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Top Live Chat Software
What Is Live Chat Software
This is a web application offered by third party services and allows a business to offer customer support through chatting with an operator via an available console presented on the website.
The live chat software provides connectivity between the customer support operators and the customers who are looking for answers to various queries they have such as how to install a product or how to unsubscribe from a particular service.
It can also be defined as a system that offers customers with an opportunity of having their problems addressed by business representatives relating to products and services the company offers.
As an internet chat service, it is distinguished by its simplicity and accessibility to online users around the world especially those who don’t have the time to call and be placed on hold for several minutes or hours.
As a web application, it is easy to use and requires no installation as the businesses only has to integrate a few lines of codes and it will allow instant provision of customer support services. It does not require any updates as the application is hosted by a third party company and is always up to date.
Who uses live chat software?
When a business is formed, the main goals include making profits, expanding to other regions, beating their competitors and achieving the highest awards in the field. In order to achieve these goals, one key factor must be incorporated – customer support. As a business involved with selling products and providing services to users, your customers will always have queries.
These queries will touch on the products and services they have bought from you. In order to continue enjoying making profits and having high customer numbers, it is wise to set up a customer support service.
While toll free numbers have long been the preferred service, web chat services have become very popular today. So, who uses them?
a.) Customers who have purchased products and services from a business
b.) Ecommerce websites selling products and services
c.) Airline and related services
d.) Web hosting companies
e.) Content Delivery Networks
f.) App Stores
g.) Game console manufacturers
h.) Home electronics producers and others.
Benefits of web chat to a business
Convenient to customers
When customers visit a company’s website with queries about products and services, they get to contact customer representatives quickly via the chat console. This is highly convenient especially when compared to the alternative which is to call the operators and will result in being placed on hold for a long period of time.
According to a survey conducted by emarketer.com, 63% of customers who visit a website and find that it offers a live chat console, they are likely to return which is one goal a business has.
Affordable to the business
Unlike traditional customer support services like toll free numbers which are known to be expensive since the company has to foot the bill for calling charges, web chat is very affordable. Different packages are available to the company and one can choose a monthly or yearly package.
As an affordable option, it reduces the company’s expense on customer support by lowering the average interaction cost as well as increasing efficiency when customers get their queries answered thanks to the multi chat support feature.
Increased sales
Customers love to shop on ecommerce websites but there are times when they get stuck especially when picking a product from the many variations available. As the website owner, integrating a web chat system on your website will ensure that a representative will always contact a customer once they browse to your website.
The chat window will have a message that will request the customer to request for help if they need it. To ensure that the customer’s shopping experience is not interrupted, the window will hide. Even though the window is hidden, the customer will always know that the operator is available to help.
Gives your business an edge
Over the years, businesses have been relying on toll free numbers and email as their mode of providing customers with support services. As a business, if you want to gain an edge over your competitors, you need to adopt live chat applications. Not only will you gain an edge against your competitors but you will set your business on the road towards the top.
Chat softwares allow customers to interact with customer support operators in real time which means when they ask a question, it will be answered immediately. Furthermore, a customer can ask as many questions as they want which provides a better understanding of the product features, how to use it safely and proper maintenance.
Why You Need To Integrate Live Chat Applications On Your Website
Case Study - LiveChat and Tele2
Tele2 is Sweden’s largest provider of telecom services and the company was founded in 1993. Today, it offers 2G, 3G and 4G services to both private customers and businesses. To improve their customer support services, Tele2 adopted LiveChat into their website. The goal was to make customer service to be more proactive.
According to Josefine Forssel, Customer Operations Manager at Tele2 “We have been able to see that our customers like this channel because they were quick to adopt it and continue to use it. We also have a high customer satisfaction in this channel.”
Tele2 is one example of a business that has embraced live chat applications in order to provide customers with the best experience. In a world where every individual is on the road to achieve great things, no one has time to call and be placed on hold for several minutes.
With live chat software, the response time is immediate and the customer gets to have the best experience. As a company, Tele 2 saw the need of offering its customers with the best support experience and as a business without a live chat software, it is important to recognize this need.
After implementing the application in the Sales and Support department, not only have they offered customers with the best answers for their queries but they have attracted more customers and maintained their position as the leading telecommunication company in Sweden.
As a business, you will provide support to your customers, make chat invites, perform post chat surveys and integrate the application on different web pages thanks to the API provided to you.
Furthermore, it does not require more expenses especially when it comes to training as it is easy to use from the word go. All the operator needs to do is log into their console and they will be able to chat with any client.
Case Study – Tinfoil Security and Olark
Tinfoil Security is a start up that was founded in 2011 by Ainsley Braun and Micheal Borohovski. The company has been using Olark since it was founded. Over the years, the chat service has enabled Tinfoil to provide support services to customers.
While not every chat has led to serendipitous meetings, they have led to unexpected outcomes which have resulted in improved learning. Tinfoil provides easy to use and developer friendly web scanning service that helps to find any vulnerabilities as well as providing solutions. According to the success story, Tinfoil sees about 10 to 30 Olark conversations (this has increased since 2011) where 80% is support and 20% is sales.
The company has grown over the years harnessing the power of Olark and its benefits to the customers. Apart from increasing sales, the company has experienced balanced support, product development and all hands support.
Tinfoil has the following tips for newcomers on chat applications.
a.) Never overpromise especially in a case where the customer requires further information regarding a problem. Instead of overpromising, inform the customer that you will take a look into the problem.
b.) Always be down to earth – It is important as a support agent to be helpful as this helps to improve the experience for the customer. Always ask the customer how their day was especially if time permits.
c.) Never talk down on the customers, they are the bread and butter for the company. One wrong word to a customer could lead to thousands of bad reviews on different web platforms. Always be careful when answering queries.
Case Study – Mod Team and PureChat
Mod Team is a San Francisco based co-working space and they are not into long email dialogues and phone calls. The company loves to connect with potential customers and provide the best customer support experience. This has been achievable through the use of PureChat, a third party live chat service provider.
Thanks to PureChat, Mod Team has become a fan of the personal and instantaneous nature that live chat offers. It has helped to change their sales process as well as increasing the number of leads they have reached.
Strategies for increasing sales with live chat applications
Chat window personalization
As a business, you can personalize your chat window with your brand name and logo. This helps to differentiate your business with that of a competitor. The application offers different customer chat icons and chat windows thanks to customization.
You can even add the operator’s photo which allows the customer to have the experience that they are chatting with a person and not a bot.
When you personalize your chat window and tailor it to your business products and services, it will improve customer experience as well as conversion rates. This means that customers will continue shopping on your website finally increasing sales for you.
Reasons to have live chat support system on your website
Personalized greetings
To enable customers have a great experience when they interact with your website or support service, you need to have a chat greeting incorporated. When your operator begins chatting with the customers, they need to request for their name (if they are first timers).
If they have created an account with your website, it means you have their details. You need to greet customers using their first name. This has been found to engage visitors well enabling better support experience as well as increasing sales for your website.
Unveil customer pain points
When your operators are chatting with customers, they can be able to unveil the customer pain points. Operators with knowledge on the products and services offered will chat with the customer further allowing him or her to have a deep insight finally discovering the customer’s pain points. With this information, the operator will improve customer satisfaction and sales conversion levels. To the business, this means more sales.
Simple Integration Process
The one thing you need to know is that no installation process is required, you don’t have to integrate any plugins or host any files on your server. Web chat softwares can be integrated in any website very easily. Thanks to the API provided by companies like LiveChat, ProvideSupport, Olark, PureChat and MyLiveChat, your developers will only need to integrate a few lines of code into your website and you are done.
You will have your own console where your operators will be able to interact with online customers by answering their queries, redirecting calls (if any), chatting between operators and gathering vital data and information.
Conclusion
Live chat applications have been a blessing to businesses selling products and services. No longer do businesses have to incur extra costs when it comes to providing customer support. Initially, businesses were dependent on email and toll free numbers which were cumbersome and some were expensive (calls).
With live chat applications, business do not have to install anything and the good news is that they will be able to reap big in terms of increased sales, increased number of customers and improved service delivery.
No installation, no plugins and no updates are required. Only a few lines of code need to be integrated into the website and you are good to go. Never underestimate the power of providing the best customer experience.