Technology may have put physical distance between you and your customers, but they should feel closer than ever before. The way we treat customers is of the utmost importance in the digital age. Consumers are looking for more ways to connect with your brand and get what they need faster than ever before. And if they can’t, they’ll have no problem going elsewhere.
Consider these statistics:
- After having a positive experience with a brand, 77% of consumers would recommend that company to a friend
- Customers expect a brand to respond within an hour
- By increasing customer retention by just 5% you can increase profits anywhere from 25% to 95%
- 55% of US adults will abandon a website if they can’t find the answers they are looking for.
It’s becoming clear that customer service isn’t something restricted to in-store or phone support. In an increasingly connected world, customers are demanding more from companies. And it all comes down to being able to answer their questions in a timely manner.
What is live chat?
If you’ve ever navigated to a website and seen a chat window pop up with a message from the company, chances are, they have live chat available on the site. It works by connecting the customer with a customer service agent within your company. There are also options for automating the live chat using chatbots.
It can help you to answer questions a customer might have. It can put them at ease about making a purchase with you. And it can help you to gain a better understanding of what your customers want. It’s an essential tool for customer retention and market research and can help you to gain a much better understanding of the customer experience.
Live chat is fast and instant, so customers don’t have to mull over an email or pick up the phone. This ease of access means that customers no longer have to spend time looking for the answer and then resort to phone or email support, they can just jump straight to getting the answers they want.
What are the most popular methods for using live chat?
How you use live chat in your business will depend on the size and the number of employees you have working for you. If you have a dedicated customer service team, they will be well placed to answer any questions by phone, email and live chat. However, if you’re a sole trader who is rarely at your computer, then a chatbot might be more appropriate.
It’s common to have the live chat operational during your working hours and then direct individuals to a contact box outside of these hours. Like a voicemail service, it allows you to respond to all queries from customers without feeling the need to be “always on”.
Which companies are using it well?
Intuit
The company behind business accounting software like Quickbooks and Mint is highly efficient with their live chat functionality. Within seconds, the customer is connected to a named individual ready to answer any questions. By adding a live chat to their checkout, the average order value increased by 43%. And on their lead generation landing page, conversion rates increased by 190% when the live chat was active. [Study source]
Virgin
An early adopter of the live chat technology, Virgin Atlantic shared the results of a case study into the impact of live chat on their customer service process. The study revealed that those who used the live chat service were 3.5 times more likely to convert. And of those that did convert as a result of the live chat, their order value was 15% higher than those who chose self-serve. [Study source]
British Film Institute
The entertainment industry typically happens outside of the 9-5 business hours kept by most companies. The BFI decided to move to a 24/7 live chat operation and improved their customer satisfaction score to an incredible 97%. Using a team of 6, they were able to respond to a customer’s first enquiry within 25 seconds with subsequent responses taking an average of 30 seconds. [Study source]
If you’re ready to take the next step towards streamlining your customer service, get in touch with our team today. Or use our very own live chat function by clicking on Steve’s face at the bottom right of your screen. We can help answer any questions you might have about the best live chat for your business.