One of the clear advantages of operating digitally is that you can extend the accessibility and reach of your business. You are no longer constrained by geography. Your target audience might be on a national or even global level.
For this approach to be successful, you must have certain things in place:
- You need a strong website, properly optimised for search engines, and both welcoming and easy to navigate for your site visitors.
- You also need to commit to being proactive in maintaining and growing your online presence
However, there is more you can do. As technology has developed, so many brands have raised the bar when it comes to communicating with their visitors, prospects and customers.
Paul Lawton, Commercial Director of Chat Heroes, explains why many website visitors end up being disappointing, or not converting into customers.
Taking Customer Service Further
“Nowadays, it is not enough to have a well-designed website and an effective digital marketing strategy. Visitors want more than information, however dynamically presented it is.”
With the growth of online transactions in general, the challenge is to bring a more personalised, focused style of customer service and engagement into the digital sphere.
“Websites don’t have opening hours as such. For many people, they’re going to be doing some serious browsing and searching outside normal business hours. What level of engagement can they then expect?”
“People often want information before taking further action, whether it’s to do with a product or service. In physical terms, this means talking to someone behind the counter or on the showroom floor”
What is the online equivalent?
“This is where manned live chat can be so beneficial for business.”
Research reports that:
- 42% of online visitors say they prefer live chat functions because it means they don’t have to be put on hold
- 51% say a business needs to be available 24/7
The growth of live chat means that websites without this feature risk leaving visitors disappointed and them failing to complete what they have started.
Real Time Convenience, Peaks and Downtime
There are key aspects to live chat for prospective customers:
- They want to know more information about who they’re dealing with
- They want details explained to them
Live chat is also hugely useful for existing customers: they want to know how their order or issue is progressing; they need information about their service status; or they want to make suggestions and give feedback.
“Having a manned live chat facility means websites can offer these things in real time, at the customer’s convenience, and offer them a sense of genuine interaction”
“There are also the twin issues of peaks in demand and staff absences. Holiday periods magnify both these issues, and the risk for websites without a manned live chat resource is that they are failing to meet customer needs.”
Christmas and its long run-up is one such example. Here the pressure builds on online retailers and service providers, and visitors are quick to abandon sites which cannot meet their demands.
“Outsourced live chat is the perfect solution for peaks in demand and activity, offering an excellent level of engagement to maximise the positive customer experience,” concludes Paul.
To discover how manned live chat can improve the experience and conversion of your website visitors, please contact Chat Heroes:
- By phone on 0191 500 9788
- By visiting chatheroes.com
- By discovering more about their free 30-day trial
For an additional read, please visit Will Live Chat Increase Website Visitors’ Success?
