Have you ever pondered the reason behind the presence of in-store assistants stationed at various corners, ready to aid customers in their purchasing journey? If customers are already aware of what they intend to purchase and have made the effort to come to the store, they presumably won’t require any assistance, correct?
No, that’s not true. Customers have numerous options to choose from, which they find both enjoyable and annoying. Making a purchase is not as simple as adding an item to the shopping cart and paying with a card — customers require assistance in navigating the overwhelming options and reaching a decision. Even though websites are now replacing physical stores, the need for guidance remains unchanged. Luckily, live chat is there to assist online customers effectively and efficiently.
Live chat definition and use cases
A live chat is a tool for instant interactions between website or platform users and the business (sales or support professionals or a dedicated AI agent), allowing real-time, text-based communication.
Live chat software is a customer service tool that is powerful and cost-effective. It enables you to connect with your buyers in real-time. By using this software, you can quickly resolve any issues or queries, enhancing the customer experience. Additionally, you can also qualify your inbound leads and speed up the progression of customers through your sales funnel.
Invesp provides several key statistics that demonstrate the impact of live chat at various stages of the customer journey.
- Awareness and Interest: Live chat is preferred by 73% of buyers while 44% of them find the ability to have their questions answered by a live person extremely important.
- Consideration: Forty-two percent of customers would use it to share their contact information with the business while 77% of them won’t even make a purchase if your website doesn’t have a live chat.
- Action: Adding live chat to your site can lead to a 20% increase in conversion, while visitors using it would be 2.8x more likely to convert than the ones who don’t.
One of the key benefits of using live chat for any business is that customers find it the most reliable way to connect with a brand. By leveraging this channel, you can make and keep your customers happy, while also increasing your revenue.
6 Live Chat Tips to Increase Sales and Conversions
1. Leverage Real-time Engagement to Prevent Drop-offs
The aim of every communication channel is to connect with customers in real-time, understand their intent and pain points, and guide them with the most appropriate recommendations. However, other channels only allow service agents to attend to one customer at a time. They cannot be on two calls or respond to multiple emails simultaneously. In contrast, live chat allows agents to handle multiple chats at the same time while ensuring an even distribution of chats.
Businesses aim to respond to 80% of live chat messages within 40 seconds, which not only creates a positive customer impression but also prevents customers from leaving with unanswered questions. Even if the inquiry is beyond the expertise of the live chat agent, they can transfer it to the relevant team and continue with the next chat session. Live chat allows businesses to fully capitalize on each opportunity presented to them.
2. Identify High and Low Potential Leads to Streamline Sales Efforts
Occasionally, salespeople find themselves investing excessive time into a lead that will ultimately not result in a successful sale. This occurs because, in sales, it is crucial to identify the individual being spoken to and their specific requirements. Without dealing with a repeat customer, it is unachievable to possess this knowledge. The initial phase of nurturing a lead involves engaging in conversation with the person and comprehending their intentions. A visitor inquiring about a Christmas sale occurring six months later has a lower likelihood of conversion compared to a visitor who is confident about their desired car model, color, and capacity.
Live chat agents streamline the work for sales reps by evaluating leads before they enter the sales funnel. This evaluation, known as lead qualification, involves assessing the likelihood of a lead converting. By employing live chat and chatbots to handle basic inquiries and knowledge-based questions, the sales team is left with only high-quality leads to prioritize. Consequently, live chat can be utilized by marketers and sales teams to enhance their efficiency and streamline their workflow.
3. Create Targeted Messaging Plans to Attract Potential Customers
Customers may not always have a clear idea of what they want to purchase or what items they have saved in their cart. They might simply be browsing or comparing prices. Although they may not be considered high-quality leads, it is important to acknowledge that they are intentionally visiting your website. The same applies to your Facebook followers – while they may not make a purchase immediately, there is potential for them to do so in the future.
With live chat features, you have the ability to proactively engage with these customers by sending targeted messages. You can start live chat conversations with event-based messages, which may lead to potential transactions. By eliminating the need for ice-breaking, you can convert hesitant leads into active customers through appropriate queries, prompt follow-ups, and personalized attention.
4. Enhance buyer experience using live chats
- Use real identity. Brands using stock photos and fake names may look suspicious and untrustworthy to users. Always use real names and pictures to improve the credibility of live chat sessions.
- Properly greet the users. The right greeting can set the tone for the entire conversation. Here are a few live chat responses examples to consider.
A) Hello! I am {your name}. What assistance can I offer you?
B) Greetings, {customer’s name}! We are pleased to welcome you to {your company’s name}. Please don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions while browsing.
C) Hello {customer’s name}, Thank you for reaching out to our team. My name is {your name}, and I am here to assist you. How may I be of help to you today?
- Identify the customers. Check your CRM system to find out the customers’ details. Identify whether they are a lead, an existing customer, or a new one. Make the conversation fit their status in the sales funnel. For instance, if a returning customer contacts you, here’s a suggestion.
Welcome back, {customer name}, it brings me joy to see you again! I am {your name}. How may I be of assistance to you today?
If the individual or opportunity is new, take this into consideration.
Thank you for selecting {your business name}. Is there anything I can assist you with?
- Send targeted messages. Avoid using one-size-fits-all messages as you communicate with the users. Give a touch of personalization to boost engagement. A study shows that 70% of a customer’s journey depends on how a brand treats them.
The higher the chance of conversion, the greater the engagement.
- Offer promotional discounts. Not every prospect will convert, but that doesn’t mean you should stop making efforts. Don’t overwhelm your leads by forcing them to buy something. Instead, use a subtle approach.
By brainstorming and finding new strategies to persuade potential customers to make purchases, sharing discount coupon codes can sometimes result in sales. This is because people have a fondness for discounts.
5. Integrate AI-powered chatbots with agent support
The buyer journey can be further simplified by integrating AI-powered chatbots with agent support. Before transferring the user to the live chat support team, the chatbot can help with resolving their queries. HubSpot is a prime example of how companies utilize AI to enhance the advantages of live chat on their website.
Take a look at how HubSpot’s chatbot that is integrated with AI starts the conversation. Implementing this integration in your live chat support tool at the beginning of a conversation can have a significant impact. It enables your team to assist more customers, leading to time, resource, and cost savings.
In addition, live chat platforms have the ability to enhance sales by customizing user journeys. For instance, if an organization is seeking the most effective integration module to improve its daily operations, they might reach out to you for advice. Utilize your internal process management software to pinpoint modules that meet their requirements.
By sharing the modules and customizing their journey, B2B SaaS customers can narrow down their choices, which will fuel the sales process.
When choosing live chat software, these are the key features to consider.
- AI chatbot integration that answers basic queries before assigning the case to the customer success team. Getting the required information fast is one of the key live chat benefits for customers.
- Unobtrusive widget on the website and simple user interface for ease of use. For instance, notice the following chat widget of Reply.io. The chatbox opens when you click on it and appears sophisticated.
- CRM integration to access customers’ data, such as name, purchase history, and more. These insights can help your team have a thoughtful conversation with the customers.
- Real-time “typing” indicator that boosts customer engagement.
- Integration of knowledge base software like Document360 to help customer success agents and customers access articles to get quick solutions.
Below is a compilation of useful tools that can be utilized to simplify the integration of chatbots within your organization.
- LiveAgent — Personalized chat invitations, real-time typing view
- Botanalytics — In-depth AI-powered chatbot and voice analytics
- ClickDesk — Voice and video chat options
- Chaport — Group chats and multichannel chats option
Although purchasing customer support software with advanced features can come with a high upfront cost, the long-term benefits make it worthwhile. Therefore, include this in the list of advantages of live chat software.
6. Integrating CRM into live chat software
The integration of CRM into live chat software enables the collection, storage, and accessibility of customer information during chat sessions. This includes the ability to view their names, email addresses, the name of their organization, purchase history, queries, and other relevant details.
By using the provided information, you can create multiple customer profiles that serve as a guide to better comprehend their needs. Your sales team can utilize this information as an advantage of live chat support to deliver customized campaigns and provide tailored customer experiences.
By integrating analytics software, you can enhance your understanding of customer behavior in real-time during live chats. The integration of tools like Google Analytics into live chat software permits teams to observe and evaluate various customer activities. This integration allows tracking of events like the quantity of chats, submitted ratings, missed chats, minimized chats, and other related information.
The presence of live chat on your website can transform your business into a highly effective sales entity, thanks to a significant level of automation. A key advantage of incorporating live chat is the ability to alleviate sales representatives’ workload and enhance their efficiency.
In the long term, it may become difficult to manage a complex stack of software tools. For example, you will need to check the CRM for the customers’ database, use analytics software to identify customers’ interests, and rely on internal process management software for daily operations.
If they access the island of information, it may lead to confusion, errors, and a decrease in productivity.
Digital adoption platforms can work wonders by allowing businesses to enjoy the benefits of live chat services without the risk, which is especially important because no business can afford to lose valuable customers.
In order to maximize your team’s productivity and accelerate sales, it is advisable to implement a digital adoption platform (DAP). This platform provides users with a comprehensive view of software usage and simplifies the user experience for various applications. By doing so, a DAP can significantly enhance ROI on software investments and ensure the success of digital transformation.
