Tales of hour-long delays in getting through to the right department and telephone menu options as long as your arm, have made Live Chat a popular alternative method of customer contact for new and established brands.Live Chat offers new customers a smooth introduction to your company and demonstrates a concern for the provision of excellent customer care. First impressions count and by introducing a Live Chat facility, it improves the initial contact experience for customers. Whether they have a simple query or a complicated problem, their issue can be resolved immediately.
Here are some of the main Live Chat benefits for customers, in a little more detail:
Convenience
It’s the convenience of Live Chat that will prevent customers from clicking away to a competitor site. A telephone helpline or email facility isn’t always helpful when your customer needs a quick answer to a pressing question.
Privacy
Live Chat offers privacy of information when your customer is contacting you from work. It might not be appropriate for them to disclose reference numbers or account information over the phone, and Live Chat easily gets around this problem.
It’s free
Although email is also free of charge, the delay in getting a reply can make the difference between making their purchase with you or with a competitor. When compared with a telephone helpline, Live Chat can improve their entire buying experience, as they are not paying to wait in a queue.
No repetition
It’s so easy to mishear words and numbers when you’re talking on the phone, which might be a problem if it’s a financially-related discussion. With Live Chat, there’s no risk of error in this respect, and no need for customers to keep repeating the same information as this can sometimes happen with telephone support. The customer also has the discussion dialogued once the conversation ends as opposed to phone calls where one can invariably forget key information when the call is over.
Easier for customers to complain
Not a great benefit for businesses admittedly, but as far as the customer is concerned, Live Chat helps them to complain without becoming annoyed or upset as this can sometimes happen on the telephone. There’s a degree of separation with Live Chat, which also benefits the business by providing a greater understanding of their customers.
Immediate answers
Whether it’s a question about a product, delivery time, or the cost of shipping, ‘chatting’ live to customer support offers an immediate answer and gives the customer more confidence in their purchase decision.
Trust
Trust is a big issue with consumers, especially when they’re dealing with businesses online. With Live Chat, new customers in particular can gain peace of mind that they're dealing with a reputable company, on their initial contact.
Time-saving
Live Chat is instant, and saves time in a customer’s busy day. When you think about how long it sometimes takes to reach the right department by phone, even if there’s a slight delay in the chat response, your customer can carry on working and check their computer periodically for a reply.
You may think you’ve answered every question under the sun on your FAQ page, but there’s always going to be something that isn’t covered. Live Chat offers the opportunity for potential buyers to ask questions and get immediate help with something that could firm up their decision to buy from you, and improve their Customer Experience.
Find out how else you can make your customers' lives easier by using out Proactive Communication solution:
