What is Live Chat Software and How Can it Help Your Business

Show:

May 21, 2021 Business

Top-notch customer service is the secret to a successful business. Building a solid customer base requires capturing leads and nurturing existing clients. That entails constant communication to build your brand and develop trust.

In fact, 73% of customers stay loyal to a brand because of its friendly customer service. That means getting in touch with a customer is a key part of the entire sales funnel. With most people shopping online, how do you reach them?

Live chat is the best way to immediately connect with leads right on your website. Fortunately, there are numerous fully-featured live chat platforms in the market.

Your options range from simple live chat widgets to complete communication solutions. But first, let’s take a look at the basics of live chat.

What is a Live Chat Software?

Live chat software allows your team to provide immediate customer support. It functions as an instant messenger where you communicate with clients in real-time. Through the application, your representatives can answer inquiries, promote your brand, and improve customer loyalty.

According to Zendesk, customers prefer live engagement with a representative whenever they need support or when they have questions. Live chat applications serve as a cost-effective way to maintain contact with leads and existing clients.

How Can a Live Chat Software Help Your Business?

With the pandemic pushing everyone to stay at home, consumers use the Internet more than ever. That is why a live chat is not only beneficial but a necessity. Here’s how it helps your business:

Boost sales. Customers are often indecisive when making a purchase. That is why chatting with a real person helps them decide, especially when they are hesitant or confused. Your agents can immediately respond to a customer’s concern, recommend the right products, and upsell new ones. This ensures that the customer makes it through the entire sales process.

Offer convenience. Customers hate waiting. Consequently, they prefer communicating online instead of dialing a phone number. Live chat software is a hassle-free solution to provide support. Customers can multitask and browse your website while waiting for a response from your representatives. As such, they are more likely to stay and continue shopping.

Cost-effective support. Phone support requires considerable infrastructure and investment. On the other hand, live chat software is deployable on any device. A single agent can handle multiple chat sessions compared to phone support, which only allows one. The customer’s waiting time is also shorter, which lowers the deflection rate.

Automate using chatbots. Use chatbots to handle common questions and concerns. Most are conversational enough to mimic a live agent. As such, your representatives focus on critical customer concerns and high-value clients instead. Chatbots also eliminate transfer rates as they redirect customers to the right departments, i.e., sales, technical support, etc.

Increase brand identity and promotions. Live chat applications are flexible and customizable. It is easy to add logos, change the color, and even include interactive elements in chat portals. You can also add standard spiels, promotions, discounts, and more to increase customer retention and establish your brand.

What Are the Essential Features of a Live Chat Software?

Just like any other business tool, live chat software is a considerable investment. So, what makes a great live chat platform? Here are some of the key features that you should consider:

Customizable chat window. An instant messaging window is a core feature of any live chat software. It should offer customization to add your logo, modify the overall look, and change the layout to ensure brand consistency.

Agent-initiated chat session. You no longer have to wait for a customer to ask for help. Using notification or a welcome message, an agent offers assistance or suggestions based on the customer’s needs. It is also a great way to promote new products or market additional services.

Visitor analytics. A comprehensive tracking functionality to gain insight into lead behavior on your website. It measures the amount of time a lead spends in the chat, conversion rates, popular products, and more.

Chat logs and rating. A feedback mechanism where customers rate the chat session and provide key information about the support quality. Additionally, a record of the chat transcript is available to identify points for improvements.

Routing. The live chat software redirects customers to the right representative, depending on their needs. This ensures fewer transfers and quick response time.

Agent monitoring. A backend functionality to supervise and monitor your operators. It includes insights such as chat volumes, chat quality, and more. It is an essential feature to identify underperforming agents.

Customizable canned responses. Your agents shouldn’t have to type everything, especially answers to common questions. Canned responses such as welcome messages, closing statements, promotions, and other texts should be available in just a few clicks. It also improves the response time of your agents.

Mobile optimization. More and more customers are using their mobile phones to shop online. Your chat portal should be usable regardless of the screen size. Additionally, the entire chat support experience should be consistent across different devices.

Analytics and reporting. Most live agent software comes with a dashboard that shows real-time information about your agents, productivity, and the quality of the support. Furthermore, it collects relevant customer information such as conversion rates, bounce rates, visitor details, average time on chat support, history, and more.

What Are the Types of Live Chat Software?

Live chat platforms come in different varieties and purposes. Some include features that are specific to certain business needs. Others function as all-in-one customer support systems. Here are some of the most common types of live chat software:

Live chat for marketing and sales – These platforms are great sales tools to capture leads and promote your brand. They include integrated CRM tools, customer engagement functionalities, and lead qualification features.

Customer support and helpdesk platforms – Help desk applications often come with live chat functions. They include features such as multi-agent collaboration, ticket support, and other customer service tools.

Chatbots – It uses artificial intelligence to automate common chat interactions. Chatbots efficiently route customers to the right departments depending on queries or behavior. They are also crucial in efficiently qualifying leads.

What to Consider When Choosing a Live Chat Software

Choosing the right live chat software is daunting at best as there are numerous options in the market. Consider your business’ current needs, budget, and workforce before shopping for a solution. Furthermore, you should think about the following:

Price vs. Value

Choosing the cheapest live chat platform is not always the best choice. The opposite is also true. Purchasing an expensive, fully-featured platform may not fit your current needs yet.

List down the features that you think are essential to your current operations. Then, add functionalities that you require to scale your business. For instance, chatbots are typically expensive add-ons. However, they are cheaper than hiring new chat operators.

Self-Hosted vs. Cloud-based

Businesses with infrastructure, such as servers, often purchase self-hosted or on-premise solutions. That means they have complete control of the application. Additionally, customizations are easy to implement, and tailor-fit functionalities are uncomplicated to develop.

On the other hand, cloud-based platforms are becoming more popular nowadays. You do not need to worry about upgrades and additional hardware. Furthermore, service providers offer robust support in case you run into problems. More importantly, cloud-based live chat software is much more affordable. They also offer custom solutions where you can choose the features that you want to pay for.

Customizations

Because live chat apps are at the forefront of your business, it should carry your brand image, from the logo to the color palette. Various platforms offer different levels of flexibility. Choose a solution that allows you to easily customize visual elements. Consider those that offer drag-and-drop functionalities, so you do not have to hire developers.

On top of that, you should have complete control over the system’s backend. Customizing reports, real-time insights, feedback collection, and other features will improve your overall efficiency.

Third-Party Integrations

The live chat software should seamlessly integrate with your existing business tools. Most modern solutions readily work with popular apps such as Zendesk, Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, and more.

Aside from those, platforms provide integrations with the following for a seamless experience:

Multi-Channel Support

As mentioned, live chats are no longer limited to your website. Some solutions come with support for multi-channel communication. That means your agents should be able to reach customers from different platforms, such as Facebook to Viber.

Additionally, take a look into omnichannel features. It consolidates all customer support channels into one unified platform. That is, your clients can continue their conversation, whether they use chat or email. It also helps your agents nurture customer relationships using your brand image and create a consistent experience.

Wrapping Up

Customers now expect 24/7 support. And, live chat applications are cost-effective solutions to these needs. Scaling up is much more efficient as live chat platforms come in various price points as well.

Live chat is a crucial tool in generating leads, nurturing existing customers, and providing high-quality support. Features such as chatbots, third-party integrations, and analytics also ensure that your operations are efficient.

Lastly, you can subscribe to a live chat solution even if you have a limited budget. Affordable plans already come with basic functionalities that can help boost your sales. Upgrades are usually just a few clicks away once your business grows.