Empowering Your Online Shoppers Via Live Chat Support
Websites using live chat as customer support tool have been increasing in numbers these past two years. Mostly seen on ecommerce sites, online retail stores and even travel agencies, live chat is a welcome addition to the set of tools that your customer service can utilize to bring convenience to online shoppers.
But why live chat and not phone support or emails?
Live chat support is one click away to talking to someone who knows about the product customers want to buy. Knowing that there is a person nearby who can assist them empowers them as buyers, as important individuals with needs that require immediate attention to.
Here is a list of reasons why live chat empowers your customers and support your sales funnel.
1. Give shoppers confidence that they will be entertained
Do you know that feeling when you walk in a store and there’s no one behind the counter to welcome you? That’s how it feels like when someone visits an online shop and don’t see or feel any human presence at all, which deters them from buying, which also means a lost sale for you.
With the live chat support just within reach, they know that there is someone available should they have questions or are stuck on a particular sales page because of technical errors.
2. Give them a chance to multitask while on the site
Online shoppers love to visit several pages at one time especially when they are in the selection phase. And they hate being interrupted just to give your customer reps a call for some small inquiry. It’s either the answer is right in front of them or you have someone available on chat.
Using live chat help is a convenient way for them to browse your site for items while chatting with your sales agent at the same time. Quick answers mean quick sales especially for the busy shoppers.
3. Empower the shy shoppers or those with aversion to talking on the phone
Some shoppers are either lazy to give a call or too shy to talk to customer support over the phone. They are most commonly the ones who’d rather jump to another retailer to find what they need rather than call support.
Live chat eliminates that hesitation from these types of buyers. With online chat support, shoppers know that they need not wait for days to have their simple question answered nor do they have to suffer transferred calls.
4. Provide great shopping experience they’ll likely repeat.
Nothing gives someone that awesome feeling when they know they matter – their questions and problems matter to you, the seller. It’s the value in the experience that encourages buyers to trust a brand will take care of them the way they wanted to be taken care of.
Live chat offers immediate response to buyer needs, which make them feel cared for and valued. Even I’d go for great and fast customer service anytime.
Giving shoppers the ability to directly interact with who’s behind the chatter’s seat empowers them because they know that their needs, questions or feedback will be addressed well in real-time.
None of the emails to wait out an incorrect or insufficient answer, no hold calls or delayed response to simple inquiries, just plain one-to-one conversation with a sales agent behind an online live chat tool like Offerchat.
What do you think of live chat for customer service? Have you tried one on your website and how did it go for you and your sales?
Share your experience with us and with our regular readers through the comment section below.
Maricor Marcellones
Maricor Marcellones shares her expertise on conversion optimization and social media marketing through web content. She currently writes full-time at Offerchat.com focusing on the advantages of online live chat in maximizing website visits into conversions. Connect with her on Google plus: Maricor Marcellones.



