How to Create a Dynamic Live Chat Strategy
Chapter 1
As today’s consumer continues to increase their Internet usage for the common things of everyday life, more companies are faced with answering this question – Should we offer live chat as an option for our customers?
According to a 2013 industry report, 83% of the more than 5,000 consumers surveyed stated they consistently require some form of assistance while online. Combine this statistic with the 71% of those same consumers who feel it’s important to receive assistance within 5 minutes, with 48% stating they will abandon the site if that requirement goes unmet.
These two statistics alone should lead one to consider options for meeting the needs of the online customer. Numerous companies and organizations have turned to live chat as the channel to address their customers’ request for fast online service. Before implementing live chat as a solution, it may be prudent to develop a channel strategy and set goals to insure optimum performance.
Creating a live chat strategy is critical for obtaining maximum results and justifying implementation costs. As the earlier statistics indicate, the customer’s requirement for a fast online experience is the main priority. Develop a strategy that’s very specific in nature. When several Comm100 Live Chat users developed live chat strategies, common areas of focus were:
By establishing areas of focus, one can take the appropriate steps for creating a robust live chat channel. When considering live chat as an additional customer contact option, it might be prudent to address the following in the strategy development phase:
Discuss which platform type – company hosted or cloud based – is the proper one for your company. In addition, determine if a proactive or reactive live chat platform will best fit the needs of your particular customers. Will passive assist or active assist be supported? What data security features are available? Does the platform provide reporting capabilities for transaction history, chat transcripts and metrics? How does the customer interact via your chosen platform? Are encryption, typing notification and the ability to change font sizes available to the customer? Will the platform allow for pushing customer satisfaction surveys at the end of the live chat? Your data analysis should help in deciding which platform and features meet the criteria for providing the best possible customer experience while positively contributing to the achievement of channel goals.
These metrics allow companies to compare the effectiveness of its live chat program to other customer communication channels.
After thoroughly considering and answering these questions, companies should be able to develop their live chat channel to meet the needs of their customers. Here at Comm100, we believe that it’s important for companies to provide an efficient and effective customer communication option. Our live chat product offers a comprehensive solution for companies seeking to improve sales and or retention rates through allowing agents to proactively engage with customers.
As statistics indicate, today’s customer wants a quick and efficient customer experience. While saying “Yes!” to the live chat option, companies should first take the time to develop strategies and goals to insure both maximum ROI and HLC – that’s Happy Loyal Customers!
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