Customers like being able to talk to a real person, but not everyone wants to pick up the phone or scroll through a long FAQ page to find the support and customer service info they need. To bridge the gap between these two solutions, many companies turn to Live Chat Services – putting a real person behind the screen to answer customer questions directly in an engaging and responsive manner.
More than 30% of customers today expect live chat on a website, and a JD Power report found that live chat has become the leading digital contact method for customers, with 42% of customers preferring live chat customer service over email, social media, or forums.
Live chat services across the web are expected to grow by more than 87% in 2019 in order to meet demand. If you’re not a part of this trend yet, you want your business to get in on the forefront! If that’s not enough to convince you, here are Four Reasons You Should be Using Live Chat for Your Business:
Live Chat Services Increase Leads and Conversions
The faster your response time, the quicker your customer is engaged, and the more likely they are to convert – live chat is a proven way to get more qualified leads and convert them into profitable customers. But it’s not just about responding – it has to be fast. Studies show that after the first 10-15 minutes, if you haven’t answered your live chat, then you’ve lost that customer. There’s a 10x drop-off in qualified leads after that initial time period.
Research indicates that qualified leads increase by 40% with a fast, responsive live chat service, and with the majority of customers preferring live chat for their customer service needs, you can’t afford not to use it!
Your Competition Probably Isn’t Using Live Chat For Their Business … Yet
Here’s a secret: only 9% of online businesses today are using live chat customer service! Live chat is expected to grow by more than 87% in 2019, but with only 9% of businesses using it right now, the quicker you start with your own business, the larger your lead over your competitors. The “first-to-market” philosophy still holds a lot of value today, so beating your competition to being the first in your industry or market to offer live chat customer service is a good way to stand out and retain your audience.
The Best Live Chat Services Will Help You Improve Customer Loyalty
Similar to a live receptionist service, live chat puts a real person on the other line (or behind the screen), and real people forge real connections. Live chat professionals can inquire about a customer’s specific needs and problems, answer direct questions, and probe for deeper issues in order to provide adequate support, and the data shows that customers appreciate that. 63% of customers have reported that they’re more likely to return to a website that offers live chat, and some studies indicate that up to 77% of customers refuse to make a purchase if there’s no live chat on site to answer their questions.
Live Chat and Virtual Receptionist Services Help Your Customers Make Decisions
Goodwill goes a long way, and the convenience of having answers on hand through live, personalized 24/7/365 service, completely free and with all of the answers they could ever want is the best, most effective way to keep customers happy and informed.
Studies on consumer behavior indicate that a customer with all of that information at their fingertips is not just more likely to buy, and more likely to do repeat business, but also more likely to talk about it! Word of mouth is difficult to quantify, but it means a lot for businesses, and “tell your friends” is still one of the most effective marketing strategies on Earth. You want customers talking about your company, your service, your product and your responsive, personable live chat personnel, because they more they have to say (and they’ll be saying all good things if you’re using Securus Contact Systems Live Chat Service) the more people will hear them and want to check out your company for themselves!