The ability to provide instant answers or a quick response online will always put you ahead of competitors. For cart sites product inquiry forms added to every product page has always worked well, especially when responded to within 30 minutes by phone. Online chat and messaging systems are even better, since they work in real time. Yet too many companies are nervous about implementing chat for three reasons:
- It sets higher customer expectations (responses in seconds instead of minutes or hours).
- It typically requires a larger support team to account for the demand.
- It results in higher overall customer support volume.
But there’s two key reason to persevere:
- Customers love it, often preferring it over forms, email or the phone.
- A great return. Some have seen a 20% improvement in sales conversion rates.
But which chat system?
A few free WordPress-specific chat plugins do exist, but support is an issue along with security and upgrade concerns. I usually suggest clients use the more common chat options like zendesk/zopim, clickdesk, olark and many more.
Livechat is the industry favourite, boasting a mountain of useful features and configurations, including a built-in ticketing system to provide customer support after office hours. But their woocommerce cart linking is unique, allowing you to not only add a chat to your store but also see your customers’ cart details during a chat. (There’s also other tools that let you to select items for the client, who checks it and safely completes the purchase). There is a modest cost for Livechat from US$16/mth. This WooCommerce chat makes it ideal for those running a Woocommerce cart or a Woo booking website. Here it could easily pay for itself within days, plus boost your online credibility and reputation.
Another slightly different tool is Helpscout. Primarily a business email and customer service dashboard, will soon have their own chat add-on. This, combined with their existing gravity forms or woocommerce cart integration looks good. Still more a developer toolkit than for the average web designer, but this option has huge potential to enhance customer service.
Want a free chat option?
For those starting out, Tidio is superb and the one I like the best. Simple to configure, with email notifications and a handy, free mobile app. Their premium versions boast even more features for users and superior tools for us developers. i.e. The ability to linkup with helpscout, CRM systems, Facebook messenger, plus use of event triggers, all can take business automation and customer support to another level. I’d also consider linking it with the amazing Amocrm for those wanting to nurture, share and track sales leads, in realtime.
Which is best?
Note there is no ‘best’ option here. Like buying a new car or van, there are only those that suit your own purpose and budget. But those outlined here should narrow down your choices. If you need help getting these ones running on your WordPress site, let us know. We’ll add the needed site coding for free. Just fill in your details below.