Pros and Cons of Live Chat: Deciding What's Best for Your Business

User experience is one of the most important features for a company to consider. It is especially important to create a responsive and easy to use website. Online experience can make or break a customer’s decision to shop your product or service. In addition to aesthetics, offering contact solutions in visible areas of your site is vital. A live chat can offer many benefits for your online business. Below are some pros and cons to live chat solutions:

Pros of Live Chat

Live chat offers a direct channel to contact your sales or customer relations team. It is a simple window that gives customers the ability to quickly ask any questions. In fact, 79% of consumers prefer live chat because of the quick response. It is also efficient for customer service representatives. They can prioritize chats and easily respond to customer inquiries. Thus, contact becomes swift and easy on both ends.

In addition, automated chat bots can be implemented to filter questions and direct them to the right representative. This feature can direct them to an agent or to a Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) forum on your site. If the question cannot be answered via the automation, then customers can be contacted directly through you. With live chat, it has been reported that conversion rates increase by 20%.

These features of live chat make business and customer service efficient and convenient.

Cons of Live Chat

If using a chatbot, users may get frustrated by their inability to speak with someone directly. Customers can sometimes feel like they are running in circles with automated programs, just like when they are trying to contact customer service and they have to speak with the automated voice. This lack of live interaction can also hinder customer experience

Another inconvenience of live chat is that customers are relying on your quick response which means that you must always be prepared for incoming chats.

Overall Thoughts on Live Chat

Live chat has its advantages and disadvantages. This solution offers different possible ways to manage customer relations. If you are diligent and understand the opportunity behind live chat, it can be very advantageous and efficient. There is an expected growth in the live chat market by 87% in the next year or so.  Lastly, by choosing live chat over phone calls, you can avoid overwhelming your customers and only contacting them when they reach out to you. Assess your business and see what solutions are right for you!