Unlocking your business potential with live chat - Business Review ...

By Kurt Bager, CEO, Netop

The internet has changed the way consumers make purchases and receive customer service and with businesses struggling during the current economic climate, providing a good customer experience bolstered by good customer service is do-or-die.

Therefore, now is the perfect time to solve those concerns by focusing your attention on your company?s most valued asset, the one that keeps the cogs turning: the customer.

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Customer frustration

Figures show that e-commerce cart abandonment rates remain around the 70 percent mark, a shockingly high level of attrition. Experts agree that customer confusion and lack of information is behind this continued trend, exacerbated by poor online customer service.

Consumers want answers fast and the Internet only amplifies this impatience for real-time information and instant gratification. Solutions such as email and telephone support often lead to lengthy wait times and frustrated customers.

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What?s next?

Lets be honest, in spite of the benefits the Internet brings to businesses, the online experience lacks the personal touch that makes the high street shop so successful.

Too many companies follow the rudimentary rules when putting a face to their brand online, whereas you have to take pride in it and offer as many aspects to it as you would expect to find in your regular brick and mortar store.

After all it?s your store front in a virtual high street. Recent statistics revealed that 77 percent of online shoppers want contact with a real person before making a purchase, and to overcome this issue in the virtual world, businesses worldwide are turning to live chat software.

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Reaping the benefits

Drive Vauxhall, one of the UK?s largest vehicle sales groups, installed live chat having realised that 83 percent of their customers viewed their vehicle online prior to purchasing.

With an annual turnover of ?200 million the business currently operates a dedicated contact centre with 25 support staff dealing with over 14,000 enquiries per month. Installing live chat software has generated a new revenue stream and strengthened customer relationships.

From an entrepreneurial perspective, start-up businesses are also reaping the benefits of live chat.

A leading online retailer of eyewear products, Vision Eyewear, installed live chat to help maintain the ?personal experience? that comes with buying prescription glasses. The company?s customer service was initially offered through phone and email support, but this was leading to high volumes of calls resulting in customer queues.

As a business in its first months of existence, it was essential to capitalise on the interest being shown online, otherwise customers would be unlikely to return. By using live chat, the business has avoided having to run customer service from a call centre, which would have been an extremely prohibitive cost for a start-up.

An additional benefit of the tool is the remote working capability that it offers to staff, which has increased flexibility.

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Meeting customer expectations

The bottom line is, customers are becoming increasingly spoilt for choice, and attracting users to your website is no longer enough. Businesses need to go that extra mile in order to keep consumers interested.

Gradually, as more and more computers come equipped with webcams and microphones, two-way audio and video communication will become the norm.

Customers will begin to expect, and prefer, an interactive approach that goes beyond emails and telephones, to one that includes a rich multi-media customer experience. So, why not stay one step ahead of the game?

Source: http://www.businessrevieweurope.eu/technology/unlocking-your-business-potential-with-live-chat

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