Live chat support system and how to make the best of it

One element that has had to adapt swiftly as the fields of business and e-commerce undergo a rapid digital revolution is how we interact with our customers. Email and phone were the primary contact center solutions just a few years ago. Customers today expect better service and more immediate communication. Live chat support system takes care of this problem.

Emails might take a long time to respond to. Phone calls can be complicated by different time zones if a business is located across multiple countries. The only way to prevent this latter situation is if your call center is open 24/7. While self-service FAQ sections may provide comprehensive answers to some issues, they are limited in terms of what they can provide and which questions they can address, as it’s impossible to include every edge case in self-service resources. In this blog post, we’ll deep dive into the ins and outs of live chat, its benefits, and many use cases for many verticals.

What is live chat support system?

Customers can communicate immediately with companies’ employees, mainly those in customer service, technical support, and other positions, via live chat software. Live chat can be a business messaging system that appears as a pop-up chat window on a company’s website. However, with the advent of mobile technologies, you can place a live chat box almost anywhere. And there are instant messaging apps like WhatsApp. The possibilities are endless. In certain circumstances, the customer must initiate online chat features. In others, the chat may appear automatically as a proactive way to engage with a customer.

You can fulfill your consumers’ requests and assist them in a better customer journey by providing an instantaneous and accessible way to ask questions or follow up on information on the website. However, your live chat support system needs to be staffed at all times. That involves being mindful of support requests and, if possible, avoiding high wait times. Or, you could explore the world of Chatbots to mitigate this.

What are the benefits of offering live chat?

The ability to greatly increase sales is one of the primary reasons that live chat assistance is so extensively used. Here’s a good example of a successful live chat implementation: Using live chat support system rather than traditional email, Virgin Airlines saw a 3.5 times better conversion rate than the industry average in 2012. Because everything takes place on the website, it’s extremely valuable for enhancing the user experience and conversions for online businesses. That is perhaps the most significant advantage of live chat over email. Clients don’t have to leave your website to send you a message. Plus, they are connected to an agent and receive a response almost immediately.

Customer satisfaction rates are significantly influenced by the speed with which a company responds. Providing real-time assistance to your consumers is really beneficial in situations like this. Because of the real-time nature of live chat, businesses are able to capitalize on the benefits of a quick and convenient customer service channel. Customers expect businesses to respond quickly, and this is what they have come to expect.

The many use cases of live chat support system

Live chat gives businesses a way to provide a more efficient experience throughout the whole customer lifecycle: from engaging prospective customers the minute they appear on your website, to dealing with questions long after they have signed up for a service.

We’ve decided to give you a breakdown of the benefits of utilizing live chat for three major verticals, namely travel, e-commerce, and food delivery.

Live chat for travel apps

– Clients use travel websites to find great vacation prices and destinations. They can learn about lodging, dining, flights, hotels, and transportation. The expanding number of online travel agencies may overwhelm customers. Many clients have specific preferences and will leave websites if they can’t find the information they seek. Travel agencies should regularly analyze and update their websites to better serve online customers. Live chat will make websites more responsive and accessible to visitors seeking information. For example, a visitor wishes to visit a tourism destination similar to Sri Lanka. Your operator can chat with the customer and make personalized suggestions.

– Customers may be anxious about traveling abroad. They can be regarding your company’s travel insurance, visa processing laws, or the required documentation for overseas travel. Vacationers may also inquire about currency exchange rates, lodging options, and local transportation. Using live chat allows your representatives to quickly address any client issues or concerns. By responding quickly, you reassure your customers that you are always available to assist them. This approach greatly influences the customer’s buying decisions.

Live chat for e-commerce brands

– Buyers who engage in live chat are 40 percent more likely to make online purchases, according to Emarketer. Customers won’t hesitate to make a purchase if you’re able to resolve their uncertainties about your products. Setting up a live chat support system that is simple for customers to use can encourage them to ask for answers to their pre-sale questions immediately, resulting in a higher conversion rate.

– When customers are required to wait for an email response or to participate in a phone conversation in order to receive support, it’s bad for support turnaround times. Instead, live chat support enables users to seek answers to their questions easily by chatting with a representative. Additionally, the support agent on your team has the ability to manage multiple support tickets at the same time, allowing them to work more efficiently.

– According to a Forrester survey, live chat for customer care is 50 percent less expensive than traditional phone calls for the same level of assistance. A live chat support system can be a cost-effective option for small businesses and startups who are strapped for cash but who cannot afford to put up a call center or a phone support system at the same time. Additionally, if you are responding to customer inquiries via live chat, you have the ability to multitask, which is not feasible when providing on-call assistance. This increases the efficiency of the support team as well as the cost-effectiveness of the organization.

Live chat support system for food delivery brands

– Customers want to be able to place orders as quickly as possible while receiving real-time assistance. They are looking for a seamless customer experience. When it comes to making purchases as simple as possible, the difficulty lies in knowing a great deal about your clients, which is still tough to do without the use of a proper platform for doing so.

– Food delivery requires fast and easy customer service. No brand should keep their customers hungry and waiting. A live chat solution on your app or your website is the best way to deal with late deliveries, follow-ups, or even cancellations. You can even make use of chatbots for this, and escalate edge cases to a human representative.

– Building long-term relationships with customers is absolutely essential for the long-term viability of any business, since it promotes customer happiness while also improving the customer experience. Customers who are pleased with their purchases are less likely to switch to a competitor. According to statistics, 89 percent of consumers have discontinued doing business with a brand as a result of a negative customer service experience. Given the cutthroat competition in the food delivery space, having a live chat support option available to your customers is a must.

In Conclusion

Live chat support help will be the norm in the near future. Not only is it a fantastic way to deliver instant help to your customers straight on your website, but it is also a powerful instrument for building trust and customer loyalty. When it comes to integrating live chat assistance into your website/app, or if you need to enhance your current implementation, we at Desk360 would be delighted to assist you. Contact us today for more information or check out our website to see what we have to offer, and please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.