Recently sitting in a cosy Portuguese restaurant, the place was at full capacity with around 30 diners and 3 staff serving. As a table of 6, one of the larger parties within the restaurant and 20% of their customer base we expected around 60% of one server’s attention. However on several occasions we had to chase them to order more drinks or obtain cutlery etc. which was disappointing.
Attentiveness can become the downfall of a business when it comes to a company’s website, although contact methods are often available on various pages, your phone number presented in your header, an enquiry form or email address provided on a contact us page etc. your visitors still have to chase your representatives to be served.
Business to Business or Government (B2B / B2G) organisations can be more attentive in their customer service approach, as they can schedule regular calls to offer support and answer any questions the client may have. Business to Consumer companies tend to find this method doesn’t work as well for them as consumers tend to not purchase regularly, and believe the contact to be of a more cold call nature.
Live chat services offers a compromise. Whilst the chat button is positioned on your website and visitors still need to take the first step to initiate a session, they don’t need to wait in a queue or choose from multiple menu options as they would with a phone call. The button follows the visitor as they browse providing easy access to communication channel, regardless of what page they are viewing. They are instantly connected to a representative, to have their questions answered in real time via text based messages.
Visitors browse websites anonymously with many organisations unaware that the consumer may have questions and require help unless they reach out. So how can companies become more attentive to their visitor’s needs?
Using analytical software and platforms, organisations can begin to identify trends. Where are your visitors exiting the site? What are the most popular pages being viewed? Once this knowledge is gathered the live chat services functionality can be optimised further to offer help based on the visitor’s behaviour.
An image asking the visitor if they wish to chat, known as a Proactive Invitation, can be presented to the visitor based on the page(s) they viewed or the duration they have browsed the website for. This allows organisations to approach online visitors in the same manner as you would expect physically in a store or restaurant, asking if there’s anything they can help them with or checking if everything is ok.
Proactive invitations can help reduce abandonments when timed correctly, as it gives visitors another communication option that is quick and easy. Due to its nature, many consumers don’t mind asking questions via live chat even if they wouldn’t necessarily make the effort to contact the organisation by phone or email. Therefore the communication channel can increase engagement and improve satisfaction as the visitor can get all of their questions fully answered.
Providing customer service does not stop the moment visitors are no longer in view of the member of staff. Whether in a physical location or on your website, representatives need to ensure they are aware of the consumer and that they may have questions at any point during their journey. Being attentive to their needs ensures your organisation can provide great customer service.
Is your company aware of your online visitors and attentive to their needs? If not, try adding live chat software to fill the gap.
