Different Types of Live Chat and Their Benefits

What exactly does Live Chat mean? That you chat with your customers in real-time, all the time? Well, not always.

The fact is all Live Chat services are not created equal. Selecting the right Live Chat service for your online visitors and customers can affect the long-term success of your business.

A fully managed Live Chat can be a game-changer for your business. It can positively affect your reputation, what customers think about you, whether they buy from you, and if they come back to you. It helps you to communicate with your customers in real-time, right on your website.

Live Chat is an essential part of providing a good customer experience. It has a distinct set of characteristics that set it apart from all other communication channels and help the company succeed. One of the main reasons that so many businesses have Live Chat is that it helps them increase their sales, supported by research.

Competition and customer empowerment are more potent than ever in the digital age. This is excellent news for customers because companies are finally putting their customers’ requirements first. Today online reviews and ratings are everywhere. For many people, feedback or “star ratings” play a significant role when ordering, booking or purchasing goods and services. However, this is not always the case when it comes to the chat services offered on websites. There isn’t much in the way of accountability or ranking and nothing at the entry point.

Wouldn’t it be fascinating to see a Live Chat “Star Ranking” shown when you first click on it?

To help you with your decision, let’s look at what you get with various forms of Live Chat and how they add to your website visitors’ experience. This can assist you in deciding what the best Live Chat for your website is:

Form Filler Chat

It appears to be a chat, and initially, it behaves similarly to a chat. It pops up on the screen!

Ultimately, it is just the data going in and nothing coming out. It is essentially a data-capture form on a website, with the best-case scenario of a response. This service sometimes masquerades as Live Chat, but it is unabashedly a data collection exercise that provides no service. They do not get the opportunity to ask their questions; instead, they are given fields for their name, email address, or phone number that have to be entered. The customer has no idea whether or not their question will be answered.

Live Chat That is Not So Live

This is theoretically Live Chat, but the term ‘Live’ implies that someone is present.

The term Live Chat means that it’s supposed to be instantaneous and real-time. But when a service is understaffed, you get this – you are given a number and assured that you would be dealt with as soon as possible. Essentially the company means that they understand that you want to talk, but they won’t devote enough resources to make it worthwhile. Worse still, when you click on “Click here to Chat with us now,” you’re greeted with “, I’m sorry, we’re not available right now, please fill out this form.” This typically occurs when a company tries to staff Live Chat on its own, with a team with many responsibilities and the chat. It’s something, but it’s far from ideal. It’s not exactly what a consumer would want.

Live Chat That is Fully Managed

Fully managed Live Chat with real people who can answer questions immediately and, more importantly, effectively nurture customers via the sales pipeline is the only level of Live Chat appropriate for your customers. Here, you do not risk losing business by compromising on their chat experience.

Live Chat agents are wholly focused on your website and can help clients right away. They are the voice of your company, communicating with your website visitors 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They are trained, have pre-planned lead qualification requirements, complete training on the questions they can be asked and the answers they can offer to give that genuine friendly feel that customers require.

This Live Chat service is solely based on gaining the customer’s confidence and empathy, hence responding to their query first, collecting data only when the customer is ready. The operators proactively nurture the customer with their responses to the point that the customer actively wishes to provide contact information to secure the next phase in their buying journey. The result is that the web user leaves feeling happy with their visit, that it was appreciated, and that their requirements were met or surpassed.

Conclusion

The value of Live Chat can be calculated from the returns it generates. To make a profit, as in most things in life, you must invest in something positive, something that adds value, and that your customers see the value of. A fully managed Live Chat is an investment in your company’s future.