Can Managed Live Chat really make that much difference?

The purpose of live chat is to provide enough information and service to gain enough credibility to deliver value in the customers mind for them to take the next step and become a lead or better still, make the buying decision on the spot. When you and your team man the live chat on your website, you will provide plenty of information about your product or service but, will you know when you stop? And, you better be available every minute that little box is on the page. Studies show that it is actually worse to have an unmanned chat box sitting there, suggesting that your visitors “drop you an email and you’ll get to it when you feel like it” than to have no chat at all!

No-one knows your business better than you right?

I was chatting with a client recently and she commented on the increase in the number of leads her website was now generating. They had been manning it themselves prior to signing up for our managed live chat service. Her leads had actually decreased when they started the self-manned live chat service. She was confused.

What was the problem with the self-manned live chat?

It took her some time to realize that her staff were doing such a good job of solving their website visitor’s problems that they had no need to buy her services — business consulting! Further, their productivity had decreased due to them spending so much time on the “chat”.

There is a fine line between building credibility, qualifying leads and solving problems. It was natural that the staff spent so much time on the chat, they LOVE helping their clients BUT, the reality was that they were actually having a negative impact on the businesses ROI. It was simply a case of the resources being allocated to the wrong activity.

Why consider the managed option?

The real benefits of switching to a managed live chat service in this instance are regaining your staff, and increasing the number of well-qualified leads from your website.

Aside from the obvious benefits mentioned in terms or regaining your own staff, you don’t have to manage 24/7 shift rosters nor make the investment in the staff to man it, leave rosters, absenteeism…… you get the picture.

If you are in the start-up phase of your business, it can be a highly effective and economical way to “outsource” lead generation activity. As a start-up, you need as much help as you can get. Everything you do is aimed at “selling more”. The majority of what you do will drive traffic to your website one way or another. Managed Live Chat services that provide a “pay per lead” service can be an economical way to drive growth. You only pay for the leads that are provided to you but one word of caution, all leads are not leads. Make sure you do your due diligence. If you are being charged per “lead” you need to make sure the provider is providing qualified leads, not just the contact details of everyone that visits the site — you should get those details anyway, but not have to pay for them as a lead!

You do actually gain an extended virtual team to assist you in managing your online visitors and generate leads. They man your website 24/7 and work for you allowing you to put your focus where it is most needed doing what you do well.

The managed option can be very beneficial for individual trades and professionals, it is ideal for the service and professional sectors effectively providing another “pair of hands”. Inquiries through your website can be managed when you are busy through the day as well as all night long. Imagine waking up to leads in your inbox each morning, or directly into your CRM — that’s how it works!

So if you are looking to improve your ROI and grow your business, whether you are an individual in need of another set of hands, a growing business or a corporation driving a marketing campaign you really must consider a version of live chat that is managed 24/7.

OK — So how do you choose which one is right for you?

Not all managed live chat services are alike. They vary from a “hard sell” with tightly scripted responses to those that are so loaded with websites it takes several minutes in between each interaction from the client that they end up leaving is frustration and disappointment to highly trained and proactive “people” that align to your business and engage your website visitors warmly. You need to do your homework.

It’s important to find a provider with the approach to ensure they understand how you would like them to engage with your website visitors, take the viewpoint that the chat service is in many instances, the first impression that a potential client has of your business. They must make sure that interaction is as close to the one if they were meeting you face to face as possible. Ideally not doing the “hard sell” (unless that is your objective) but skilled enough deliver the results.

Start with the end in mind by being clear with what your objectives of the chat service are. What are the outcomes — leads, conversions or help desk? That way you will ensure you can match your needs to the right provider.