We live in a busy world. Speed is the most important thing in today’s world. Be it the same-day delivery of our favourite items or instant access to the most popular TV shows or movies. People expect quick turnaround for the things that they want. When we talk about online customer service or live chat, this isn’t always the case. According to studies, the average customer service wait-time is approximately 12 hours online; that is a insanely long wait and can seriously hurt business sales. It is very simple – customers do not like to wait.

So what should you do to enhance your online customer service? The most basic solution is to add a live chat feature to your website. The live chat option allows customers to have a realtime conversation with you about their needs. It may seem to be a small move, but surely is very beneficial. Not only is it quick and convenient, customers love it. Following are the most important benefits of adding the live chat feature to your website:

Higher Sales and Conversions

The best benefit of adding a live chat feature to your website is its ability to boost your sales and conversions. Most businesses see a 20% jump in their conversions only by providing realtime conversations o their customers. It may sound too good to be true, however, there’s a solid reason behind it. When potential customers browse through your website, they develop questions about the products and services you offer. And, with the live chat feature they can contact you instantly. They can get answers to their questions instantly, without ever leaving your website. 

Direct communication allows business owners to influence their customers’ purchasing decisions, making it the perfect sales tool. A survey conducted last year revealed that more than 40% of people who use live chat end up making a purchase.

Lesser Customer Service Costs

Every business owner knows how crucial is customer service. At times, it can be timely and expensive, trying to balance calls and email requests. A major benefit of adding a live chat feature to your website is that it reduces these customer service costs. Live chat provides business owners with the ability to manage multiple conversations at the same time. This reduces the number of employees required to handle customer service requests, thus reducing overhead costs.

In case of a physical store, you have the ability to build a rapport with your customers. This interaction develops trust while closing a sale in the process. However, this doesn’t happen in case of online stores. Online consumers are naturally skeptical of a business they don’t know. Trust is an extremely important part of the sales process. If a customer doesn’t trust you, they won’t provide you with critical information. 

Live chat helps customers contact to you directly, tehereby building trust; it empowers you of influencing their purchase decisions. Without this way of direct communication, you need to double your efforts to build trust with your website visitors.

Competitive Advantage

As of today, not all websites are using the live chat feature. We believe that using live chat can surely be a competitive advantage. It lets your customers know that you are always there to answer any questions or concerns they may have. Plus, it makes them feel better about their overall online experience with your business.

Enhanced Sales Value

Live chat doesn’t just boost sales and conversions, it increases the value of your sales too. Through live chat, you can connect with potential customers and understand their needs; you can recommend additional products and services based on this conversation.

Let’s take an example – if a potential customer is looking to buy a new TV on your website, you can respond via live chat and recommend one based on their specific needs. You can also increase potential sales by recommending additional accessories like a music system, or a soundbar to enhance the experience. In fact, you can see a potential 15% increase in average sale value if you use a live chat feature on your website. 

Customer Satisfaction

Live chat is a great tool to ensure customer satisfaction. Nearly 75% of people would use live chat in comparison to filling out a form, writing an email, or calling to contact you. It is all about speed and efficiency. You may continue to offer the traditional ways of contacting, but also provide them a more user-friendly, direct communication channel. This way, you can retain more customers in the long run.

Collect Potential Leads

Not everyone who visits your website is a potential customer or will make a purchase. You can simply hope they return in the future, but with live chat you could collect information from them and turn them into future leads. This helps you identify potential customers and also provides a more personalized experience to customers going forward. While a user may not be a current customer, you will now have valuable information about them. So instead of contacting random visitors, you can pitch to engaged prospects instead. 

Improved Website Experience 

With the live chat feature, online customers won’t have to pick up the phone or fill out a form if they have a question. Instead, they can have their questions answered immediately by you. This is especially important when it comes to their purchasing decision. Nearly 60% of buyers abandon their purchase if they can’t get the information they want about a product or service.

Not only does live chat improve customer experience, it has a huge impact on your bottom line. While you can place it just about anywhere on your site, areas to focus on include your “home” and “product/service” pages. You may also want to place it in other areas like your “about” and “contact” pages as they navigate your site.

Don’t miss out on all the wonderful benefits that live chat has to offer. It is an essential feature for today’s website and real boost to your business. If you need more info about website design and development, talk to our team now.

The offerings of any business by and large depends on its audience and their needs. Read More about these UX needs here.