E-Commerce: To Chat or Not to Chat?

To Chat or Not to Chat

Mankind has always sought ways to better communicate, no matter the challenges at hand. He has murmured, mimed, talked, used body language, sign language, para-language; he has scrawled, drafted, written, typed, texted and tweeted. As the Shakespearean voice fades away and is replaced by a not-yet identifiable spoken language,  the written word has taken an unforeseeable spin.

And as our methods of communication progress, the technological age has been no different. The NICT (New Information and Communication Technologies) have made it possible for us to speak, instantly, with a trained professional, through typing or texting, to get information on a desired product or service.

Click-to-chat has revolutionized our shopping experience with immediate personal assistance. However, most of us regress to our primitive state when faced with a new high-tech product or service. We stare at it, slowly slide forward, gently tap it before rushing back to our observation post. This article exposes the benefits of a click-to-chat solution so you can make an answer that telltale question:

To chat or not to chat?

Immediate access

Click-to-chat was created to provide immediate attention to a customer, using an average response time of under a minute. The aim is to give the online consumer the illusion he has just walked up to a staff member in a store and has asked a question. Naturally, the employee doesn’t make a bolt for the door, but smiles and forthwith answers the customer’s inquiry.

Time efficiency

Time is money. This idiom rings true beyond the extent of money. In a world where fast is the new slow and opportunities spring up from the ground like mushrooms, we are all eager to use our time wisely, whether it be in the professional or private arena.

An hour spent with phone support is an hour lost from working on that deposition or away from your kid’s birthday party. With click-to-chat, lose absolutely, and unequivocally, no time.

Stress-free

We’ve all had the discomforting experience of calling customer support, staying on hold for hours while listening to bad jingles before finally speaking to someone who doesn’t understand or care about our problem.

Some of us also have to go through the grueling process of spelling our name out over the phone. The other end of the receiver is tone deaf to the differences between “m”s and “n”s or “b”s and “p”s. Click-to-chat annihilates such troubles and provides a relaxing customer experience, and can be a great way to solve a problem more efficiently.

Free of charge

There is no sweeter sound to one’s ears than the melody of the spoken words: “It’s free”. Not being charged for a product or service gives us more leeway to maneuver and do what we actually want to do.

Instead of spending your money on phone fees for customer support, use click-to-chat with no extra cost, no matter the country you are communicating from, and buy that special teapot you’ve had your eye on for your mother’s birthday!

Personal touch

Most of the time, agents post their name and picture at the top of the chat box. Again, the idea is to personalize to the hilt an otherwise dry conversation held with a piece of machinery. Speaking live with a live agent is already a more intimate experience than one spent with cold emails or robotic phone support systems.

To Chat or Not to Chat

Why get personal with your customers?

According to Comarketing, 67% of cyberbuyers say they would rather purchase in a store online offering personalized services.

This buyer behavior has revolutionized the way we do business. Clients are now the center of attention. They expect to be wooed by their many suitors. They will have no qualms going to a competitor if the suitor does not meet their expectations even though they may be repeat customers.

A customized service, much like a courtship, is your best bet to win over the heart of your customers. If nothing else, personalization is a win-win strategy: Internet users get a quality customer experience and the website’s performance improves in all aspects: average cart content, loyalty, conversion rates, etc.

Here are 5 good reasons why you should customize your process:

Set yourself apart from your competitors

Globalization is a double-edged sword for corporations. It creates new markets and new opportunities. Customers around the world are dazzled by products they previously didn’t know existed.

But by merging markets worldwide–the same product being offered around the world, globalization toughens competition. Businesses must fiercely compete with new and foreign entrants. This environment calls for drastic changes in market strategy, one of which being customer personalization.

Companies which offer a personalized service, increase their market shares. Data collection on consumers and prospects as well as channel identification will set you apart in this fierce environment.

Promote customer loyalty

Customizing your approach gives your client relationship a more intimate tone and enhances your brand image. Customers feel they are “special” and their voice is heard. They will thus be more likely to stick with your brand and become devoted repeat customers.

Building brand loyalty can be expensive. Personalization brings down that expense by collecting only data on your clients’ specific wants and needs. You save money on research and improve your profitability.

Save time and money

Personalization puts customers at the heart of your strategy. Analyzing their browsing behavior makes it easier for you to pinpoint which complementary items he might be interested in.

Tools such as automatic selection of recommended items, proactive click to chat, personalized emails written based on customers’ behavior or choice of previous purchases, etc. save you and your client valuable time. Your clients enjoy a reactive and instant service. Your employees’ performances improve since they’re no longer walking blindfolded in uncharted territories.

Guarantee a quality customer experience

Be savvy when it comes to your strategy, particularly regarding customer experience. It’s often an emotional link which bonds a customer to a given brand.

A website purchase is an impersonal act. Live chat is among the better devices you can use to recreate that link. Studies show that 9 out of 10 Internet users say they are satisfied with the outcome of a live chat. They appreciate the personalized advice your employees give them.

Users will not hesitate to surrender personal data to secure a personalized service. The emotional bond with the brand is reestablished, as the customer no longer feels like a mere number.

Increase sales

Internet users may, at times, behave like children and be very impatient. Studies reveal that 75% of them leave a website if they don’t find what they were looking for in less than 2 minutes.

Guiding them in their research is crucial. Once you’ve collected and analyzed enough data, you are in a position to personalize pop-ups advertising discounts, special offers, recommendations, etc. or predictive click to chat tools. They decrease cart abandonment while increasing conversion rates and the average cart value. Your sales pick up.

Additional recommendations for complementary products can be scattered throughout various pages on your websites: the product page, the cart page, the order confirmation page, etc. These suggestions are connected with previous or foreseeable purchases. For example, if a client orders a scarf, suggest a hat or a pair of gloves. On average, total value of carts increases over 20% thanks to purchases made from complementary suggested products.

Being personal means keeping the emotional bonds which links your clients to  your brand alive. It’s gathering the right information, at the right time, from the right person. These 5 aforementioned reasons to get personal will personalize your brand without crossing over your customers’ privacy sphere.

What is your best tip for building a relationship with your client? Tell us below or Tweet us!
 

Image credit : Ivan