International Business and Technology Blog

We are in the age of automation, endless information, and access to pretty much anything we want at a click of a button.

It’s a wonderful world to be a consumer in, but with so many companies, products, and reviews to sort through, we want to be confident in our choices.

In today’s competitive environment, what matters is not what we sell, but how we sell it. To best serve our potential customers, we need to optimize user experience by aiming to be helpful, timely, and localized.

One way companies can accomplish this is by making it as easy as possible for potential customers to get the answers they want, when they want them, how they want them- and it has never been easier than using live chat.

What is it?

HubSpot defines live chat as: “instant messaging to connect web visitors with a representative of the company or website. Customers can quickly attain solutions by clicking on a link and communicating with an employee through a private browser. This convenience and immediacy make live chat an attractive communication channel for both the customer and the business”.

Live chat offers an immediate option for potential customers to get quick answers to what they want without having to pick up the phone or send an email. It’s convenient, efficient, and feels a little more casual or impersonal so there is no fear of commitment.

Why use it?

Live chat offers another channel to best serve your potential customers and make their buyers journey as frictionless as possible- with the main goal of being helpful, relevant, and timely.

Research shows that 82% of customers rate an “immediate” response (meaning less than 10 minutes) as important or very important when they have a marketing or sales question, and 90% say the same regarding a customer service question.

So it’s no surprise that J.D. Power found that live chat has become the leading digital contact method for online customers, as a staggering 42% of customers prefer live chat compared to just 23% for email, and 16% for social media or forums.

But not only is it a great tool for the customer, it is helpful for businesses as well! A report by ICMI found that website visitors that engage with your company via live chat are worth 4.5 times more than visitors that don’t.

What about my international sites?

If you want to put live chat on one of your localized websites, best practice would be to assign the chats to a representative that speaks the local language and tailor the chat availability to their work hours.

However, if a live representative is not a viable option, there are other ways to communicate. First, you can get a plug-in that automatically generates translations in the live chat. It is a great option to consider, however you just have to be aware of potential language faux paus that can occur, and you are trusting a machine with your messaging.

Another option is can go with a chat bot instead of a live chat to answer FAQ’s, obtain relevant information, and set expectations as to when they will receive an email response.

When live chat is used in a strategic and smart way, it can be an effective tool to help potential customers and lead them through the buyer’s journey. Remember, it’s not what you sell, but how you sell it, so always aim to be helpful, timely, and localized.

At IBT Online, we have been successfully implementing live chat for our clients through the Online Global Program to enable them to communicate with their international prospects in a more personal and efficient manner. If you are curious about this option, please don’t hesitate to reach out and we can “chat” about it! 

Sources:

https://www.superoffice.com/blog/live-chat-statistics/

https://blog.hubspot.com/service/customers-want-live-chat

https://blog.hubspot.com/news-trends/live-chat-go-to-market-flaw