Why Add Live Chat to Your Website?

The world of customer service has never been more competitive. Customers demand 24/7 service through a variety of channels. The experience is pivotal. If you are a business that is thinking "should I add a chat feature to my website?", here are some great reasons in the world of customer service.

It Builds Trust With Your Customers

The most critical component underpinning the relationship between a customer and a consumer is trust. However, trust is notoriously fickle amongst consumers. It is hardly surprising when we can build up their expectations and demolish them with poor service. Live chat is a very crucial tool for your company because the notion of trust is almost embedded into the practice.

Many consumers don't like speaking to customer service agents over the phone, and using email or live chat gives them more confidence to get the help when they need it, but it also gives them the opportunity to script their queries specifically. Using live chat allows direct conversations with an individual that builds trust and can close the gap between the online and the offline world.

It Is Convenient for the Customer

It is convenient for the customer for a number of critical reasons:

• It allows 24/7 support with an agent that is always available to answer a query.
• The space in the conversation allows customers to think through their responses, especially in comparison to a real conversation where the customer service agent is potentially rushing a customer through a call. This does not build trust and can make a customer more rushed, meaning they are less likely to return to that business.
• They get their answers quickly. Customer service agents that already have a scripted response for the majority of online queries can help a customer come to a quick decision, and as customers are more likely to purchase when their queries are answered quickly, this benefits both sides of the equation.

Live Chat Is Cost-effective

When we compare live chats to phone calls, the costs of the former are much less than the latter. When you start to think about a phone conversation that can take a long time to conclude, this can prolong the conversational aspect. Live chat is quick and to the point, meaning that there is less time overall spent on a chat, and this means a greater quantity of live chats being processed in comparison to a phone call.

Additionally, as one agent can lead several live chat sessions simultaneously, this will decrease the cost of the overall service, but a live chat feature also allows customers to spend more time on the website, meaning they will choose better products for their needs in the long run, which increases customer satisfaction by reducing the number of product returns.

Live Chat Can Be a Fantastic Analytics Tool

The greatest benefit of live chat from a business perspective is that the conversations can be analyzed in greater detail. When we are looking to improve the skills of a specific member of staff, we can look at their interactions with customers or website visitors, and look at how they could have got to the point quicker, meaning that the turnaround would have been faster. It's also a fantastic way to help customer service agents fine-tune their language.

When a customer service agent is engaging with customers via phone, every interaction is new, and it can take an individual with a wealth of experience to cut through the noise and get to the root of the problem. Because live chat provides that blueprint, it allows us to look at what questions are being asked of the customer by the agent, but we can also look at if the process can solve the issue more quickly. If a customer has a question that is not answered by the website, and they have to go on live chat, we can refine our website to better address these issues, which means customers are less likely to go on live chat and this streamlines our customer service efforts and improves our bottom line.

We have to remember that the majority of customer queries can easily be answered by a detailed FAQ section. Live chat should be there to answer those rare questions, which is why a combination of improving the website experience and helping customer service agents streamline their practice can make a significant difference.

It Increases Engagement

A bad customer experience can drive customers away, but live chat is the bridge we need to build between the business and the consumer. When we incorporate live chat onto our website, we are providing customers with all the support they need throughout their journey. You should be there when they are browsing a website, but you can be there during their purchase and beyond. When we think about live chat as a supplementary tool that can help every stage of the customer experience, we can deliver the right type of service where it counts, which should ensure they don't have a negative experience.

Even if a customer has a negative experience, we can use live chat as a way to rectify the issues. For example, we can use predetermined scripts that can show a customer how to either make a complaint or we can resolve the issue with clarity. One of the toughest things about being a customer service agent is that they don't necessarily have the means to defuse customer anger over the telephone. When a customer service agent provides the solutions in an easy-to-read format, this will help the customer to understand their position, but it also gives the customer templates that they can follow word-for-word.

If you are someone that's wondering "should I add a chat feature to my website?" The answer is an almighty “yes.” It's an excellent option for competitive businesses because it can help both sides of the equation. From the business perspective, it can reduce costs, increase revenue, and increase customer satisfaction. From the customer, it gives them a tool to reach out in a manner that suits them. Therefore, adding live chat to your website could be the biggest boost to customer service you will need.