Why Websites Need Live Chat Support Software

In an era when customers expect support to be both quick and convenient, neither the telephone nor email are the preferred means of communication. The first often results in very long queues and the second takes too long to get a response. By far the most popular option for consumers is live chat. Here we look at the benefits of live chat support software for your website.

1. Highly convenient for customers
   Online chat is the most convenient way for customers to get in touch with businesses. When you have live chat software installed, you can set it up so that an icon appears on your chosen pages and all the customer has to do is click on it. They don’t need to use separate devices, like a phone, or open different software, like their email. Everything they need is right there on the web page.

   What’s more, if the query is about the web page they are on, for example, if they have a question about a product, they will have all the relevant information they need right in front of them as they chat with you.

2. Multi-tasking
   One of the reasons phone lines get so busy and emails take so long to respond to is that support teams are often inundated with requests. Neither of these forms of communication is great for dealing with multiple customers at the same time and this can make your support team less productive.

   With live chat, it is possible to have conversations with more than one customer at once. As one customer is writing, the agent can respond to another, switching between the two. As the conversation is on screen before them, it is unlikely they will lose track of where they are. Used effectively, this means more customers can be helped quicker, reducing complaints and improving the customer experience.

3. New opportunities
   One of the big advantages of having a live chat icon visible on your service or product pages is that it can increase sales. Customers often have questions about a product or service that might not be answered in the content of the page. Left unanswered, they might not go ahead with the purchase or look elsewhere. With online chat software installed on your website, all they have to do is click the chat button and ask, and they’ll have all the advice they need to decide if they want to go ahead.
4. Initiate conversations
   Perhaps even more beneficial, is that rather than waiting for customers to contact you, live chat allows you to contact the customer. The software can tell your support team which page of your website the customer is on and which pages they have looked at so that your team is informed enough to ask relevant questions, e.g., Do you need help choosing a printer? Have you any questions about this dress? What kind of windows do you need replacing?

   While not every customer will take up the offer to chat, those who do are the ones who are genuinely interested and are looking for advice. Not all of these would have initiated live chat themselves, so by being proactive, you increase even further the possibility of a sale and offer a better experience for customers.

5. A chatbot – live chat combination
   The ultimate choice is to combine your live chat with a chatbot. Chatbots are a form of artificial intelligence support that can deal with many minor customer queries. AI enables the chatbot to understand customer questions and reply in a way that is appropriate for customer service. Even better, they use deep learning, so that over time they become better at understanding questions and can provide more detailed and helpful responses.

   One of the chatbot’s biggest advantages is that they can deal with many customers at the same time, freeing up your online chat team. You will still need some human agents, as chatbots won’t be able to make decisions about giving refunds or deal with non-standard queries. However, with the chatbot deployed, a potentially smaller support team will still be able to handle more queries and do so with increased effectiveness.

Conclusion

Search the internet today and you’ll find most leading websites have a live chat option – and for good reason. Customers find it quicker and more convenient, and it helps you deal with more queries than just using a phone or email. What’s more, you can answer queries while the customer is still on your site and even initiate conversations with them, improving customer experience and boosting sales. Finally, combining live chat software with a chatbot helps you do all of this even more effectively and quickly.

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