chatbots are becoming increasingly independent of human supervision. It is highly effective in enabling self-service to customers and handling unpredictable surges of incoming messages while the business is closed. Without the need to hire more agents, businesses exceed client expectations and successfully provide round-the-clock customer service.
6. Live Chat Heightens Customer Experience
Live chat help desks open communication channels where agents can clearly understand the clients whenever they inquire about something or raise some concerns regarding the products and services offered by the company.
Providing the best customer experience is paramount. In other words, a business should have the capacity to cut the line and reduce queue times to avoid irate and frustrated clients. Remember, the longer a customer waits, the more frustrated they become. This kind of habit leaves a business under a negative shadow which can drastically degrade a business’ credibility.
Implementing an efficient website customer service chat feature paves a way for businesses to level up their customers’ experience through fast and accurate responses. Ideally, customers should be able to connect to an agent or support team, ask queries, and get answers and solutions in a matter of minutes. Customer satisfaction is a business’ top priority after all.
Live Chat: Your Next Level Customer Service
Customer service is a continuous and systematic process that, when tapped, can significantly reshape customer service as we already know it. It plays a valuable role in building the very foundation of a successful company. Incorporating the right technology into it can do tons of wonders in providing the best customer experience.
Being socially omnipresent is not enough in this tech-savvy generation. Rather, embracing the digital era along with its innovative advantages is the true key to measurable progress. As for live chat, it is an essential component that should be strongly considered, never ignored, to achieve skyrocketing customer service.