In this day and age, a lot of consumers expect to be able to do all their business online. When they reach a website of interest, they rarely take the time to pick up the phone and call someone if they need additional information. They want to get their online business done… now!
One way you can ensure that this happens is by adding a live chat service to your website. However, there are some issues you need to be aware of before taking the step that promises visitors instant help.
Pros Of A Live Chat Service
Just as previously mentioned, a live chat service could result in a greater conversion rate by not requiring that visitors abandon their shopping cart or leave the site when they have a question or concern. Some people still prefer talking to a real person rather than doing business with a website and a live chat button that connects them to a representative is a good way to satisfy them.
Another great way to use a live chat button is to link it to an exit pop-up. You can make the live chat box appear when someone clicks on the back or close tab links. Many bigger companies use this form of marketing to make a last ditch effort at closing a sale.
Place the link to the live chat in a permanent sidebar so that it is accessible from every page on your site. This allows a visitor maximum opportunity to use this feature.
Installation of live help is easy. All it takes is downloading the software and developing a button design that matches your site. Most service companies host the feature on their server and provide a pop-up box on your computer that shows real-time traffic statistics, such as what pages a visitor is browsing and what search engine referred them to the site.
You can set up the system to provide results based on some type of action, such as navigation to an opt-in form. This allows you to initiate a session before the visitor leaves.
Cons Of A Live Chat Service
For live chat to work optimally, it must be constantly monitored. You probably don’t have time for that. You could set it up where it is available for certain hours and days of the week, but this is unlikely to provide the maximum marketing benefit.
You could purchase a monthly service which ensures that someone is monitoring live chats requests 24/7. There are many providers with various levels of support available that range from a reasonable $15 per month on up to hundreds depending on the features you select.
Some people may find it an annoyance when their browsing is interrupted by a live chat request. You don’t want to overdo it, but you do want to use this tool for the purpose it was intended – capturing and converting visitors.
If you have funds available in your internet marketing budget, you may want to consider adding the live chat service to your website. Many large companies have realised great conversion success with this tool and it makes your site look more professional, too.
See you at the top of Google!
Sean Rasmussen
SEO Australia Pacific
AussieSEO.com © 2007 - 2010
This was a really informative article. Thank you!
Hi Sean,
I can see that having a live chat service on my website for people who may be interested in a product I am selling would be extremely beneficial to boost sales.
This is an option I will look at in the future and when I am set up properly to make sales.
Very informative article, Sean. Thank you.
Wow a live chat feature sounds a lot less expensive than I would have thought. Thanks for the heads up. It definitely sounds like a viable feature once a site is generating enough traffic / sales. There also looks to be more pros than cons. Having instant help at your finger tips is an attractive option for me when I’m browsing.
.-= David Moloney´s last blog ..What is the Difference Between a JPG, GIF, TIFF, PNG and EPS? =-.
Some people find live chat pop-ups annoying while others find it beneficial, it’s something that could definitely be worthwhile testing
I love live chat windows and I frequently use them on other peoples websites to get an answer to a problem I may be having quickly.
.-= Jackie Stenhouse´s last blog ..Falling Pregnant =-.
My friend has live chat on his website. He can actually initiate the chat which tends to freak a few people out but he tells me that it is a really great way of increasing his sales. He has proven it over the past couple of years. The downside is having someone trained up and available to monitor the website. (He has a specialised product which doesn’t really lend itself to outsourcing however generic products can be outsourced easily)
This is great as it is one thing I have been exploring to put on my sites, and promote to my customers.
Your comment Sean is that it needs to be monitored is valid, but something is better than nothing.
So if you had a service that is only live, when you are at your computer, I dare say is better than none at all.
.-= Darren´s last blog ..SPASA 2010 Winners | The winners of SPASA 2010 awards are…. =-.
I really like Hostgators chat interface – simple but gets the job done.
If I ever develop a business this is one feature I will definitely implement. Nothing better for consumer confidence and customer satisfaction then being able to ask a question and get an answer back within a few minutes, rather then emails.
.-= Cemil´s last blog ..Scribe SEO Plugin – Making SEO Easy =-.
Cemil
I too like the Hostgatog chat it solves problems you may have quickly and you can save the chat to refer to it later if you need to.
I am really inspired to hear you all talking so well of hostgator- we found them too hard to figure out! On the up, when we were trying to figure it all out the live pop-up chat was absolutely brilliant. We connected with a real person within minutes and were solving the problem together on the chat- helpful!! I use this kind of feature a lot and do not find it annoying at all, but I agree it may be a bit freaky to stalk my client and initiate chat! Interesting and timely topic- we JUST got an affiliate offer to market this type of product yesterday and it is in the box waiting to be pursued!
Hi Sean,
I personally love a live chat service. I find that I get a quick response to whatever my problem is. And, I agree with Cemil. Hostgator does a great job of this.
This is something in the future for me. My site is not ready for it just yet.
.-= Jazz Salinger´s last blog ..Learn and Earn – It’s a Marathon Not a Sprint =-.
I love live chatting as well Jazz, but I have to be careful or I won’t get any work done.
Thanks for this article Sean. I will have to think about all this and examine it more in depth. I have chat available when I am online with gmail, skype and such things so I will have to devote one day to the chat subject and see what I can come up with. However, I will have to wait until I know more and can feel more confident about thinking about chat commercially rather than just socially.
Thanks for the thought provoking.
Dobbs
Hi Dobbs,
I too have my live chat services available when online with Facebook, gmail, skype and sometimes messenger but it was always just in case family members wanted to contact me .
Rita
I think live chat is a great tool to get questions answered quickly.
But there are two things that annoy me:
- Live chats popping up when I want to leave – this for me is pure marketing and not adding value to me, the client
- having an incompetent person on the other end not being able to help
.-= Renee´s last blog ..The Best Way To Get Motivated =-.
When used correctly, live chat can work well. I agree that many people who operate these services do a better job of annoying people rather than helping them Renee
I have seen and used the live chat and am a little undecided.
I guess you have to assess for yourself and yoursite…does it really add value for the consumer? Will you lose the sale if you don’t have that feature?
I agree the pop up is lacking in subtlety and comes across a little desperate.
I would also do a little research as to the habits of the consumers where you want to target. People in the US may have differing preferences and expectations than Aussies. Just a thought.
I have seen a couple of sites with a website livechat service in the last couple of days and my first reaction was that it annoyed me (another pop up) but I have a different perspective after reading this article. It’s a great way to ensure customers get the queries sorted out on the spot but it needs to be done properly as you suggested. Paying for 24/7 support is really the only way to go and I can see how this would increase sales and customer satisfaction.
.-= Melanie Braggs´s last blog ..Building Chicken Coops =-.
Hi Melanie,
As a customer I love to find sites that have a live chat service. It’s an excellent way of getting my questions answered immediately. Heaven forbid I should have to email and wait for a reply. Or, pick up a phone and make a call.
Seriously though, I love it. I think it’s an excellent customer service tool.
.-= Jazz Salinger´s last blog ..Finding Your Passion =-.
I think Jazz is on to something here- we live in such an immediate gratification world that even email is agonising to wait for, and WHEN did we all become allergic to ringing a business but so glued to mobile phones it is crazy? I think this pop-up chat is very “now” and “relevant” and I especially like that it mirrors the success facebook has had with it- CLEARLY Facebook does it right so I’ll take a pop-up window if they have one! Just a thought!
Hi Sean
I would be very interested in having ‘Website Live Chat Service’ on my site but I would have to trial and test it to see.
That way I can weigh up the pro’s and con’s before I made a decision.
I have provided my email and Skype on some pages – but no one has taken advantage of the Skype yet. Had quite a few emails asking questions.
We have live chat on http://www.caricatureking.com It is available during business hours and evenings in AU and afternoons and evenings for the USA customers.
It is little used, but when it is those people are usually well on their way to having decided to buy.
We use the digsby interface (digsby.com) which is simple, allows initiated of chate and also show the IP of the customer (with link to mapping so the location of the person can be checked so the correct currency can be quoted. I am hoping for an app for android so I can be available on my phone when away from the office.