44% of online shoppers state that the ability to ask questions to a person questions via live chat is one of the most important feature an online store can offer.

As you may have heard, Customer demands are changing dramatically. Offering limited channels for your customers questions will result in dissatisfied customers, which leads to bad reviews and lost sales.  Now days, offering only email support complemented by limited phone support hours just isn’t going to cut it anymore.

Hello merchants, and welcome to our  new service-based economy.

Lucky for us, live chat is here to help us save the day. And our business.

“Customers are gravitating more towards live chat as their preferred channel”, as per the senior manager of data and analytics at Zendesk says.  Chat tool has been building more confidence in a user’s experience simply because it added a sense of human touch. The hyper-connected society just needs someone to be always there when they need to have information.

42% of consumers say that they prefer live chat functions because they don’t have to wait on hold.

Now days potential customers want instant answers. They want instant communication, and they want your company to be available when they want to talk, which isn’t always during typical work hours.

Adding 24/7 live chat will increase sales.

Not only does it result in increased customer satisfaction, it has a direct impact on sales. One company, Paleo Treats estimates that as much as 20% of their sales occur after a live chat conversion.

Why? Engagement is important to customers. As an owner of a business, or a person responsible for bringing sales into a company, you need to take advantage of every engagement opportunity a customer gives you. Engage, Engage, Engage! Yes, the human touch still matters.

Even today,  83% of online shoppers need support to complete a purchase. And if they don’t get that help, they’ll abandon the online purchase and find another company who will give them quick answers to their questions.

Keeping the customers happy with your products and services is always non-negotiable. Adding live chat to your eCommerce store gives you the opportunity to create an exceptional customer experience.

63% of customers said they were more likely to return to a website that offers live chat as opposed to one that doesn’t.

Getting Started with Live Chat

Finding a cost-effective live chat solution for your businesses isn’t incredibility difficult. A simple Google search for “live chat software” will produce hundreds of results from companies like livechat Inc, LivePerson and more. Most of these companies price their software on a per-seat or per-agent basis. Prices range from $14.95 per seat and up.

Many live chat services want to charge you for additional features and engagements beyond what’s included in their standard packages. Therefore it’s important to thoroughly research each one to insure you don’t get unexpected charges at the end of the month.

Also review the features they provide and make the platform you select aligns with the needs of your business.

92% customers feel satisfied when they use the live chat feature

Adding 24/7 Live Chat

Live chat is only effective if someone is on the other end of the chat answering customers questions. Nothing is more frustrating then seeing a live chat button and clicking on it, only to discover they live chat system wants you to “Leave a message” so someone can get back to you later.

End result of that exchange? No sale.

The good news is adding 24/7 live chat isn’t nearly as difficult as you might think. Companies like OnSource.co specialize in building impactful customer engagements that drive sales 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We can build entire omni-channel support teams, or complement your existing team through cost-effective staff augmentations. So now, you can have someone answer your calls and responding to your live chats.