3 benefits of live chat for business

Are you feeling perplexed about the benefits of live chat for business? If your brand has survived for this long on good old-fashioned emails and phone calls, why rock the boat?

Be harder, better, faster, and stronger with live chat for business

It's no great secret that we live in a world of the here and now. Patience is more fragile than ever, and attention spans are constantly shifting between left, right, and centre. In fact, while I wrote this, an office argument broke out around which is harder, skiing or snowboarding... I was thoroughly distracted.

We want gratification for our actions and we want it now. Response rates have to be super-sonic, delivery must be immaculate, and customer service needs to be the answer to all our problems.

These days, people expect a cohesive brand experience that firmly puts the buyer in the driving seat, with the ability to speak with someone when they need support, and receive a response tailored to their unique needs.

Luckily, live chat has the ability to meet all demands of today's needy consumer (that's me and you).

Why you should care

The reason this is so important is because buyers are more independent, informed and empowered than ever before. As a result, if you don't meet the buyer's needs, they are more than happy to simply go elsewhere.

It seems obvious, but a good experience really does deliver better returns. Leads are more likely to become a customer, have a great experience, develop brand loyalty and champion your offering to their wider circle.

A negative experience, however, may remove them from your pipeline as they move to other options that can satisfy their need for speed. Even if their experience isn't actively negative, modern consumers love to compare options in the market, so you need to stand head and shoulders above the competition to secure their business.

No matter how great your product or service, your brand can't rest on its laurels. You want to be always growing, delivering a strong customer experience and communicating your offering to new prospects. 

Live chat apps like Drift and HubSpot conversations are helping companies to embrace a more "in the moment" method of communication, realising the power of meeting consumers on their preferred platforms.

RELATED: Drift vs. Intercom for conversational marketing

Live chat for business: Three ideal use cases

I'm not saying every business needs to implement live chat, but it should be something you at least consider. Here are a few warning signs:  

• Your website has a high amount of traffic, but not much of it converts. Test out a live chat feature and see why you're lacking leads with such good traffic already in place. Also consider looking at tools like HotJar to see what people do during a session on your site.

• You have a lot of varying FAQs or customer service requests, if you have a sales or customer service team that can address these actions in real time, you are more likely to close business and keep current customers happy.

• You struggle connecting with interested leads. Getting through to prospects when their intent is high is key to sales success, but if you're constantly faced with engaged dial tones and out-of-office emails, live chat can provide a more flexible and convenient way to speak with individuals in office hours, on their commute or even at home.

We use live chat for business communications on a daily basis. To put it simply, it works. We've seen a reduction in lead time and an increase in conversions. This sales jargon essentially means that people often prefer to talk to myself or Charlotte via a messaging app, rather than fill out a form and wait, or ring the office. 

This is actually one of the biggest benefits of live chat that we see. Once a lead begins to chat with us online, they realise that we are lovely people who are actually able to help. The conversations which follow over the phone or video conference are therefore a lot warmer, and move faster as a result.

If any of this sounds interesting, chat to us on our own live chat app, and we can help you to get the ball rolling.