There are a number of reasons why visitors might prefer to interact using live chat:
They don’t have to find a contact number and then reach for their phone to make a call They don’t have to suffer through unpleasant musak and the occasional "your call is important to us" while waiting for someone to pick up the phone They’re in a private area and don’t want to be heard They’re on their mobile phone shopping and don’t want to disrupt the shopping experience A live chat feels like less of a commitment than a phone call
A study conducted by Forrester Research entitled "Making Proactive Chat Work" found that “44% of online consumers say that having questions answered by a live person while in the middle of an online purchase is one of the most important features a Web site can offer.”
Live chat software provides customer with immediate access to help or advice. Live chat removes the friction thats incurred when a customer needs to find a number, call, and then wait to have their, what often times, is a simple question answered. In fact many online businesses find that even when a customer phones, they still aren’t fully satisfied with the answer.
On the contrary, 90% of online shoppers find live chat to be helpful according to an ATG Global Consumer Trend survey.
One of the biggest indicators of live chat success is that 63% of customers who’ve used live chat say they are more likely to return to that website than an online store that doesn’t. A report from eMarketer states the following: “62% reported being more likely to purchase from the site again. A further 38% of respondents said they had made their purchase due to the chat session itself. All these attitudes were even more prevalent among respondents who bought online at least weekly.”
Live chat is effective in many respects and while customer service is definitely one of them, the other is that it provides you with some insightful data on your customers.
Live chat allows you to record the conversations happening between the online shopper and the customer service representative. Those conversations should be seen as precious. What you’re left sitting on is a goldmine of information that can help you understand more about the user experience. The data tells you what needs to do more of and what needs to be improved; specifically in the following 6 areas.
Which pages online shoppers are struggling with.
Obviously this is a big one, especially when it comes to the the checkout page. By utilizing live chat you have the potential to understand why customers are bouncing. Live chat can reveal bad user experiences that need to be fixed and could potentially increase conversions.
Which products need more information.
Is there a product that perhaps contains a lot of detail and could benefit by being displayed in a new or different manner? Many large fashion retailers such as Asos are utilizing video to better showcase their products.
What are visitors main questions and concerns.
Again, the data received from these questions and concerns can help with creating a better user experience and/or design interface.
Which of your answers persuade customers to continue shopping or make a purchase.
Not every answer a live chat specialist gives will end in a conversion which is why you need to continuously test the script. The data you receive can tell you what answers result in more conversions.
Where you can improve your copywriting.
Live chat provides your customer service team with transcripts that are full of amazing insights into the way your ideal customers think and also how they talk. A great copywriter can use this information to speak to your audience in the same manner they do; enabling your brand to connect with your ideal customers on an emotional level.
Improve customer service.
You know that special feeling you get when your barista remembers your name and drink order? Live chat helps you emulate that by keeping track of past conversations. By enabling customer service agents to pull up past conversations with repeat customers fast, they’re able to create good rapport with them.
There’s plenty of great live chat tools out there. Popular choices include Olark, Zopim (ZenDesk), LiveChat, SnapEngage, LiveHelpNow, and Velaro.
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