You’re a lawyer who has just established an online office to gain more clients. But your website has been up for a few weeks and you still have to gain new customers.
There were 3 or 4 people who have emailed you to inquire about your services and only 1 actually became your client.
After those few weeks, you realized there must be something missing on your website. So, you browsed online and perused new online apps for your site.
At last, you saw a Live Chat service being provided for career professionals offering their services online and for small business owners.
You have signed up for the chat service and now your Live Chat is in the processing stage. You want your visitors to experience a Live Chat that quickly responded to their needs, and a wonderful chat that they enjoyed the most.
You’re eager to see the Live Chat app go live on your website. But wait! You must learn first the 10 Live Chat tips to provide your customers an incredible experience.
#1 – Provide the account manager all the basic information of your services
This basic information is important because this would be the answers of the Live Chat Agents to your potential clients. The Agents should be trained according to your specifications and preferences.
You know what your prospective clients would most probably ask, so you can pass this on to the account manager who would train the Agents.
#2 – Live Chat Agents must be trained to transfer smoothly the Chat whenever necessary
There will be times that an Agent may not be specialized in the specific topic that the website visitor is asking. So, agents must be trained to transfer the chat smoothly and quickly to another Agent, or to a person specialized in that topic.
The visitor must be informed beforehand that the chat will be transferred to another Agent, and the visitor must also be informed when the chat is finally transferred.
#3 – Provide the customer a transcript of the chat
Visitors may need a transcript of the chat that they can refer to, when necessary. If you provide that great add-on, your visitors would love visiting your site. They would be delighted when they learn that a transcript is provided after the chat. That way, they can simply enjoy the chat, instead of being stressed from taking down notes.
They would most likely become your clients when they tend to visit your website regularly.
#4 – Make Live Chat buttons easily accessible
If your Live Chat box doesn’t pop up automatically, then the Chat buttons must be easily accessible to your website visitors.
They should be displayed on strategic places on your website, such as the user’s account (if there is one), the contact information, and on the most visible part of the website. A simple click will do.
#5 – Canned replies may be necessary in some instances
To save time, canned replies may be necessary. Visitors don’t like waiting. Live Chat services with the longest response time were rated the lowest by clients during surveys.
Canned replies can be created for enumerating the services you provide. Nevertheless, the Agent must be alert, because during the presentation the prospective client may have a question.
The presentation should then be stopped temporarily and the question answered. After the question is answered, the presentation can then be continued.
#6 – Instruct the Live Chat Agents to reply promptly and reliably to questions
The Live Agents should be aware that the questions of visitors must be replied to promptly and correctly. They should be friendly and accommodating because the visitor is a guest and a prospective client.
Not at any time during the chat should the visitor wait. Hence, everything must be prepared before the chat and all pertinent items must be within arm’s reach of the Agent.
#7 – The Agent must be able to explain in simple terms what the customer wants to know
When explaining any topic to the client, the Live Chat Agent must explain it simply. She must use the language that the visitor understands. Instruct the Agent not to use ambiguous terms or highfalutin words.
Her primary duty is not to impress the visitor but to respond to the visitor’s needs. Naturally, if the visitor is impressed, then that would be perfect.
Let’s say for example the visitor asked what services can you provide business owners, the Agent can explain it in simple terms:
Example
“Attorney Noel Scott can advise you about your business transactions; can defend your legal rights as a businessman, and can help you in the legal aspects of your business.”
#8 – The Agent must identify himself
The Live Agent must be pre-identified before the Live Chat starts. In the Chat Box the name of the Agent is usually written on the upper right hand corner.
If this feature is not available, then the Agent must state her name before commencing with the chat. Visitors wouldn’t want to talk to robots are faceless persons.
#9 – Offer freebies
You may want to offer freebies or free gifts for your potential clients. You can do this for the opening day of your Live Chat. It’s like an opening day gift to encourage online users to visit your website. The freebies can be downloadable songs, videos or learning paraphernalia.
#10 – End the conversation on a good note
The Agent must end the conversation on a good note, with an invitation for the client to visit your site again. Then the agent asks if there are other concerns that the visitor has, before she ends the conversation.
You may also instruct the Live Agent to gather the necessary information for potential leads, so that you would have an idea about the client before you talk to her/him.
These are the main chat tips that you can apply for your newly acquired Live Chat services. Optimize the use of your Live Chat to increase your website traffic and clients – in no time at all.
