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Live chat became a crucial part of great customer support in 2022. Customer service in the form of live chat apps can bring many benefits to your daily operations. But how to choose the right live chat app with so many options to pick from?
There are many live chat apps available on the market. With so many features, integrations, and different use cases, choosing the right one can be a pretty daunting task. Let’s take a look at a few factors you should add to your list when trying to pick the best live chat app for your business.
What are live chat tools?
Live chat is a widget on your website that lets your customers talk to you in real-time. It allows your business to directly communicate with website users, and it is a space for addressing any questions they have. It usually appears as a small pop-up window embedded on your website, most often in one of the bottom corners.
It can appear as a small icon that is maximized upon clicking through, or directly as a live chat box, encouraging your website visitors to zoom in and start an interaction.
Why should you use live chat?
Before we get into more details, here are some reasons why you should use a live chat app on your website. Of course, there are more advantages beyond the ones mentioned here, but we want to just list a few to whet your appetite.
#1 People are prone to writing rather than calling
Customers who need some help usually prefer to contact a company via live chat. A study says that more than half of people choose that kind of communication method over others.
Many people do not even want to make a call to order pizza, let alone a support line to make a complaint. Thanks to live chats, you can give them a neat way of solving that problem in a couple of minutes.
#2 It makes a fast communication solution
Being fast at answering clients’ inquiries improves the customer experience. A SuperOffice study says that a person who gets an instant answer to a question or inquiry is more satisfied and may be tempted to visit your website more often.
Additionally, according to the statistics, 79% of users prefer live chat support that provides instant responses.
Why? Because in general, people hate waiting. Fast replies make people feel important. Real-time service for customer support can have a positive impact on user experience and therefore, bring you closer to your business goals.
#3 Live chat increases sales
Numbers speak for themselves. One study shows that 62% of customers buying online would purchase more products if live chat support was available. Being instantly in touch with customers plays a critical role in determining whether or not a transaction will be completed. People are not generally eager to make phone calls to solve their problems.
Calling can be problematic for your employees as well - it takes some time for your company to redirect a phone call where it’s needed. There is also much research about people being stressed while talking on the phone - for many on both sides of the line, having to wait (or talk!) makes them uncomfortable.
Factors to consider when choosing a live chat app
Now you know how many benefits live chat brings, let us show you our checklist of key features when picking your live chat solution.
#1 Pricing plans
A typical live chat app costs from €10 to €50 per month. Also, there are apps that offer free, basic options so you can get started without paying anything at all. Pricing is one of the first factors that people take into consideration when buying anything. Compare the pricing options and features that different live chat apps offer you. If you are looking for a free live chat, Smartsupp is a great solution.
You can install Smartsupp on your website and take advantage of live chat with your customers. It’s great for companies like e-commerce stores or SaaS websites. Also, if you do choose Smartsupp, it’s good to know that upgrading your basic plan is a piece of cake. Besides the free version, there are 3 premium plans:
- Standard - recommended for small teams, €22.50 per month
- PRO - recommended for large teams, €108 per month
- Ultimate - recommended for every entrepreneur who wants to have a tailor-made solution, €2000 per year or about €167 per month
It’s always worth checking what’s behind the pricing tag. While some solutions may offer “free” packages, it can quickly turn out that your business pays a huge price for it elsewhere.
#2 Features
After checking if an app fits into your budget, it is time to check the features. Look up what set of general features the app provides and how much you have to pay for them.
- file sharing - brings many benefits for both assistants and customers. It is easier for assistants to accept a complaint if they can see a picture, and the problem can be verified immediately. In that case, if there is an issue, they can share advice with the customer on what to do immediately.
- teams stats & routing - check if you can export conversation history from the live chat application to your system. Make certain that all of the information and data are in one place.
- conversation history - that feature lets you come back to the customers’ chats and gets you valuable information. You can facilitate past inquiries and clients’ needs.
- agents - find out how many agents can help the customers at the same time. The possibility of sharing the work and delegating tasks among colleagues may facilitate their work satisfaction.
- data privacy and security - pay attention to the way of storing data. Make sure that the live chat application takes care of your privacy and security.
All of those may increase both employee and customer satisfaction. Smartsupp offers various features depending on what pricing plan you have. If you want to use the best tools for your business, check the Smartsupp offer.
#3 All messages in one place
People who want to contact you are able to do so in many ways, such as via messaging channels like Facebook messages, emails, and live chat. Many channels for you to handle, right?
Multi-channel communication is a great facilitator since it allows for redirecting all messages from customers to one place. Thanks to this, there is no need to switch between communication channels because you have everything in one handy location and can respond to your customers at the speed of light.
Furthermore, you have a complete overview of your messages under one roof which should streamline analytics and collaboration in your team. When looking for a live chat app, you should definitely check if it supports multi-channel comms.
#4 Detailed analytics
A very useful and beneficial feature that is worth checking is statistics and data delivery. With the right data, you will be able to analyze your customer support processes, which will improve your customer service.
For example, you may want to know what the average wait time is for your chats. Having such info makes it easier to set goals for you and your employees in order to make progress. This feature helps with evaluating your agents’ performance too.
Analytics show what strengths and weaknesses your company has. You can monitor the average response time, which is one of the most important things in a live chat service. Also, it is great to have insights into individual agents’ performance. That option allows you to reward the best employees and provide training to those who are not doing so well in the chat support team.
When you use many – and various – communication channels, having access to detailed analytics can be challenging. There are so many metrics to cover…
However, as we already mentioned, many live chat apps support analytics throughout different platforms so you can make informed business decisions and analyze your performance on a scale.
#5 Video recordings
Recordings also save a lot of time and may make customers more satisfied with the customer support experience. Video recordings help show where customers get lost on your website or how they navigate through it.
For example, customers have problems with making payments because they click on a picture instead of the correct button. Not having a video recording feature forces customers to explain the whole process, which can sometimes be a long and descriptive story. This can be really discouraging for them and can very often be the cause of giving up using your services.
Video recordings are an amazing customer support tool that can reveal exactly where problems are. And Smartsupp is a solution that offers video recordings for their visitors.
Thanks to this feature, customers can easily solve the problems by clicking on the video recording option. Video recording help to track customers’ moves on the website and send the video via the live chat channel to a customer service supporter. As a result, agents will be able to see exactly what the problem is and respond quickly to provide help and carry on interactions with a customer.
#6 Seamless consistency with your website
Don’t miss out on the visual aspect. Make sure the live chat app you choose lets you customize the chat window. Try to modify the icons, colors, and size of the chat window, as it should integrate well with your website.
An object popping up out of the blue on the screen is not convincing at all. It rather makes customers close the window as fast as they can because it is disturbing and may seem untrustworthy. A lack of customization options can therefore be a hindrance.
With Smartsupp, you can easily make the chat window an integral part of the website. Thanks to the option of customizing the chat window, you can keep it consistent with your webpage design.
#7 Mobile app
We live in a mobile world where customer support should be available 24/7. Check if the live chat service offers you a mobile application for your business. In this way, agents have the access to messages from customers anytime and anywhere - on the train, at the airport, away from the desk.
A mobile app chat is a feature worth paying attention to. Check if customer support can be provided via mobile devices such as phones or tablets. This is greatly beneficial for service agents.
The mobile app may improve response times and overall customer experience.
Now you know what’s worth considering
Live chat is definitely a must-have for your business. To choose one option from the many available from the market, make sure that it meets your and your customers’ expectations. We hope that this checklist is useful and can assist you with choosing the right live chat application.
If you are still deliberating, check out Smartsupp. Smartsupp provides great customers service support. Live chat, chatbots, and video recordings will help you save time and convert visitors into customers. Start a free trial today and guarantee that your customers have a positive experience with your chat support.