As eCommerce grows, so do the expectations of customers and businesses. They all want the immediate response, and expect same day delivery, immediate customer contact and conflict resolution to happen yesterday. We live in a fast-paced world, that is only getting faster! If people want to watch a movie, they can download it in seconds, if people want to go shopping, they no longer must leave their bed, and the goods will be delivered to their door after just a few clicks.
Years ago, the main forms of communication were telephone and writing letters, then email came along to speed things up, now there are Omnichannel call centres providing every type of communication possible including instant messaging services and Live Chat. Today the customer demands fast communication, immediate replies, and instant gratification. Your communication tools must support the needs of the consumer, or else they will go to your competition.
Emails are slower than Live chat, with in-boxes filling up quickly, agents must diligently go through each one, find the appropriate templated response, research the issue, and reply quickly. This can all take time, so if the customer is impatient, they have already logged off and found what they need somewhere else.
Phone calls can drop, or customers can get annoyed with the IVR processes of clicking 1 to speak to someone, 4 to speak to another person, 8 to get transferred the correct department, and then finding out that the department closed 40 minutes ago so they need to leave a message for a call back.
Having 24hr call centres to handle customer concerns is one of the only ways that we can speed up the process and can reply to customers how and when they want. This is obviously expensive and is often outsourced to India or the Philippines. In those countries the internet is not as good as it is in the UK and USA, so the phone call quality can affect customer service.
Companies build FAQ pages on the website to try to minimize customer concerns and hope that the customer has the initiative to find the answer that they are looking for themselves through the array of questions and answers available to them. It is common for customers to give up, and either make the call, or go elsewhere.
With the younger generation preferring non-voice, and with simple integration into shopping experiences and websites, businesses everywhere are opting for Live Chat, to guide their customers through the buying process, try to up-sell products and services and to resolve any concerns, before they become problems.
Live Chat in business
With the problems associated with calls, emails, letters, and long-distance communication, then the prevalence for young people to text rather than speak, Live Chat is coming to the forefront of communication.
Live chat is always through a single platform and through one provider, this means that full time staff, expert on the product and service can answer live chat messages from their office during the day, and part time or outsourced staff can manage communications in evenings and weekends. Multiple users have full knowledge of all previous communications so they can easily pick up where others left off.
Businesses using Live Chat can implement it into their normal communication strategy, and anyone in the company can easily pick up messages, often at the same time as doing something else. If the Live Chat bots are well programmed, they might not even need to get involved. But we will cover more on that later….
Statistics to prove the value
Over 80% of customers asked, prefer instant messaging services to voice. The demographic is swayed towards the younger generation, with people over 40 still preferring voice to text.
Live Chat support has higher customer satisfaction rates than voice and email. Voice IVR’s can delay and cause confusion, emails are slow to get replied to, and often instruct the reader to call in. Live Chat offers instant messaging, and faster resolutions to simple problems. If there is a need for a phone call, the live chat operator can simply ask for the mobile phone number of the customer and call them during the Live Chat process.
The percentage of complaining customers preferring live chat to voice is lower, since people say that they do not get the same resolution as they would do if they called. Only 38% of people say that they prefer Live Chat to phone calls when resolving a complaint. This is still over a third of people preferring Live Chat, which also reduces the burden of phone operators and email readers.
60% of customers who initiate a Live Chat conversation stay on the website or return to the website to complete the conversation. With people staying longer on the site, and with more people returning to the site, this boosts sales and improves customer retention. When using Live Chat customers are more likely to remember the site, the content of the site and the fact that they had someone help them when it was needed. This suggests that people form an attachment to sites where there is better communication.
More than 60% of live chat conversations are from the mobile phone of the customer. SMS2Email is like Live Chat, since it is non-voice communication from mobile phones, however, there is not the instant messaging service that people are enjoying with Live Chat. If you have a website, ensuring that it is mobile compatible and that it has Live Chat embedded into it will help to boost sales, especially for people who are on their mobile phone.
Only 44% of people questioned have experienced a negative experience with Live Chat, compared to more than 60% giving negative feedback regarding email and 55% of people giving negative comments about phone interactions. Yes, multiple options were available for this question!
The most common negative comments associated with Live Chat were the delay to answer, and being asked to call in, since the compliant can not be resolved over Live Chat.
Voice is still the best way to resolve complaints and to convert sales, but there is clearly a place for Non-Voice, Live Chat solutions in the customer service tool kit for businesses.
People quote the following main reasons why they like Live Chat:
- Immediate answers to my questions
- I can use it whilst doing other things
- It is efficient and fast
- There is better information available than if I email
- It is just like having a text conversation with a friend
- I use it when I cannot talk on the phone
- I do not like talking on the phone
- It is private. Other people can not overhear what I am saying or asking
With statistical evidence to show it works, and with objective feedback about why it works, we should take more time to investigate what it is and how the apps work.
What is Live Chat?
Live chat appears on the website, usually in the bottom right corner when customers are on your site. It is a messaging service embedded into your website and connected to your CRM solution that allows customers the ability to chat (text) with customer representatives that are usually directly employed by the company. It can be an outsourced service with agents fully trained and supported by the company in question.
It is a non-voice communication medium that is commonly used in customer support and live chat. Since it is on the website, it is often used to support customers through the services provided by the website, including buying and check out, and reassuring customers that they are dealing with real people, in a real company.
It is a messaging system, like Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, embedded into the operational hub of the business, and connected to the website.
Since customers using live chat are expecting an immediate response, if there are no messages saying “We are closed” it means that the business is open, and an answer should be immediately forthcoming. This involves having staff on call 24hrs a day.
Live chat can be automated with Chat bots and Google have recently released an intuitive AI chat bot showing the capabilities that automated messaging now has.
Customers demand instant gratification, and immediately resolved issues, so Live Chat, being on the website, offers this solution for your business.
Whilst live chat has the option for chat bots and pre-programmed canned responses, the staff using the system must have detailed knowledge of products, services, and the business, so that they can respond correctly. This is still a written conversation, so words must be chosen carefully, as there is a permanent record of the transaction. The conversation is often emailed to the customer when it concludes, giving them evidence of the conversation and showing what was said.
How does Live Chat work?
Live chat is a key component for your customer communications. It should not be used lightly and must have fully trained people always operating it. Giving the wrong information in writing of any form can come back to cause bigger complaints.
Live chat is embedded on your website, so there is no need for the customer to download or install any applications or software. If you are using Facebook messenger or WhatsApp or telegram, the customer can only speak to you if they have those apps on their phone as well. This is better, since there is nothing to download, therefore making it safer. It can help you to grow your business, fast.
Since Live Chat is based on the website, if you keep the website open, you will hear a PING when they respond to you, so you do not even have to wait around for an answer. The chat box is usually in the bottom right corner, and you can start a conversation then leave the site, keeping it open in your browser, so that you can hear them when they reply.
It is just like WhatsApp or other chat-based applications, you can chat, text, add documents, show screen shots, add emojis and share files. This is very useful for guiding users around the website showing the step-by-step process required to complete the transaction.
At the end of the Live Chat, both participants will receive a transcript via email of what was discussed so there is a permanent record and to use for reference. This transcript can even be connected to the CRM system that your business uses so that other users can see what happened.
Live Chat apps have “Canned responses” for faster communication. This means that pre-written comments or replies can simply be added using short cuts. This is good for compliance and to make sure that the company message is always followed.
It can be integrated with all mobile devices so customers can chat to you on the go. This helps continual communication, allowing customers to chat to you when they are busy, or in crowded locations.
The chat tool has moderator abilities, and can terminate a chat at any time, or can transfer the chat to a manager should the need arise. The moderator can ban emails and mobile phone numbers from contacting them again, should you wish to blacklist the customer.
When the chat ends, it is common to have a questionnaire or a review tool for feedback. This feedback can help keep your agents trained and aware of what they need to know. It is also a benefit for live chat to get a 5-star review, which can sometimes lead to commendations, or extra commission.
A happy customer is a repeat customer.
Just like many chat apps, the history is available, so if connection drops, you can pick up where you left off, or you can see chats from months ago, to maintain good working relationships with customers.
Each live chat should start with the customer giving their name and email address. The Live Chat app stores these email addresses, which can be used for marketing campaigns or contracting customers again with offers or new products.
Live chat is immediate and is satisfying for customers. It often boosts customer engagement and satisfaction.
How to use Live Chat
Remember what it is, and what is it not. Customers love to be able to contact your company quickly and to have immediate responses, they love to speak to a real person, and they like the personal touch. With the features listed above, you can clearly see that this adds a personal, immediate touch to your customer service support and to your technical support team. This leads to happy customers and to increased customer retention.
The tool can be proactive or reactive. Proactive usage can lead to a lot of useless chats that provide no valuable data, so if you choose to use it in this manner, use it wisely.
Reactive
This is the best way to use Live Chat. It comes from my grandmother saying, “Don’t speak until spoken to”. The customer initiates the chat, with a specific purpose or question. This can help to build out the FAQ page or customer communications. There could be Live Chat canned responses that can be built around the common questions that you are asked, or a Chat Bot could be programmed with responses to common questions and comments. Using the tool is a customer-led reactive manner means that the data gathered is valuable, comes from customers, is specifically related to concerns or questions, and can be monitored and gathered for improvement.
Proactive
Do you like it when a salesperson walks up to you in the store and asks if they can help? Some people like the attention, most people are there to browse and will ask questions when needed. Asking if a customer has a question or concern will lead to a lot of chat messages saying, “No Thanks” and that will increase your in-box. This adds unnecessary work to a busy schedule, but some companies like this approach, especially if it is soft and simply says, “We are here if you want us”.
The proactive approach can be targeted, and you could message people who have been on your site for a long time, or a repeat customer. Giving someone a “Welcome Back” message can go a long way to the customer feeling valued and appreciated. If you could go one step further and ask them about their last purchase, that could lead to an up-selling opportunity.
If the customer is looking at high-value products, you could sell your buy-now-pay-later options, or you could give them a personal message, which could lead to converting bigger sales.
What is a Chat Bot?
The more automated you can make your live chat, the faster you can communicate the messages that customers need to the customers that want them. There should always be an option to speak to a live agent, however, a lot of live chat communication is similar and asks the same questions. A Chat Bot is an automated messaging service that gives the most common questions the attention that they deserve. This provides instant messages, pre-programmed based on experience and patterns.
A chat bot can also say where in the queue the customer is, how busy they are, give opening hours and other useful information. It could guide the customer to the FAQ page or instructions and phone numbers to call just in case it is needed.
A chat bot controls the communication and can be a great tool for reducing resources necessary to communicate with customers, however, without an option to speak to a Live Agent, it can lead to frustrations and situations where the customer drops off, because their questions is not available in the pre-programmed answers.
Benefits of Live Chat
The primary benefit is to provide your customers with instant messaging and support. Secondary benefits include building databases for marketing campaigns and communication with customers. Each communication gives you a customer name, a mobile phone number and an email address. Adding in SMS2Email can provide an instant addition to your database for marketing. Adding in Facebook or social media integrations means that you can build up customer profiles and geographical regions that could help target more accurately, and reduce marketing spend.
The primary benefit can not be understated. It is very important to be able to communicate quickly with customers. Customers want a fast service; they want to receive a personal touch and they want to be able to speak to a live agent. All this is made simple by integrating live chat into your communication channels. This all leads to happy customers who will return to you again.
And when they return, you have all their previous communication in one place, it is like talking to a friend and remembering what they last said.
Draw backs to Live Chat
This is never going to be as good as speaking to customers. Voice is a powerful tool, and Live chat might be good, but it cannot compete with the sound of a voice, and to the relationships built around proper human connection.
Using Live Chat too much, especially through a chat bot or automated canned responses means that you are losing the human touch and making communication less personal.
Proactive Live Chat can be annoying, with pop ups on screen asking if the customer wants help, when all they want to do is look around your site.
It can be expensive, especially if you are paying per seat or per user. You need at least 4 users to cover 24hr operations and to have a moderator or supervisor account that monitors and manages the communication.
It seems great, but is it effective?
The simple answer is yes. It is very common to see websites with various live chat apps integrated, this shows that a lot of businesses use it, and with volume comes confidence in the ability.
It might seem expensive at first, but with the money that it can save you on marketing campaigns and building your database, it can save money. With the targeted effects, it can make you money, by up selling or through the customer retention strategies it brings.
It is cost effective communication due to an agent being able to handle multiple chats at once, and then the added speed of Chat Bots can mean that more chats than phone calls can be responded to.
Live Chat increases website conversions. Once you have a customer on your site, you want them to convert, and make a sale, or avail of your services. With live chat prompts or simple communication, confused customers turn into sales, products that link can be sold or promoted, and people can engage better with your site. Increasing conversions means more profit for your company and the cost of implementing live chat quickly becomes a non-issue, since it pays for itself quickly.
With increased sales, higher conversions, reduced marketing spend, more accurate targeting, an improved database for marketing to customers, and better data there are some quick wins to be expected after integrating live chat.
Upselling with Live Chat
If a customer returns to live chat, you have their previous communications, so you know the products that they were looking at previously and might not have bought at the time but have come back for a 2nd look.
You know your customer better, and you know what they bought in the past, you also know what products support that initial purchase, so you can sell them a case to go with their mobile phone, or you can sell a bag to go with that jacket. You have the size and brands that they like so you can guide them to a sales section. If the products that you sell are expensive, the customer might want some encouragement to buy, or to spread the costs.
Welcoming someone back with a 10% off voucher could lead to even more sales, or other incentives like buying multiple products and getting something free. Knowing that someone is returning to you builds rapport to sell to them.
How to Implement Live Chat
It can be as simple as integrating the service onto your website; however, you must be sure that you have the right product. Most Live chat services have a free trial period, or the ability to test it through a detailed demo.
You do not want to be tied into an expensive long-term contract when you are not sure that you will use it, so shopping around and testing the different services is essential.
Once you have chosen the right service for you, get the integration documentation to your IT team so they can add the widget to your website and make sure that the cookies work well.
You need to build up the scripts for the Chat Bot, or the automated answers, and you need to have well trained staff using the product, so they can answer all the questions that people have.
You should get buy-in from your customer service team, technical team, IT team, and management before implementing it, since it will be more than just one person using the service!
Some Live Chat Platforms
OLARK – Great for sales and marketing, with prices per user, and superb integrations for building databases.
CLICKDESK – like having zoom or Teams on your site, this also offers video and voice solutions. It can be integrated into company social media accounts and offers a free service for a limited number of agents.
LIVE CHAT – the first and still one of the best. It is the most common live chat solution, possibly due to the number of integrations that it can link to. All social media accounts, multiple agents, multiple sites, different pages throughout your website and the targeting solutions available make this the first port of call.
Alternatives to Live Chat
When choosing a new customer contact approach, you should consider if it is needed. You have voice, emails, SMS, and Social Media channels for customers to sue to communicate with you. Do you need another channel? Before adding expense, look to see where you can improve what you already have, and the first thing is voice communication. Voice is always best; it builds relationships with customers better than non-voice and allows you to fully understand the concerns of your clients.
Why Voice is better
Can you convey everything that you want to through text? Do messages get lost in translation? Using voice communication allows for in-depth messages and conversations. You can hear the person and pick up on social cues. Through allowing someone to speak, they give away more information than they would initially want to, this allows a skilled salesperson to hear additional features and services that they are looking for. Voice allows you to get to know the customer.
Next Steps
Providing more options to customers who demand omnichannel fast communication is always a positive move. Happy and engaged customers spend more money and come back for more, they like the personal touch and the fast response. As the world moves towards online shopping, and further away from the high street, having the best communication tools built into your website, or shop window, will attract and retain more customers. People are working from home, shopping, and engaging with businesses from home, so the more options that you give them to get in contact with you, the stronger your company will be.
Choose the right service at the right price for your company, test it, trial is, make sure that your IT team have the integration documentation and understand it and then build it slowly, ensuring that all the customer service messages are included in the canned responses and automated messages. You will quickly see a return on investment and an improvement in customer engagement.
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