Many websites now have live chat facilities on offer for customers, but why might membership organisations consider adding the feature? We take a look at some of the advantages.
1. Getting to know members
Live chat gives you a real opportunity to get to know your members. When you understand their needs and wants, you can better serve these with your offer. This type of plug-in feature offers superb reporting tools which give you a rich array of analytics and data from which you can make ongoing website development decisions.
2. Giving customers what they want
Research shows that customers want to have live chat when they visit a website, because it offers them the chance to ask questions at any time of day and to get an immediate answer. At the same time, there is no need to go offline and to call a number or to send an email – queries can be made as they occur to the customer without delay.
3. Affordable
Today’s membership management systems such as http://www.ofec.co.uk/Membership-Management-Systems.aspx are cost-effective and offer powerful functionality. Live chat is an example of how a high-end technology can be available for a relatively small monthly outlay.
4. Support conversions
A chat facility allows you to maximise conversions by offering the chat dialogue box at the point where customers might otherwise be at risk of bouncing away to another site. Your data analytics can show where these pinch points are and offer you the chance to keep optimising and developing your website accordingly.
5. Tackle problems as they emerge
Live chat gives customers the chance to flag up any issues that they encounter in real time. This gives you a clear insight into any glitches as they occur, so that you can tackle them immediately.
6. Offer another communications channel
Your members will want to have a range of communications channels according to their needs and activities. Sometimes, they will want to speak to one of your team about an aspect of their service, but other times, they will be happy with the large database that sits behind your live chat agent.
So, for a small monthly subscription outlay, you can offer better service, enhance engagement, monitor website functionality and provide superb service, all with the minimum of effort and technical development.
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