5 Unmissable Benefits of Live Chat Software for Your Business
Over the past few years, there has been a massive evolution in the way businesses engage with their customers. This change is primarily driven by the emergence of new technologies and changing consumer behavior.
The advent of a digitally sound and tech-savvy cohort of customers has urged companies to change their means of communication. One of the biggest challenges most companies face today is addressing customer queries and problems in real-time.
Live chat software has therefore gained considerable popularity in recent years. In fact, it is also tipped to remain one of the most effective communication mediums for brands to interact with their customers.
Did you know that the adoption of live chat is projected to grow by a whopping 87% in the next 12-18 months? [1]
Since customer experience is one of the keys to building a successful business, companies are investing in new technologies such as live chat software to improve the performance of their customer support team.
Today, there is a range of live chat tools to choose from. Your alternatives span from a very simple live chat widget to an end-to-end communication solution.
Before we take a look at the benefits, let’s understand the basics of live chat.
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What is a Live Chat Software?
A live chat software enables your customer support team to offer seamless support to your customers. It acts as an instant messaging tool wherein you can communicate with your customers in real-time.
With the help of live chat software, your support team can address customer queries, boost customer loyalty, and also promote your brand.
A live chat tool is a cost-effective way to stay connected with your existing customers and new leads.
If you are looking for an affordable way to engage with your customers, a live chat software is a tool you need.
Are you still not convinced? Take a look at this list of the top benefits of live chat.
Let’s get the ball rolling!
1. Boost sales and conversions
One of the biggest advantages of online chat software for businesses is that it has the potential to boost sales.
If you are looking for new ways to expand your business, live chat may just do the job for you. What’s interesting is that, just with the live chat feature on your website, you can boost sales and conversions by a significant margin.
In fact, nearly 38% of consumers are likely to purchase a product from a company that provides live chat support. [2].
When customers explore your website, they are likely to have questions related to your product or service. When you give them an outlet to ask questions and get immediate answers, there is a high chance they will stick around.
This is why live chat software is so amazing.
According to a report published by eMarketer, the number of people who made a purchase online after using live chat surged by 35% [3].
2. Minimize support expenditure
You do not have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that customer support is expensive.
In conventional call centers, a support agent predominantly caters to email and phone requests. However, in this model, only one query can be answered at once.
A live chat software changes the game altogether.
Recent research conducted by Telus International states that a support agent can engage in around SIX chats at the same time [4].
This means that you need a smaller customer support team to handle customer service requests.
If you are still apprehensive, live chat is approximately 50% cheaper than phone calls [5].
3. Competitive edge
When you provide live chat support to your clients, it also gives you a slight edge over your competitors.
A lot of businesses are still figuring out how to use live chat to turn around their lead conversions and sales. A very small percentage of companies who have deployed the live chat feature on their website have managed to crack the code.
Companies that use live chat to offer real-time customer support to customers are expected to thrive and stay clear from their rivals.
Live chat software can be a key differentiating factor between you and your competitors.
4. Live chat with CRM
Since more and more firms are turning to live chat to enhance their customer service, a live chat software alone may not be enough to cut through the crowd.
You need to seek other innovative paths to stay competitive in the current market landscape.
A live chat software with an integrated CRM can take your customer relationship management to the next level. Such tools enable you to forge long-lasting ties with customers and also pave the way for growth.
5. Enhanced website experience
As mentioned above, a live chat tool allows your customers to ask questions and seek instant answers. Instead of wasting time writing an email or a phone call, live chat provides immediate responses.
This is very critical when you want to increase your subscriber base and boost revenue.
Besides, the best live chat software is an important part of improving your website’s overall experience.
In most cases, live chat is found either on the product pages or the homepage of a website. You can also think out of the box and place live chat in unexpected places such as 404 pages or pages that have been deleted.
This will ensure that a customer does not leave when they land upon a 404 page.
Final Thoughts
If you want your business to grow and thrive in the current business environment, live chat software is an absolute must.
The good news is that the majority of the companies around the world are yet to implement a robust live chat strategy. This means that even if you haven’t included the live chat feature on your website yet, you have not fallen behind.
Having said that, it is also important to start researching and working toward it.
There is little doubt in our minds that online chat software for business is highly beneficial.
The real question is not if you will invest in a live chat tool for your business, but when will you do it.
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Feature Image Source: Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay
Image 1 Source: rawpixel.com
Image 2 Source: rawpixel.com
Sources:
[1] MacDonald. S (2021) “25 REASONS LIVE CHAT CAN HELP YOU GROW YOUR BUSINESS IN 2021” SuperOffice [online] Available from: https://www.superoffice.com/blog/live-chat-statistics/ [accessed July 2021]
[2] [3] [4] [5] MacDonald. S (2021) “9 REASONS WHY EVERY BUSINESS NEEDS LIVE CHAT SOFTWARE (BACKED BY DATA)” SuperOffice [online] Available from: https://www.superoffice.com/blog/live-chat-software-benefits/ [accessed July 2021]
