Is a Live Chat Worth It? The Importance of a Live Chat on Your Website

Are you doing everything you can to make it easy for potential customers to contact your business? According to Google, 68% of respondents of their survey were more likely to buy from a business that made it easy to contact them.

Chat is included as a convenient communication tool, and it’s been surfacing more and more. In fact, we listed live chat features as one of the top marketing trends to look for in 2021, as many consumers want to talk to a business, but not with a sales representative on the phone.

But, is a chat feature worth it on your site? If you want more leads or more valuable leads, the answer is most likely yes. If you’re in the beauty school industry, jump down to learn about the impact a live chat can have for your school.

You can also learn more about:

• What Is a Live Chat on a Website?
• Do I Need a Live Chat on My Website?
• How Do You Add a Live Chat on Your Website?
• How To Pick the Right Provider

What Is a Live Chat on a Website?

First, if you aren’t sure what we’re talking about, a live chat is a feature that allows people to communicate with the business directly without leaving your website, similar to a text message or email. However, unlike text messages or email or filling out the form, users can often get an answer to their query within 10-30 seconds. It’s instant and convenient!

There are a variety of different options for a live chat, ranging from a bot to sending queries to a “call center” where users can get answers directly from a human. Users can interact with chats by opening up the icon window and typing directly into that window and they’ll receive answers directly on the website, which can increase the amount of time they spend on your website.

Depending on the provider, it may recommend some questions for a user to ask on how to use the chat, while others may open up the opportunity to chat directly with a person, where they can ask whatever questions they’d like!

While users shouldn’t be sending private information through a live chat feature, it’s a good opportunity for someone to get certain questions answered about your product or service without needing to talk to someone on the phone, especially the most common questions like, “What programs do you offer?” or “How do I set an appointment?”

Live chats are especially useful for buyers who don’t like to talk on the phone and have easy-to-answer questions about your product or service.

Do I Need a Live Chat on My Website?

When it comes to live chat, the most common concern is, “But I make most of my business through phone calls, why would I get something that decreases the chance for someone to call me?”

Yes, it is possible that the number of phone calls could go down for your business, but the value of live chats shouldn’t be discredited.

Some of the key advantages of a live chat feature is that it creates a better user experience that builds trust with potential customers. By answering people’s questions before they become a lead, those people are more likely to make the purchase because they already have the information they need to know your product is for them.

While you may see a decrease in actual leads, you can see an increase in sales.

The biggest disadvantage to a live chat feature is that if it creates a bad user experience, it can hurt your trust with potential customers. So, if you’re going to add a live chat to your website, it has to be done right. Having a half-good experience can do more harm than good.

If your chat doesn’t work, a user might bounce or go to a competitor that does provide the experience they want from a business. Live chats can also be relatively expensive, if you choose the wrong provider. But, there are certain payment options that make this cost more reasonable.

Here are a few other factors to decide if your website needs a live chat feature:

What Part Does It Play in the Customer’s Journey?

When determining whether or not your website needs a chat feature, first decide whether or not your customers would actively use it to convince them your product or service is for them.

We work with a lot of beauty schools across the country, so we’re going to use that industry as an example on whether or not a live chat might be worth it for you.

You can determine if a chat is a good idea by walking through how a lead finds you and ultimately chooses you over your competitors.

First, someone goes to Google. They might search for something like “beauty school near me” or “cosmetology school.” Google will choose to show a variety of options and someone might click through to a few of the results that show up, whether it’s an ad or in the map pack.

Then, it’s research time.

Someone might open a few of the search results and will evaluate your brand/look/feel to get a sense of which school they might like best. And from there, the rest of the decision process is solely customer experience: was your site helpful, easy to use, or quick to get in touch with someone?

That’s where a chat can really play in. What if a potential student is trying to pick between two schools and you’re the one with the chat? What if they can immediately “talk” to someone and get at least some basic info and be told what will happen next and what to expect. What if your competitor only has a form to fill out?

One of the biggest pros about having a chat is “winning” at having the first conversation with a potential student. It provides an instant interaction, instead of having to wait for a member of your team to reach out.

Students often end up going to the school where they heard from someone and had a conversation first. That’s why calling leads so quickly after they come in via a form is so important, and a chat can fill that role.

Even if they ask questions that are better answered during the tour, like “How much does beauty school cost?” or “When do classes start?” can be navigated in a way through a chat that’s helpful while still providing that answer in person. as the chat can set the expectation that someone will be reaching out to schedule that appointment.

What Is Your Industry?

While the customer journey we painted above is for beauty schools, other industries can benefit from a live chat feature, too, no matter if you’re a dentist, a plumber, or even run an online store.

Some of the industries best suited for a live chat are:

• Healthcare and dentistry
• Education
• Real estate agents
• E-commerce companies
• Car dealerships
• Travel services

But, a live chat could still be for you, depending on your primary audience.

How Do You Want People To Contact Your Business?

Think of all the different ways that someone can contact you:

• Phone call or text
• Visit your place of business
• Google My Business messaging
• Live chat on your website

If people want to talk to you through chat or text, then you should consider adding ways for people to reach out with those platforms. Knowing who your audience is and how they prefer to communicate is vital to a strong marketing strategy and customer experience.

Learning what the general age of your primary audience is can help you make these decisions, too. For millennials, phone calls were the fourth most common communication method, the top method being text.

While Gen Z may be more likely to talk to someone on the phone, they are 60% more likely than average to hang up if a phone is not answered within 45 seconds, so they value fast customer service. Chats can come in handy for both generations, since millennials will appreciate the texting platform and Gen z will appreciate the faster response time.

Read More: Getting Social With Gen Z

How Do You Add a Live Chat on Your Website?

Another common stopping point someone has when looking into a live chat is how to install it on the website. However, if you have a good web developer or a good marketing agency on your side, it’s often as easy as adding a bit of extra code to your website!

But, how easy it is to implement depends on the provider.

How To Pick the Right Provider

Have you decided that adding a live chat to your website is worth it? It’s time to figure out what features you need to provide the best user experience. Some questions you may consider asking:

• Does it work on both desktop and mobile?
• How much does it cost?
• Is it easy to add to your website?
• How are responses generated
• Is there a way to track chat users as a lead?
• How much extra work does it create for your staff?

At Oozle Media we wanted to create a chat experience that WORKS. That’s why our chat:

• Works on both desktop and mobile
• Is performance-based, as you pay-per-lead, not per use of the chat
• Uses customizable script, which means it is easy to add and can match your brand
• Provides answers 24/7 by actual people, not a robot
• Integrates easily into your current CRM, which means you can track any leads that come through
• Does not require a member of your staff to regularly monitor a phone or computer

It’s important to us to provide a good experience because we understand just how big of a role it plays on the buyer’s journey for your business. That’s also why we offer a “try it before you buy it” deal that lets you try our chat for two weeks.

Loved having it on your site? Purchase our chat functionality and setup, then pay only for leads that come through. Didn’t like the experience? We’ll take it off of your website at no cost to you.

Get a Demo of Our Chat!

If you want to see if adding a chat feature on your website, get in touch with the team at Oozle Media! We’ll be happy to provide you with a live demo of what the chat features we offer look like, plus additional insight into your current marketing strategy.