Tips for Enhancing Live Chat Effectiveness

A direct correlation exists between the availability of live chat and a growth in sales for online retailers according to a recent survey conducted by BoldChat. A key conclusion of the research was that e-retailers who are currently using live chat technology on their Web sites can improve results by following one or more of the following best practices for e-tailers to help enhance live chat effectiveness:

-Make chat available on every page
-Pay close attention to pages with high-value items
-Make offers in combination with proactive chat invitations
-Publish wait times for each communication mechanism
-Remind callers who have phoned #800 numbers that live chat is available as well
-Publish testimonials from live chat users

One best practice - paying close attention to pages with high-value items - is used successfully by FansEdge.com. With March Madness in the final stages, FansEdge.com pays particular attention to pages with higher ticket items and makes sure live chat is available there. "This was clearly a win-win solution as we provided an improved customer experience, and, at the same time, increased our conversion rate," says Kevin Bates, president of e-commerce and retail divisions for the Web Site. "Making a purchase is often a spur of the moment decision, and if that moment is lost, so is the sale."

Another best practice is making live chat available on every page. Appliance Zone, the fourth largest online retailer of appliance parts in the U.S. uses this tip on its Web Site. "Live chat is the primary means we use to communicate with our shoppers and you'll find it all over our site," says Jim Allen, CEO of ApplianceZone.com. "In fact, we recently took down our 800 number and stopped taking calls altogether. Because chat is a more efficient way to help customers, the strategy saves us money which we pass on in the form of lower prices."

To learn more, download the full research findings here.