Does Live Chat Support Really Help With Improving Conversion Rate?
Live chat was first introduced in the market in 2002, fairly new, right? But still, a lot of businesses were unaware of this for a long time. And you’ll be surprised to see how much it has grown in the market now. It’s almost become a trend.
Live chat is expected to continue to grow by as much as 87% in the next 12-18 months. The only reason for this increased adoption is customer preference.
J.D. Power, an American data analytics and consumer intelligence company, found that live chat is becoming the leading digital contact method for online customers. To be precise, 42% of customers prefer live chat compared to just 23% for email, and 16% for social media or forums.
All these facts justify that using a live chat support option is definitely is boon. Unfortunately, it’s not 100% true. Using live chat can be game-changing but only if it is used the right way.
Why Customers like Live Chats?
The tiny live chat icon sits in one corner of your website/ landing page until it is bothered by the customer. It instantly opens a pop-up and allures customers to simply ask any doubt.
Customers just love the ability to communicate in real-time and get answered in a jiffy. This makes the communication process easy & already turns visitors into prospects.
This is way too painless than making a support call or drop an email and waiting for a reply. The response time in the case of live chats is 90% lesser than social media or emails. Hence, great customer experience.
How to maximize conversion using live chats?
Till now, after reading all the stats mentioned above, you must have gone gaga. But let me throw in one more fact which will bring down your excitement-
The average conversion rate of live chat is only about 2.35% [stated by Wordstream, a search marketing company].
However, researchers have shown that live chats when used efficiently can boost conversion by 40%. So, open your notepad & jot down these points:
1. Positing of the chatbox widget
Make sure the live chat widget is available on all the pages of your website. Especially when you are an eCommerce store, customers usually have queries when they are on the product page, cart page, or order page.
So, no client would want to leave the product and visit your homepage/landing page to find the chatbox. Also, it is preferred to place the chatbox on the bottom right of the page.
2. Grab user attention
Sometimes, chatboxes remain unnoticed sitting on the corner of your page. So, you can automate a process that will pop open the chat widget after few seconds of your customer’s landing.
Also, pay attention to your chat welcome line to grab customer’s attention. Avoid being robotic.
3. Live chat widget theme
It’s obvious but just to aware you once again-
Make sure the chatbox widget color stands out from your website’s background color. This way it will be less likely to get unnoticed.
4. Humanize the communication by training the chat support team
Talking to a chatbox doesn’t need to feel like talking to a robot. Robotic responses are a deal-breaker. Customers like to talk to actual people behind the screens to get an assurance that they are being understood.
It’s good to use a friendly tone while having a conversation. Also, make sure to keep your answers short, relevant & concise. The reason is that chat boxes are small & reading a lengthy message can be annoying. So, break down your points & then put them across.
Need not to mention, provide fast support & train your executives to do the same.
5. Keep your clients informed
If the support team is not available, make sure to send them an auto-reply. The reply must include an apology with the timings of your availability.
Customers should not be left waiting for an answer when there is no one available. Moreover, if it is going to take some time to resolve the customer’s issue, update them about the same.
6. Take feedback for improvement
When the customer is about to end the chat, ask them for feedback. It doesn’t need to be text feedback, you can use feedback emojis. However, it is good to have an optional text box for feedback, just in case.
Now, don’t just let these feedbacks sit in your database. Audit every now & then and keep improving.
How can your set up live chat support on your website?
ChatWhizz Live Chat by Webkul is an add-on that facilitates you to add a live chat widget on your storefront. It’s super easy to use & comes with different plans including a free one.
The chatbox widget can be effortlessly customized & chats can be managed using a separate panel by multiple executives.
Get a FREE DEMO of the app by dropping an email at support@webkul.com & start with your customer acquisition & retention process!