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6 Ways Live Chat Can Increase Online Sales at Scale

June 10, 2021
June 10, 2021

If you’ve perused our site, you’ve probably noticed we’re quite confident in our ability to boost sales and generate leads through live chat.

But where does that confidence come from?

We could sit here all day and talk your ear off about The Funnel but there’s so much more to it than that. Understanding where your customers and potential customers are in their journey when they come to your site is only the beginning of what we do as award-winning digital engagement strategists.

Everything after that is where the real work begins.

Engagement is Key

We’ve heard the old adage, “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t force him to drink.” While it’s catchy and easy to remember, we respectfully disagree. In fact, we’re willing to bet that horse was just led to water he didn’t want in the first place. Okay, maybe this analogy isn’t perfect, but go with me for a minute.

Customers on your site are very much like that old horse. When it comes to conversion, having a potential customer on your site is simply not enough; you have to engage with them

If you aren’t engaging customers and potential customers, then you’re not really trying.

Talking to your site visitors is the first step in bridging the gap between “potential” and “paying” customer. If you’re there before they buy, they’ll know you’ll be there afterwards as well.

Choose Your Words Wisely

Engaging customers is an art form – don’t fall victim to thinking any digital engagement strategy is adequate.

The secret lies in what you’re saying and how you say it. After all, no one likes a pushy salesman telling them what to buy. But they also don’t like having no one to seek out when they need advice.

Remember – something brought your visitors to your site. Maybe it was a product, maybe it was your brand, maybe it was a random act of serendipity! You’ve got to narrow in on what landed them there before you can make sure they leave with what they need.

This is where your word choice comes into play. Here at The Chat Shop we boast “real conversations with real people” with good reason. If you’re not invested in your customers, why should they show any interest in you?

Perfect Timing

Have you ever been in a shop and needed assistance, only to find there wasn’t a single representative around?

Your website works a lot like that.

If you aren’t there for your customers or potential customers, they’re not going to stick around. This is key to sales enablement.

We understand how difficult that can be, which is why we offer Managed Chat Services, including out-of-hours chat.

Connect with your customers as often as possible in order to see your sales skyrocket! Early birds and night owls alike need that interaction.

Virtual Visitors Have No Time to Waste

In a brick and mortar setting, you can assume a customer has the time to shop once they’ve started walking around your store.

Online, however, things are a bit different.

Customers who choose to interact with you via chat can be doing a myriad of things. Some have a few moments at work to spare, some are killing time on their mobile devices, and some just don’t want to leave the comfort of their home.

Understanding that time is of the essence on chat is important. Be warned, though: If you’re not being mindful in the right ways, you could cost yourself some customers.

Respecting your virtual customers’ time does not mean rushing through your conversation with them. It means responding in a timely fashion with relevant information to keep them actively engaged.

But don’t just take our word for it. Let the facts speak for themselves. It’s hard to argue with 27 second response times, 99% customer satisfaction rating, and a 50% increase in leads.

Trust Who You Want Your Customers to Trust

We’ve touched base on what helps lead generation and sales enablement on chat, but what about what goes on behind the scenes?

Laying the best foundation possible through training is key to initiating sales enablement success.

We know not everyone is on-par with our agents; 100 hours of training with a 100% pass mark is a quite the mountain to climb. But the road to success is paved with sheer dedication and commitment.

Training your online representatives is the first step in making sure you’re closing sales and capturing leads with ease. If you can trust them with your sales, so can your customers.

Understand the Obstacles of Live Chat

Live Chat has the potential to make a huge difference in your lead generation and sales enablement. There’s no question about that.

In order to reap the benefits, however, you and your representatives need to understand the key obstacles live chat services present when it comes to interacting with your customers. Below are just a few:

No smiling. Interacting with customers face-to-face is tonally simple. A smile goes a long way. On chat, however, you don’t have that advantage. Knowing how to “virtually smile” is key.

No vocalization. When a customer can hear your voice, it’s easy to convey tone and enthusiasm. It’s easy to say what needs to be said. Being on chat takes away that ease of conversation and adds a new element; diction and syntax. Now it’s not just about what you say, but how you say it via text. Think of the difference between someone verbally saying “okay” while they nod and someone sending a text that says “okay.” The ability to misinterpret messages grows exponentially on chat.

No eye-contact. While we may be used to this kind of interaction over the phone, chat is different. Without the ability to smile or vocalize your service, not having that eye-contact is just another obstacle on the road to successful sales.

Ask yourself – how do you successfully sell a product or service when you cannot see, hear, or smile at a customer? Without considering the answer to that question, you simply cannot have successful sales on chat. We know how.

At the end of the day, live chat services can provide growth in lead generation, sales enablement, and customer satisfaction. We see this all the time with our clients at The Chat Shop.

Unfortunately, we’ve also seen the opposite happen.

In order to have a truly successful live chat service, it’s imperative that you understand exactly what goes into it. It’s a lot of work, but it’s rewarding.

Find out more how our award-winning live chat outsourcing can increase your online sales at scale.

Find out more

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