Attracting new customers is essential to the long-term success of any business. Most organizations operate in competitive, noisy markets where employing tactics that differentiate this business is a necessity. As we covered in Part 1 of this series, a strong selling point for conversion and long-term customer engagement is providing a convenient, efficient, seamless communications platform. In this post, we’ll address how webchats can improve that customer experience and your conversion rates.
Facilitating the Customer Journey
First, let’s back up a bit. Smoothing the customer experience starts with putting yourself in their shoes. Imagine what their experience is like when they’re navigating your website, and the changes or solutions you can provide that clear obstacles impeding engagement.
When a customer lands on your website with a question, consider providing a capability that can instantly answer many of their questions without forcing numerous mouse clicks to land on a contact form or require a phone call to reach a company representative. Why lose out on engagement opportunities if people don’t want to take extra steps or if the visitor lands on your website outside normal business hours?
The more effort this process requires, the less likely the consumer is to follow through. The longer it takes to receive an answer, the higher the chance of disinterest or distraction.
Our favorite technical solution (at the present time) is adding webchat (also called web chatbot) functionality to the website. We’ve seen this strategy work well for our own business and for many of our clients.
What Are Web Chatbots and How Can They Benefit My Business?
Web chatbots are pop-up communication interfaces that enable real-time messaging with visitors on your website. The chatbot interface appears on each website page with the option to instantly message the company when the potential or existing customer has a question or wants information.
There are many variations of web chatbot designs and features.
You’ve likely seen them at the bottom left or right corner of websites you’ve visited, usually with a message icon or image of a support technician. Clicking on the chatbot icon allows a messaging box to pop up where visitors can enter in their name, contact information and question.
Anecdotally, for our own business and those of our clients, webchat has increased the number of site visitors who interact and regularly convert to leads (and paying customers). This isn’t just an avenue for leads to make inquiries, web chatbots also offer an opportunity for existing customers to ask questions, get in touch with support, book services, make payments, provide feedback and more. The statistics alone make a strong case for how web chatbots can benefit your business:
- Webchat has the highest level of satisfaction for customer communication channels worldwide at 85%*1
- 69% of consumers want real-time communication with businesses*2
- 41% of consumers prefer using webchat as their first method of support*3
In addition, according to a study of 85,000 chat sessions, the average initial rep response time was 23 seconds, and the average resolution time for queries was 42 seconds*4.
Webchats increase the speed of resolution time for customer queries, which offers higher satisfaction ratings, greater ROI and increased productivity for employees as they handle a higher volume of queries and support requests. The messaging software itself is cost-effective, and offers speedy implementation.
Webchat Features: The Benefits of Live Chat and ChatBots
Depending on the webchat software you use on your website, communication can occur via both live chat and chatbot. Live chat, as the name suggests, is when a live representative is available to answer messages and questions from site visitors. A chatbot, on the other hand, is an artificial intelligence-based automated response that uses predetermined questions and answers to help users, typically outside business hours. There are many common questions and situations in which a chatbot can help resolve any queries or concerns a customer may have. Examples include:
- What are your hours?
- What forms of payment do you accept?
- What is your address?
For more in-depth questions, a chatbot can ask for clarification to gather details that can be referenced later for live support. If the chatbot cannot resolve a consumer’s question, there’s an option for the prospect to leave their information so a customer representative can get in touch during business hours. Staff can review the chat conversation, then reach out to the customer with an answer.
Use Webchat to Improve Your Customer Experience Today
Reach out to one of Bleevit’s digital marketing professionals to learn how you can leverage webchat and other tools to enhance and smooth your customers’ journeys and increase lead flow and conversion rates. Contact us today for a free consultation and to learn more about how webchat can help your business grow.
1 Statista Research Department. (2021, Sep 2.) Global customer satisfaction rate with live chat usage from 2015 to 2020. Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/818590/customer-satisfaction-rate-with-live-chat-worldwide/
2 Salesforce Blog. (Updated 2020, Aug 4.) State of the Connected Consumer Report. Salesforce. https://www.salesforce.com/uk/blog/2016/03/5-benefits-of-having-live-chat-on-your-website.html
3 Salesforce Blog. (Updated 2020, Aug 4.) State of the Connected Consumer Report. Salesforce. https://www.salesforce.com/uk/blog/2016/03/5-benefits-of-having-live-chat-on-your-website.html
4 Nicereply Blog. (2019, Jan 31.) How Implementing Live Chat Software Can Reduce Your Operational Costs. Nicereply. https://www.nicereply.com/blog/live-chat-software/
WRITTEN BY
Robin Hogan, COO & Co-Founder – Bleevit Interactive
Robin leverages unsurpassed client dedication and a diverse skill set with over 20 years of senior-level experience to bring passion to her work and depth to her writing. She works tirelessly to deploy successful marketing strategies and cloud technologies for local businesses.
When she’s not working, Robin enjoys spending time with family and friends, supporting local community organizations and tending to her bountiful garden. Email her at hello@bleevit.com if you have questions or want more information.
