9 Reasons Why Customers Prefer Live Chat Services

The introduction of live chat services to websites has been a revelation in terms of improving customer service. Customers tend to choose live chat over email or telephone correspondence. Why do customers prefer live chat services to email and phone though? We’ve put together 9 benefits of live chat which will explain to you why customers prefer live chat services.

1. The promptness of response

With live chat, a huge amount of frustration is removed as you won’t be waiting in phone queues, listening to the same hold tone. There is no waiting for someone to pick up your email. With live chat, you get a response almost instantly. There is no unnecessary delay.

Once you engage in live chat conversations, you tend not to leave the site until your questions are answered. You get responses within seconds and your problem is solved within one conversation. This is an important aspect of live chat services for customers as 90% of them get frustrated by being put on hold for a long time.

2. Issues are resolved quickly

If there are any problems with payment or checkout, live chat offers chance to get a quick resolution to your problems. You can get answers regarding your order status because you are speaking to someone in the know, rather than a computer generated order system that hasn’t yet been updated. Waiting time is reduced and thus, any subsequent expenditure of energy, emotions, costs and time are avoided.

3. The customer can multi-task

Live chat is particularly useful because you can engage in it whilst you are engaged with other things. You can chat whilst you are at work, whilst you are browsing other sites, etc. We are so used to having multiple tabs open, multiple programs open, that we can concentrate on many different things at once. With live chat, we can continue with what we are doing, whilst someone is answering all of our questions. According to Nielsen research, 80% of UK tablet users and 78% of UK mobile users like to “duel screen”, it’s clear that consumers want the ability to multi-task.

4. The interaction is easy!

Sometimes, it seems impossible to find the answer you want on some websites. With live chat, you are saved from searching for the answer yourself. Someone else can do the legwork for you! It’s the same as being in a changing room and realising you’ve picked up the wrong size and sending the assistant to collect an alternative for you. Getting to the checkout and realising one of your eggs is broken. A live chat agent can make your transaction a lot easier. They have the ability to locate a customer on their website and direct them to a product or answer they need.

5. No awkward phone calls

Following on from ease, the medium of conversation makes it a lot easier for you to convey your queries. It is often easier to sit and think of something, type it, and send it rather than babbling away at someone over the phone. You can think about your words. Furthermore, many people don’t like to speak on the phone, live chat makes life easy for them! No awkward interactions but the benefit of live response.

6. Live chat is free

Another benefit to live chat is that there is no additional charge. Often when you want a quick response, you have to ring a company and so often the number they provide is a number that will charge. With live chat, customers avoid unwanted and unnecessary call charges, and the business avoids losing you!

7. There is a real person with whom to engage

You can’t underestimate how useful it is to have a real person to engage with, discuss a product with; even to offer an alternative opinion. With live chat, you have a person at your disposal to recommend complimentary products, alternatives if the item you want is out of stock and so on. It is useful to be walked through the sale when you are undergoing the buying process, especially if the goods you are choosing have great value – financial or otherwise.

Did you know that 56% of online shoppers are more likely to return to a site that shows product recommendations?

8. There is less pressure on the customer

With live chat, you are under smaller obligation to respond. The conversation is entirely oriented around the customer’s needs. Once you receive your response, there is no further obligation to continue the conversation. Chat agents are not employed to push sales, they are there to assist the customer’s experience. The customer service exchange can be a lot more productive because of the medium – the customer tends to be more direct in their questions and what they require.

9. There is chance to get more information

You can ask multi-stranded questions. The nature of the medium means that the answers you get will be clear and concise. There is also the opportunity to scroll back through the information provided without repeating yourself. And, you can even have the full chat transcript emailed to you once you have closed the chat window.

So that’s 9 Reasons Why Customers Prefer Live Chat Services. Can you add to this list? Why do you prefer live chat services to email and phone support? Leave a comment below.