subject: Deciding Whether Live Chat Software Makes Sense For A Business [print this page] Live chat software allows customers to talk directly with a business's customer service team through a company website. It's the type of website feature that can make a major difference in a business's sales, but as quality software can be expensive, it's wise to weigh the pros and cons before making the investment.
Fortunately, there are far more pros than cons. Live chat software can be a major asset, although it needs to be implemented correctly in order to make a major difference.
Improving Sales and Customer Service
All sales-oriented businesses can benefit from live chat programs, as they offer another means of communicating with potential customers. Some people prefer to use a web chat over phone or email, so you can use live chat software to reach more customers and to make more sales pitches.
It's an equally powerful tool for customer service. Handling customer support trouble tickets through phone and email can take up a disproportionate amount of your customer service team's time. Chat programs allow a consistent response to be administered quickly, so common problems can be resolved in a way that satisfies the customer without occupying too many resources. This frees up extra time for sales and can be especially effective at reducing a small business's overhead.
Businesses with large websites can also benefit from live chat software. Customers can request specific redirection to a certain product or page through a chat dialog. This leads to more sales and better customer service overall. Pages can be eliminated from a bloated website by redirecting traffic to a chat portal, where customers can directly deal with your business's customer service reps for faster service. This also increases the chances of a positive web experience and can quickly lead to new sales in almost any industry.
Interacting Differently with Web Visitors
The best aspect of live chat software is that it allows a completely new way to interact with customers. It keeps them on your website, and for most businesses, this is the real battle. Customers will usually only spend a few seconds on a website before moving on, and when they have a way to directly talk to a representative of your company, they stay longer. Direct interaction is always better than passive interaction for keeping customers' attention.
Businesses often report an improvement in their sales of 20% or more after
live chat software has been installed. It's not a coincidence. Live chat software is popular with customers in many different demographics and it's one of the best possible ways to get their attention. When designed and implemented correctly, a chat feature can be one of the most important tools that your business has for capturing new web traffic and converting it into sales.
