Through channels like email and phone calls, it’s never been easier to get in touch with a home services business when you need it most.
Out of all the ways to get in touch with businesses, only one offers the convenience and engagement customers are looking for in 2022. With live chat, customers don’t have to pick up a phone or write an email. With the click of a button, you can find answers to your most pressing questions and get on the path toward services.
If you haven’t already taken a look at the benefits of a website chat for home services, you could be missing out on a powerful opportunity for customer engagement. Investing in the right live chat software can help maximize response times, improve customer satisfaction, and deliver the results you’ve been looking for.
Here is everything you need to know about using a live chat feature to bring your home services business to new heights.
What Is Website Chat?
Website chat is software that allows customers to reach businesses in real-time. Through a chat widget added to every page of your website - usually in the bottom right or left corner - customers can send a direct message to your company.
Whether they’re ready to request your services or just have a question, a potential customer can use this chat box to request a prompt response from your business.
For the website visitor, using the chat feature is as easy as using any kind of social media messaging app, like Facebook Messenger. They just click the live chat widget on the bottom corner of the screen. From there, they can use the chat window to send text, files, images, and even emojis to start a chat conversation with your business.
From your end, a live chat agent can handle the rest. When you receive a chat message from a website visitor, someone from your team can send a real-time response via the chat app. You can also use canned responses to get back to them faster, like automated “welcome” messages or answers to frequently asked questions.
How Can a Website Chat Help Your Business?
As a home services business, web chat may not have been on your radar. You may even have thought that chat plugins were only possible for larger companies with larger marketing budgets.
But the truth is that businesses of every size can use a live chat tool to upgrade the way they connect with customers for customer support.
Here are some of the ways a website chat can help your business.
1. Turn Visitors Into Leads
While your website serves a valuable role as the hub for your business, the web pages alone aren’t always enough to draw in customers. The average page visit is less than a minute, with many bouncing away after less than 20 seconds.
Even if a potential customer is interested in your services, it might take an extra push to convert them into actual leads. Through genuine, real-time interactions, you can better engage with these casual browsers and convince them to stick around.
The impact of website chat on conversions is even clearer through the numbers. Live chat engagement can improve your conversion rate by 40%. Customers who chat with a business are three times more likely to make a purchase.
2. Collect Valuable Information
A website chat offers more than just more personalized conversations with potential customers. It’s also a powerful tool to collect information that you can use to drive leads.
Even if a customer isn’t ready to book, you can collect information that could be later used to follow up. For example, you can add someone to your email list or even send them an individual follow-up. This kind of direct, personal contact keeps your company at the top of their mind - and it might just be the nudge they needed to choose you over the competition.
3. Make It Easier to Engage
Phone support used to be the most popular way to reach customers. But times are changing, and the way businesses communicate has to change, too. Customer service interactions via traditional channels like phone and email fell by 7% in just two years.
Today, 79% of customers prefer live chat over other forms of communication, and it’s easy to see why. Live chat takes only a matter of seconds. All a visitor has to do is type up a quick message in the live chat app, and they can get a response almost instantly.
4. Improve Customer Experience
One of the primary benefits of live chat is that it gives your customer experience a personal edge. Instead of dealing with long wait times or finding a customer support email on the help page, customers can get in touch with a customer service representative in a matter of minutes.
The benefits of real-time response have become a priority with many prospective customers. In fact, 44% of people say that it’s the most important feature of a company’s website.
Here are a few statistics showing how important live chat is to the customer experience:
- 42% of customers say they would stop using a brand if it didn’t have a live chat solution
- 63% of customers are more likely to return to a business after chatting with them online
- 41% of customers trust a brand more when the live chat option is available
- 82% of customers expect an immediate response from the businesses they work with
How to Get Started With Website Chat
A chat tool might be all it takes to start making the most of your website. From increasing revenue to delivering a memorable customer service experience, live chat support will keep people coming back for more.
But how do you actually get started with website chats? The process doesn’t have to be complicated. Here are a few basic steps you can take to create a proactive chat solution.
Increase Customer Engagement With a Chat Tool
Chat tools are a great way to interact with customers and provide instant support. You can easily install a chat tool like Ruby or Mobile Monkey to your site without learning a new software language. Many tools allow you to add company branding to your chat window to match your company website.
Installing Live Chat
Chat tool software typically provides customers with a user-friendly portal to configure the look and feel of their site. For example, when you log into Mobile Monkey, you can navigate to a Customer Chats Widgets section to start your chat widget setup. From there, you can perform various actions like:
- Deciding on the number of widgets to add
- Customizing the chat widget welcome message
- Selecting a color scheme for the widget that matches your business site
- Choosing which responses the widget should deploy in response to specific questions
- Configuring lead capture options like asking for an email address or phone number
You can also set up rules on when to display widgets and on what website pages. Once you’re done, copy the code generated by the chat tool software and paste it in front of the header tag within your web page code.
Add a Live Agent Representative
Next, it’s time to add live chat representatives to handle the real-time conversation. Depending on the tool you decide to use, you may be able to select which incoming chats to respond to, or the system will assign them automatically.
Some chat software will also allow you to include a chatbot, oran automated tool powered by AI. A chatbot can answer simple customer inquiries right away. This tool can also gather relevant information, like contact information, before passing on the customer to a more personalized conversation with a live agent.
Making the Most of Your Website With Live Chat
Communication is critical to building loyalty with your customers and securing new customers. When your website has chat functionality, you’ll never leave potential customers wanting an answer. Instead of leaving your soon-to-be clients searching through FAQ sections or looking for a customer support email, the live chat makes it easy for them to find exactly what they need.
Ready to see the results on your own website? With Scorpion’s live chat and text technology, you can convert customers instantly. Learn more about what we do and get started today.
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