In an ideal world, customers would find exactly what they need, navigate effortlessly through your site, and breeze through a successful transaction, leaving their dollars and email address behind.  But we don’t live in a perfect world, and some of your online customers are more than likely to have questions, problems and frustrations – and if an e-retailer doesn’t address them in a timely manner, customers could very well abandon your site. Thus live chat was created.

Studies show that a whopping 62% of online shoppers leave before e-retailer even knew they arrived.  Visitors will stay longer, spend more, and come back more often, all because an e-retailer has made the effort to provide the help they needed, right when they needed it.  In addition to the robust, business-boosting capabilities described above, using the function of live chat can ensure quick setup, the ability to search live chat, transfers to multiple operators and much more.  Customers will have the great support of available chat agents, and they’ll be ready and able to address the customer’s questions and concerns in real time.  Live chat has emerged as a highly effective, engaging way to connect with customers at a critical point in the purchasing path.  Unlike slower, more static forms of support, such as email and FAQs, live chat allows you to ‘talk’ online with customers in real time, providing immediate answers and solutions.

When it comes to customer data, every detail counts. This includes real-time and historical web analytics, compiling the key info you need as a company to create intelligent marketing and enhance the customer’s experience.  A company can learn through live chat where your visitors live, what referring URLs are sending them to your site, what pages they’re spending the most time on, and where they’re leaving.  This is a great way to engage you shoppers, who may be on the fence about a purchase or having trouble finding what they need, but may be intimidated or uncertain about initiating a chat themselves.    So what are the main benefits of using live chat for a company?

Higher conversions: because you’re catching your customers when they’re already on your site and in buying mode, your live chat session is more likely to compel them to complete a purchase.

Personalised support:  email templates and knowledge bases can be helpful, but they won’t offer the instant one-on-one support of live chat.

Lead generation: whether your website visitors clicked on a link in an email, or found you on Google, you’ve already won half the battle by getting them to your site.  A live chat session is a great way to capitalize on these instant leads.  These users are more likely to volunteer info about themselves, including the product they’re looking for, the price they’re willing to pay, and what brought them to your site in the first place.

Lower support costs:  by using live chat, most customer service agents can solve issues and close a sale up to 50% faster.  The speedier resolution times coupled with the ability to connect with multiple customers at once ensures lower costs.

Company credibility: a well-designed chat interface shows your customers that you have the resources and expertise to deliver immediate, interactive help, provided by a real person.  Even if a visitor doesn’t use it, they’ll shop more confidently knowing you’ve invested in their trust and satisfaction.