Tool 5: Live chat - Increasing trust and overcoming issues
If you have a question about a product or returns while you’re in-store, it’s simple; you ask a store assistant. But what do you if you’re shopping online and there’s no-one to ask? Remove that product you were interested in from your cart? Go over to a competitor’s site to see if they have the information you’re looking for?
What is live chat?
Live chat is a tool that is becoming increasingly popular with online retailers as a means for shoppers to communicate efficiently with an online business. This method is extremely effective as it allows shoppers to have a real-time chat with the retailer, and this connection can help resolve issues, answer questions and even lead to cross-selling and up-selling.
Having a live chat feature that customers can leverage when they have questions during their shopping experience is a must-have on any ecommerce site. Research from Forrester found that 44% of customers see live chat as one of the most important tools that a site can offer5, and further research from eMarketer shows that 62% of shoppers are more likely to return to a site that offers live chat6.
Live chat tools such as Olark offer great features such as simple customisation, real-time reporting and automated messages to ensure you can serve the right message at the right time. The software offers real-time chat functionality and flexible team workflows that allow managers to oversee agent activity.
How will live chat help your checkout conversions?
Customer convenience is one of the main advantages of this tool. An online chat system provides customers with immediate access to help, offering the same level of service as they would get in a physical store. If customers are able to get questions answered quickly, they will develop stronger trust in your brand. If they are engaged with the brand, they will be more likely to make a purchase. In addition, live chat agents can also help to increase average order value. Once consumers are engaged with an employee who understands what they are looking for, the employee is in prime position to recommend additional purchases. Companies that leverage live chat software are often able to minimise the costs associated with call handling while providing real-time interaction that is sometimes overlooked when everything becomes digital.
5 Source: Making proactive chat work, Forrester; 6 Source: How helpful is live chat? eMarketer