Topic – Business, Customer Service.
I ask that question, because a lot of people have different ideas and views around what live chat is.
Live chat sits on your website, usually at the bottom right on what is called a button, this can be branded to your colours and have your logo on it. Usually, a photo of the advisor or an infographic, recently there have been some creative ways to grab customers attention to chat, as businesses implement their brand more onto the buttons.
I see it as a customer service tool on your website. Live Chat develops your team into a productive team of customer service ninjas. I have found using live advisors as the main workflow is the key to success I will explain.
A good live chat operation equates to a customer service team on your website, providing visitors with a chance to ask a question or order your product in real time. Imagine you are on a website and want information around a bottle of wine or how easy is it to open. The information may be on the website, you may be unsure of where to find it, or you may not have the time to go through all the information. Having a “live” chat advisor ready to answer your questions means you get an immediate response, and most likely an order!
Your customers will bounce off your site within 10-20 seconds if they do not get what they need straightaway.
Having live advisors is important, however, to develop an efficient business operation having Multi-channel options and the right Tech Stack is crucial. Giving customers a chance to self-serve with a chatbot, e.g. downloading a returns label on whatever channel they wish is simple but a lot of businesses create friction around this, and in some cases do not offer this option. I would always advise to have a live advisor ready to parachute in if necessary. It can be done!
Data informs us that customers now want to connect with us 24/7 whether they are on a bus or at home cooking dinner, they do thank us for it. I personally find this to be true if a customer is time poor (or thinks they are)
Of consumers who visit a website 72% expect to see live chat on there, and 54% of those expect an immediate response. Live advisors can smooth any potential issues before they happen. Customers feel valued and listened to.
Live chat software is easy to implement, however, managing and resourcing it has proved challenging for some companies, in fact 21% of chats go unanswered. I am told of horror stories of customers in a loop or not answered, and digital managers who have said “we got so busy with live chat we had to turn it off!”
The answer is to develop the right live chat workflow to include all areas within the business. It is not a stand-alone service. Live Chat works best as a holistic solution where the business as, a whole, can understand the benefit of it as a service.
Strategically live chat is supporting you to build a resilient business, capturing lead gen, reducing labour costs, and making customers feel valued.
That’s Live Chat folks!
