5 advantages of live chat for e-commerce platforms

Effective communication is one of the cornerstones of success for e-commerce brands. This is true whether you run a full-fledged e-commerce organization, a small startup, or even an informal side business. That’s why live chat has quickly turn out to be a standard feature among online retailers. Let’s look at the key advantages of live chat for e-commerce success.

What is the live chat feature?

If you spend a lot of time online (especially on e-commerce sites), you’ve got almost definitely come across live chat features at some point. This could also be a pop-up window that appears shortly after entering the site. On the other hand, it might be something you might want to look for on the customer support page of your e-commerce site.

Live chat team members have several responsibilities: driving sales, solving problems, and answering common customer questions. This work is made possible by chat software connected to your website or app.

As we’ll explain in more detail soon, even the best telephone systems for call centers may discourage potential customers. Live chat services aim to resolve these problems. But how do they work?

In practice, live chat works more or less like any other easy messaging application. The primary difference is that the first customer message is placed in a queue to be received by a team member. However, once the initial connection is made, it is essentially a face-to-face conversation.

For the most part, live customer support chats are conducted by real people, or chat agents. That said, many firms have at least began using AI-powered live chats to streamline their contact centers. That said, a human agent is generally preferred.

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Live chat vs. other methods

This approach to sales and support quickly gained popularity among firms that wanted it build a brand for the modern consumer and increase customer engagement. However, to actually understand the advantages of live chat for e-commerce platforms, you might want to look at what got here before.

Before live chat became commonplace, customers with issues or queries typically had three options:

• Visiting a physical location and talking to someone.
• Calling the customer support phone number.
• Sending emails to customer support.

Let’s start by looking at the disadvantages of these methods. Going to a physical location is a big barrier to effort, especially if the product was purchased online. Phone lines and emails cause similar problems, but for different reasons.

Call any customer support number and you will probably have to go through a phone queue and an automated tree full of canned responses before you reach a real person. This is time-consuming and frustrating, especially if you make a mistake and have to begin the conversation over.

If emailed, your inquiry will likely be assigned a ticket number and added to the queue. You’re stuck waiting hours, days, or even weeks for an email response. Then, if you have additional questions, the entire wait starts over.

In theory, chat software avoids waiting time and manual labor. However, to know the way it achieves this, we want to explore the specific advantages of live chat for e-commerce businesses. So let’s dive in.

6 advantages of live chat for e-commerce firms

Nowadays best contact management software packages normally offer some form of live chat functionality. Let’s discuss how offering a chat feature can profit your online business. Some of them shall be obvious, others less so.

By focusing on these advantages, your chat agents will help people and ensure each customer loyalty and satisfaction.

1. Faster response time

Whether they need quick answers or wish to explore complex issues, the biggest advantage of live chat in e-commerce is that it breaks down the barriers put up by more traditional customer support channels. Instead of waiting for an email or putting your call on hold, you may have a conversation in real time.

When troubleshooting a product or service is too much of a hassle, it’s easier to take the loss and move away from the brand. Lightning-fast response times reduce the number of people abandoning their inquiries, making customer satisfaction increasingly common.

2. Sense of control

Eliminating much of the passive waiting helps customers feel more in control of their journey. Likewise, having the ability to seek advice from someone who can provide insight and options to resolve their problems. While your chat agents act as guides, it’s the customer who ultimately decides where to go.

From a psychological point of view, lack of control is normally associated with feelings of frustration. On the other hand, control gives a sense of participation in the process. This makes people more more likely to follow through, which suggests more opportunities for a positive consequence.

3: Easy documentation

Another advantage of live chat in e-commerce is that the chat conversation is a separate form of documentation. Of course, this is applicable to most customer support communication channels. E-mail conversations, recorded telephone conversations and the like.

However, unlike phone calls, logs from chat software might be easily shared with the user. Unlike email, messages from chat software won’t get buried in a sea of ​​other people because they supply a dedicated support channel.

These chat histories make it much easier for customers and customer support agents to remain on the same page, saving you each the agony of having to elucidate the same things over and yet again.

4: Another sales revenue channel

Live chat is not only a support channel. In recent years, it has also gained popularity as a sales channel. According to Finance OnlineLive chat is used for sales by:

• 85% of surveyed B2B firms.
• 74% of surveyed B2C firms.

This can occur either by paralleling the chat session with the customer’s Internet browsing, or by allowing chat operators to process the customer’s transaction. Today’s customers value multi-channel customer experience. That’s why it’s an essential tool for e-commerce firms trying to increase conversion rates and stay competitive.

5: Hassle-free service 24/7

Have you ever tried to contact customer support and support channels only to search out that they have no opening hours? Perhaps you’re employed Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and can only call in the evenings or weekends.

Availability plays a key role in customer retention. With a live chat app for e-commerce, it is much easier to keep up a customer support channel 24/7. You can, for example:

• Hire distant staff working in different time zones.
• Outsource this to a third-party live chat team.
• Use AI-powered chatbots when no human is available.

Options like outsourcing make this possible if you are still in the solo startup phase. Remember, a a key characteristic of entrepreneurs is the willingness to hunt help from a specialist when mandatory.

Live chat quickly became the expected norm

As all the time, when you introduce a more convenient way of doing something, people adapt. What starts out as a novelty in comparison with other e-commerce firms becomes something you negatively judge firms for not offering. Live chat for e-commerce platforms is quickly becoming as ubiquitous as the cart button.

Even if you do not have your individual chat software, B2B service providers make implementation easy. Once you have your channel, you may focus on what’s essential: working with your chat team to deliver great customer support.