Customer service and sales have taken on new forms in modern times with the rise of omnichannel business practices, and customer channel preferences are constantly shifting. Social media engagement may seem the dominant trend in customer service these days, but live chat continues to prove its significance as an on-demand channel.Econsultancy reported that live chat has the highest satisfaction levels for any customer service channel at 73%, far outweighing other channels. Furthermore, in a recent Software Advice study, 56% of the respondents across all age groups reported using live chat at least once for support, while 60% of the millennials surveyed cited live chat as their channel of preference. Given the fact that Accenture has predicted millennial spending to reach $1.4 trillion by 2020, live chat—whether it be text, audio, or video—has become increasingly vital to driving sales and customer satisfaction. Here are five solid ways companies can accelerate sales and deliver an excellent customer experience with a live chat software solution.Customer browsing can easily turn into sales conversions. When customers are researching a product or in the middle of making a purchase, they may need assistance or more information to convince them to make a purchase. Indeed, an American Express survey found that 78% of consumers have abandoned a transaction or failed to make an intended purchase because of a poor service experience. With live chat, customers can communicate with agents in real time, turning browsing into sales conversions, saving customers’ time, and providing a quality experience which leads to customer retention and brand loyalty. With reduced bounce rates and improved click-through rates, a live chat solution such as Vocalcom live chat software can lead to conversion increases of over 25%. Customers will feel they are getting a personal, in-store experience as brands connect and engage with them wherever they are.Live chat humanizes a brand for a more personal, engaged customer experience. Customer service needs to offer a human touch, and live chat delivers just that. The opportunity to speak to a real person is critical to giving customers a personalized experience. While all chat modes–text, audio, and video–can help customers receive support or make purchases with confidence, video chat is especially effective for a face-to-face experience which mirrors the feeling of getting in-person support. Contact centers will see a decrease in average handling time and a significant boost in sales.It delivers proactive customer service while giving customers options and greater satisfaction. Proactive live chat is critical to sales and lead generation. Geolocation features can let agents know the perfect time to offer chat to a customer who may be in-store, while the intelligence capabilities of a proactive live chat software solution can examine customer behavior and provide web analytics to help companies deliver prompt live chat invitations to exactly the right customers at the right times. Customers are further given the option of choosing their preferred chat method with the choice of easily switching to another channel if desired, using easy click-to-call, click-to-chat, and click-to-video features. As consumers tend to abandon websites after an average of only three clicks, proactive live chat captures swiftly the attention of current and potential customers to increase conversion rates. Vocalcom live chat software can resolve customer issues seven times faster than on other channels, with a 30% increase of average order value and 91% customer satisfaction rate post-chat.It’s great for the mobile customer. Live chat is easy for customers to access from any device—a smartphone, tablet, or desktop computer. However, it’s especially appealing for customers on the go who need support in-store, as chat invitations sent to mobile customers in the middle of research or purchase can be especially beneficial when they are pressed for time. As time is always of the essence in customer service, customers will be grateful for a seamless experience, leading to increased sales, greater customer satisfaction, and brand loyalty.It’s time and cost-efficient for contact centers. Live chat software is quick and easy to implement, while decreasing handling costs by as much as 80%. Agents are able to communicate with multiple customers at once (10 times more customers than a phone or email agent), which is not always the case on other channels and proves costly on channels such as voice. Live chat enables greater agent efficiency, reduces the number of more costly inbound calls, and helps reduce the need for more agents as customer needs are met more quickly—all leading to great savings for a company and increased sales and satisfaction in the process.Live chat provides customers with a seamless, personal, and optimized experience that leads to greater customer retention and brand loyalty, all while accelerating sales and productivity for businesses. Learn more about the many optimized features of Vocalcom live chat software solution and how it drives sales and customer satisfaction.
