Businesses often have the misconception that offering 24/7 live chat support is unaffordable because it requires hiring agents. However, our understanding of ecommerce and online shopping is changing. In 2020 alone, ecommerce sales increased by 32 percent, with online sales growing the equivalent of 3 years in just 1 year.
While many customers benefit from this growth in ecommerce because of increased shopping ease, some are still confused about where they can get answers to pressing questions and requests.
Customers want a more personalized and available live chat experience that will distinguish itself from the generic chat model. But don’t fret, refining your live chat does not require hiring additional agents (or costing you an arm and a leg).
Let’s get into how you can independently maximize your business’ live chat experience and better your customer experience (CX) — all the while feeling confident in your abilities as a Shopify merchant.
The Old Live Chat Experience
Customers are required to provide personal contact information
The outdated live chat experience asks too much out of current and prospective customers. Sure, a customer’s email address or phone number may be required to double check an existing order, but live chats should make it easier on the customer to interact with and purchase from your business.
When customers have to fill out a long, complicated form simply to communicate with you, it deters them from going any further in the buying process. Customers will leave because they’re afraid to share personal information on the Internet and annoyed that you’re forcing them into it.
Customer support responses are dull and often slow
Almost a fifth of customers rate long wait times as the most frustrating part of a live chat. When customers have a question about your service, they should not have to wait in line. No one wants to be redirected to their email just to chat — it’s just too much work!
Customers who complain about live chat find the experience to be impersonal. Unfortunately, most live chat agents only think about profits and only communicate information that will help them land a sale. However, this is completely the wrong approach. Customer experience (CX) is directly correlated to an increase in sales. Building a closer connection with your customers will make them more likely to purchase from your shop.
Customers have more trust in a business when they have gotten to know it well. This familiarity is built through ongoing customer service as website visitors become more comfortable with your content and values. As you support them, they offer feedback in return; and the cycle continues.
Ecommerce businesses that prioritize customer experience have a major advantage over those that don’t. But how exactly do you provide CX that both fulfills your customers and makes things easy for you?
Stepping Up Your Live Chat
Providing effective live chat should not be a hassle for your business. In fact, it’s a helpful tool! Live chats are increasingly appreciated. 51% of consumers trust companies that make it easy for visitors to contact the people behind the company. Customers simply want to freely express and fulfill their needs. All you have to do is provide the space for them.
Chat in a personalized manner
Customers want to be treated like human beings, and not walking wallets. Greet your chat visitors, and thank the customer for being patient when you answer their questions. While you should ideally reply to customers in less than a minute, visitors are also more understanding than you think. Be sure to let them know when you need more time to complete an operation.
One major way to make customers feel welcomed and heard is to keep their previous information and requests on hand. That way, whenever they visit the page, they do not have to provide the same information. Customers will feel appreciated and more inclined to purchase your products and services.
There are plenty of live chat tools available that help you build stronger merchant-client relationships, like TextChat, a highly-personalized website live chat that’s accessible directly from your phone via SMS. Getting live chat notifications directly to your phone as a text message helps you eliminate slow responses and close on more sales.
Be sure to fulfill all customer requests
The ideal live chat will knock out all customer worries and uncertainties. Customers must feel like they got a lot of information out of your chat, leaving them confident to make the right purchase decision and not abandon their cart. While it is important to cultivate the merchant-client relationship, the end goal of the live chat should be to make a sale. A customer that is equipped with all the information they need to make a purchase will most likely close on one.
Can You Really Manage Live Chat Alone?
Don’t sweat the small stuff. Live chat should be an easy and effective way to communicate with your customers. With the pandemic in full swing, many customers have questions that they cannot get in-person answers to. Live chat makes it convenient for them to answer their pressing concerns, in turn making it easier for you to close on a sale.
In fact, customers who use your live chat platform are 3 times more likely to buy because of the direct and personal interaction.
At the end of the day, you know your product the best. You know the customers you serve, and that is your biggest strength. Instead of depending on live agents to communicate with your customers, opt for simplifying your live chat experience — making you more available for clients.
Ready to enhance the live chat on your Shopify store? Get the TextChat app today.
This is a guest post from TextChat, a powerful eCommerce live chat solution that combines the power of automations and live agents to help you talk to customers and turn conversations into sales.
