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Live Chat – Why Use It In 2024 (and Beyond)?

Live Chat – Why Use It In 2024 (and Beyond)?
Live chat support has many advantages, and it’s proven to be one of the preferred methods of communication. 
Genuinely connect with your visitors
From our reviews

In the past, in brick-and-mortar shops, friendly small talk was how businesses connected with people. Now, live chat brings that warmth online.

It’s almost a chat over the counter but through screens. Quick, easy, and always there – live chat is your digital hello to every site visitor.

Want to know more reasons to use live chat? Some serious numbers stay behind the why. Scroll to get the details. 

What is live chat?

Live chat is a tool on websites where visitors can talk to a support team in real-time via chat. It’s a quick text conversation that helps answer questions, solve problems, and more.

welcome message sent via chat widget

6 benefits of using live chat widget on your website

The list is much longer, but here are the most crucial ones.

#1 Save costs with efficient customer service

Engage in direct communication using live chat software on your website. Let your support team talk to customers instantly. 

With chat automation, common questions get quick answers, which betters response time dramatically.  

Customers solve small issues fast, and you prevent big problems. You save money and keep customers satisfied.

#2 Stay ahead with 24/7 availability

Live chat software doesn’t sleep. Your website becomes a helpful friend, ready to chat any time, and you can forget business hours. 

While many businesses close, your live chat stays open. Customers get answers when they need them, not hours later. You have one channel that’s always on, just for your customers. The constant availability sets you apart from others! 

#3 Understand your customers better through direct feedback

Website visitors chat, you learn. Each message in the chat tells you what your customer queries are about. You see what they need, right then. Also, Smartsupp live chat gives visitors the option to leave feedback after each chat.

#4 Close more sales with real-time assistance

Let’s say a visitor on your pricing page, puzzled. They enter live chat. Your sales team is there, ready, providing an instant response, clear doubts, offer help. 

And your timely support can turn a maybe into a yes. 

You’re there at the right moment, guiding a visitor to a confident choice. Live chat makes your website a place where decisions happen. ✨

#5 Instantly answer customer questions, boosting satisfaction

Free live chat opens a world of instant help. Support reps greet visitors with a welcome message, setting a friendly tone. Questions get answered fast, right when they pop up. 

Quick help like this leaves customers happy and cared for. 

And it’s a simple setup: they ask, you answer, satisfaction soars. With live chat, every question is an opportunity to impress and make someone’s day just a bit better.

#6 Provide personalized interactions

Your chat widget adds a human touch to your site. Also, you can understand the person behind the screen way better. 

With contextual support, your team offers personalized advice – they see the customer’s journey on your site and tailor their help. At Smartsupp, it takes only a few clicks to change the tone of your message if there’s such a need. 

✍🏻 Learn more about the AI Reply Assistant.

Live chat use cases

Let’s see the use cases backed up with real-life examples – all of the businesses used Smartsupp live chat.

01 Boosting sales through proactive customer engagement by the support team

Use live chat to reach out and engage actively. Don’t wait for customer issues to escalate. 

Start the chat, be there to help, guide them through. You have the power to turn browsing into buying. 

You spot a visitor lingering on a sales page, you jump in. Your chat becomes a bridge, connecting customer needs with solutions. 

➡️ Real-life example: Smartsupp’s automatic messages helped inSPORTline connect with potential customers proactively. They also increased the conversion rate by 724%.

02 Providing website visitors with personalized advice 

Live chat solution makes shopping smooth and personal. Customers get quick answers and detailed instructions right where they need them. On top of that, to show items, you can use product cards to make it even more personalized and convenient.

➡️ Real-life example: Smartsupp’s live chat did just that for Asko Nábytek. Customers got their questions answered on the spot giving personalized advice. Results? Sales went up by 9.4% – live chat proved its worth.

03  Generating more leads for service providers

Live chat for service providers means more business. Smart routing rules guide visitors quickly through the selling process, where each chat could become a new client. It’s simple and direct.

➡️ Real-life example: With Smartsupp’s live chat, Bconnect saw their leads increase by 25%. Live chat was a success as it turned simple conversations into opportunities for growth.

04 Growing average order value through effective communication

Effective communication through live chat does wonders for your sales. A real person on the other side of the conversation can guide, suggest, and help customers decide. Queries are solved, and customers are willing to buy more, boosting the average order value.

➡️ Real-life example: Dokonalá Káva experienced a staggering 127% increase in their average order value. Direct conversations made the difference – a few well-placed words can turn a regular order into a substantial sale.

Live chat versus other solutions

None of the solutions are flawless. But after analyzing your target audience you have, what way they like to communicate, and also what objectives you want to achieve, you can pick a nearly perfect solution.

If you’re hesitant, here’s what you can use instead.

#1 Chatbot 

Chatbots greet your page visitors instantly, trimming wait times for a new chat, perfect for quick fixes. They keep existing customers moving but may miss the personal touch. 

Live chat channel brings conversations with agents, yet at busy times, there might be a wait. Both tools uniquely shape your customer’s journey. They blend speed with warmth, so having a two-in-one solution would be best.

Also, they can be set on certain pages, for instance, only on the home page or all over your website.

#2 Email support

46% of customers prefer live chat compared to just 29% for email. However, email customer service lets your support team carefully handle inquiries, not in real-time but with detailed attention. 

It could work for complex issues that need to be explored in depth. Email support may not meet customer expectations for instant replies but ensures thorough, personalized responses.

#3 Phone support

You offer real-time help via phone – your team connects users directly to your team. They can resolve issues quickly and clearly. Users seeking immediate, interactive support may want to use a phone rather than any other method. 

But if have a Gen Z audience, keep in mind that 44% would prefer brands to contact them via social media.

#4 Interactive voice response (IVR) systems

IVR systems guide callers, linking them to the right channels and support reps. They’re like smart operators, sorting out calls so customers get quicker, spot-on help. Does your audience prefer to call? Maybe that’s your solution. 

IVR keeps communication clear and direct and reduces wait times. But for shy customers, it’s better to have one of those less direct communication channels, like a live chat or chatbot.

Smartsupp - your live chat companion

Smartsupp guarantees easy setup, seamlessly adding live chat to your tech stack. Its job is to spark more conversations, and backed by a solid knowledge base, it enriches every customer interaction. Ideal for solving issues on the spot, both online and offline.

Smartsupp - a tool providing live chat support

Top features:

Challenges: limited seats on some plans.

Best for: online shops, service teams, and any business, big or small that wants to chat smart and keep customers happy.

use live chat from Smartsupp

Use live chat that works for you

Live chat support has many advantages, and it’s proven to be one of the preferred methods of communication. 

Sign in to Smartsupp, then, and treat your prospects with a real-time conversation. Let our live chat work wonders for you!