Live chat has proven to be an effective and efficient marketing tool. Statistics show that people are more likely to stay on a website and make a purchase if they see that there is a live chat feature. Like everything in life though, live chat has both its advantages and disadvantages. Let’s take a look at some of those pros and cons for live chat for websites.
More competent service – Compared to phone support, it’s easier for your staff to “know all the answers” because they have many resources at their disposal. The best part is the customer won’t even notice it.
Instant feedback – Chat is usually faster than phone support and email support.
Help more people at the same time – Chat agents are usually able to serve three or even more people simultaneously.
Convenient – Support can easily send helpful links to the customer through the chat interface and type complicated names into the chat box.
Not all users will like it – Users who aren’t computer savvy will probably not be too fond of it.
Not all users will know how to use it – If your websites attracts mainly technophobes or an older generation, live chat may not be what they are looking for.
Not great on mobile platforms – iPhone users who are not able to type at lightning speed won’t have much fun using live chat. In addition, not all mobile devices are able to support live chat applications.
“Prank chats” – With live chat, you run the risk of prank chats. If this happens frequently you can, however, block the person.
While there might be some negatives associated with live chat, the positives significantly outweigh those negatives. Contact us today to learn more about our live chat services and to start your 30-day free trial.
