What to do if you are a small business and want to manage your own live chat?

A major challenge for small businesses is selecting and implementing tools that deliver positive ROI without requiring too much time and effort. Small businesses need efficient solutions particularly when we are looking at something like live chat. Effective live chat for small businesses needs to be low maintenance because small businesses do not usually have the manpower or time to spend on ensuring that live chat is being run properly. They have to get it right as fast as possible. Here we discuss how small businesses can work on making their live chat solution work effectively for them.

Live chat is a must for businesses as it helps them communicate better with their customers and helps bring about an increase in customer satisfaction. It helps promote sales and also reduces expenses when compared to traditional modes of communication with their customers. It is therefore important to ensure that small businesses get it right. Here we have collated a few tips on ensuring live chat success for small businesses.

How to ensure live chat success:

Do your research: Prior to adding live chat to your website, you should do your homework. The answers to questions like which page in your website has the highest number of visitors, which one has the highest bounce rate, where do your customers drop off most while looking to purchase, etc. Google Analytics can help you with the questions you will have about your website and how it works and can help you identify issues that you can look at addressing when you implement live chat.

Start small: The above research can help you identify the areas where live chat can be most effective. You don’t have to have live chat on every page. Starting small will help make your live chat experience better and you can always add chat to more pages later on. You can get better ROI by adding chat just to the pricing page, sign up page or any page where you get the most qualified leads. You can also add chat to the page where customers have the maximum trouble thereby preventing bouncing with timely intervention. You should also limit the number of chats to a manageable number so that the chat agent can handle it comfortably.

Once your chat is set up, there are some things that the agent needs to do to ensure that the customers are treated right and will come back to your website

Prompt response: Do not make your customer wait. Ensure that you respond to chats promptly. The difference between an unhappy customer and a satisfied customer can almost be measured in seconds. Ensure your staff is prepared and you do not have gaps in coverage. Also, the customers might expect you to be available after hours. You have to make sure the staffing is done appropriately, or consider outsourcing.

Politeness: Irrespective of how the chat is initiated, (it may be customer-initiated or even by an action like adding an item to the shopping cart), you have to treat your customer exactly like you would a customer in a store. You have to be polite and approachable and start the conversation by greeting them and asking them how you can assist. 

Collecting the required details (Name and contact details etc.): Start the chat off by asking for their name as much as possible. If the customer is in a hurry and is demanding a solution, you have to take a call on how you would deal with the customers but after a long interaction if you do not have the details required you need to rework your approach.

Addressing the customer requirement: Always keep in mind that the customer is king, you have to focus on what they are looking for. You have to provide them with what they are looking for as best as you can in an honest, empathetic, and friendly manner. Never answer questions you do not know the answer to. In case you are asked a question you do not know how to answer, inform the customer of that and give them a time frame within which you would get back to them. Ensure you collect their details so that you can send them an email, SMS, or call them, whichever they prefer. 

Closing the chat: Now that you have addressed their issue or given them a time frame by which you would address it, you need to end the chat. This is critical as you need to leave them in a positive frame of mind. You can do this by thanking the customer for getting in touch, double-checking with them if their issue is addressed, and making sure they do not need any further help from you. If you have a provision for rating the chat, you can check with the customer if they would mind rating their experience on the chat.

Conclusion:

The reality is that running a small business is difficult. Being enthusiastic about what you do, the items you sell, and the people with whom you do business will help give your company a sense of purpose and propel it forwards. Websites should reflect that and so should your live chat. It is not easy to implement live chat for small businesses. The requirement is for an efficient and targeted live chat solution that does not require too much time and effort. Although as a small business you are used to doing things on your own, it may be worth investigating an outsourced solution. Your time is money, so do your research first. For a no-obligation quote, or a quick chat about how to start visit our website at https://www.livechatagent.com.au/ or call Tracey at 1800 332 428 to learn how LiveChat Agent can provide your business with fully-managed live chat support 24/7!

Also Read: Live Chat Success for Smaller Businesses –Professional Tips

• Author Details

Author Details

Tracey Horey

CEO of Live Chat Agent

Tracey Horey is a 20 year veteran of the Automotive industry and has been writing Automotive content and helping Dealerships optimise their digital space for over 15 years. Her experience working with various sized dealerships and her passion for exploring and understanding new tools for the auto industry has given her an in depth understanding of the challenges all dealerships face in a changing landscape.

accounts@livechatagent.com.au

1800 332 428