Live chat software services first appeared in the early 2000s, but initially struggled to gain traction as customers became more comfortable speaking directly with a representative.
However, technology has developed rapidly since then and many companies have adopted this form of communication in an effort to achieve 24/7 customer support with faster response times.
The years of waiting for hours to connect with a customer service team should now definitely be behind us.
What is live chat?
Live chat allows customers to contact you the moment they have questions or problems they can't resolve. This SMS-like service is generally preferred over emailing a specific support team as there is no telling when you will receive a response to your query.
Live chat support is a way for customers to have real-time, two-way conversations with support agents who have the information you need to resolve issues you're having with a service.
According to Techjury, 75% of people prefer live chat to any other channel and 63% of millennials prefer to have their basic customer service questions answered via live chat.
For web hosting and website building services, for example, we regularly use live chat support to find out if the hosting service offers features that are not mentioned on their website. And we usually get a response within minutes.
Why do you need live chat support for your website?
If you have a website that offers any type of service and have already tried a help desk software solution, integrating live chat software will help your customers get the answers they need quickly.
Live chat does not replace human customer service teams, but rather helps them as their business begins to grow and the demand for their services increases.
Some of the best live chat support services remove customers' name and email address when the chat goes offline. As a result, your customer support team can send email follow-ups, potentially leading to a sale if needs are met.
Live chat support also increases your website conversion rates. According to Econsultancy, 73% of customers were satisfied with their live chat experience, outperforming all other channels, including email and phone. In short, using live chat support software helps you quickly answer your potential customers' questions and convert them into paying customers.
Setting up a live chat feature may seem like a tedious process, but with the software available on the market today, it's much quicker than you think.
How to set up a live chat feature on your website
Each live chat software comes with its own set of instructions to follow. Some just require you to copy and paste a line of code into the backend of your website.
Others take the form of WordPress plugins that allow you to manage your chats directly within the admin panel of your WordPress website, eliminating the need to log into another software tool.
The LiveAgent live chat software solution, for example, simply asks for your full name, email address, and company name to generate a live chat solution for you. Once there, you're presented with options to add users, sign in to an email account, upload your company logo, add a chat button, and more.
Artificial intelligence enables your live chat support team to work with chatbot services that can help guide your customers to the most suitable solution for their queries. These chatbots collect customer information or ask customers questions to help get the big picture and provide appropriate answers.
Using a chatbot can be useful when there is no one on the customer support team to answer a customer's question.
Most live chat software solutions have five easy steps to set up live chat on your website, including creating an account, setting up your live support chat, customizing it to make sure it's unique for your business, add the HTML code to your website, and finally record and manage incoming chats.
Boost your business with live chat
If you've been tossing around the idea of integrating live chat support into your website, the aforementioned benefits should help you come to a conclusion much faster.
Some of the best live chat support software solutions even offer free plans or 30-day free trials so you can try them out on your website and see if it's something you really need.
So you don't feel overwhelmed with customer questions that can't be answered with a simple FAQ page on your website, live chat support is here to show your customers that you're ready to go the extra mile. . they are getting the help they need, which contributes to overall customer satisfaction.
If your company has a smaller team, live chat support can also help you provide excellent customer service without putting too much pressure on your business, which in turn will improve business productivity and increase sales.
Some live chat solutions even offer video capabilities that allow your support team to provide face-to-face service online, for higher satisfaction rates across your entire business channel.