Want to Add Chat to Your Website? Consider These Factors

When you want to enhance engagement with customers while streamlining communications, nothing beats adding chat to your website. Innovations in how AI chatbots operate let you create a customizable experience for customers when you’re not available but may need live chat agents to take control. Let’s look at the factors that determine the type of chat widget you need for your website and how using a chat window from ApexChat may help you boost not only lead capture, but also conversions.

Factors That Affect Your Choice of Chat

Every business has its specific needs, and that includes your choice of chat. From options that automate answers to common questions when your availability is low to solutions with unlimited chats ideal for corporate users, businesses looking for live chat systems have bountiful choices in the current landscape. With that in mind, here are the most common things to look for when you’re figuring out the type of chat widget you need.

Average Response Time

Positive user experiences depend on fast response times, so choose chat agents that provide quick, efficient communication. Automated responses to simple questions and a notification system that alerts you when a human needs to take over a live chat help you with lead capture by answering potential customer questions and providing the attention they need in a prompt fashion. The significance of fast average response times when you use chat agents can’t be overstated, with this metric affecting numerous facets of your business, such as:

• Conversion rates for sales
• Customer satisfaction and trust
• Engagement and retention rates
• Chat Lead Capture Capability

Another valuable feature for businesses is a lead capture capability when potential customers are discussing things with automated chat agents and during live chat. Chat leads tools that qualify leads, collect data and integrate with your company’s customer relationship management (CRM) system help you streamline lead generation efforts and boost sales process efficiency. Some advantages offered by chat agents with robust lead capture capabilities include:

• Building a database of potential customers
• Enabling personalized messaging to customers
• Streamlining customer after-sale follow-ups
• Qualifying leads to gauge readiness to purchase
• Encouraging customers to share information
• Automating the marketing and sales process

Chat Features and Cost 

Chat solutions that align with your marketing budget are always best, so don’t spend more than you have to when picking out the chat widget you want to use. You might try out options with a subscription model if you just want to test the various chat window systems available, including those with unlimited chats, and chat features like AI chatbots may offer a budget-friendly option for live chat to answer common customer questions. To find the best value for your business, determine the chat features you need based on the customers you want to attract and keep, then choose chat agents that align most closely to your needs.

AI Chat vs. Managed Live Chat

While AI chat and managed live chat both have their place in the world of chat agents, one over the other is likely your best choice for your business. For example, if you only need something in place to answer common questions, AI chatbots can likely handle routine questions, providing instant response times and freeing up staff to focus on more important tasks. On the other hand, if potential customers typically have more complex questions, managed live chat may be your best option. That means that when you’re deciding between AI chat vs. managed live chat, you should understand not only what your business wants, but also what your customers need to boost your rate of conversion.

Integration With Other Platforms

Chat agents that mesh seamlessly with other systems you already use are your best bet. When you have a chat widget on deck that integrates with products like Facebook Messenger, you can unify your communications and expand your reach into the social media world. Likewise, integration with your Google Business Profile helps improve your local visibility while giving you control over reviews and customer feedback. CRM and marketing integration also work wonders by automating customer data retention and delivering follow-up communications based on what customers discussed with chat agents. When you want to provide order support and the ability for customers to recover carts, opt for chat agents with e-commerce platform integration.

Chat Customization

Branding is important for your business, so you want the ability to customize the look of your chat window. By styling your chat agents to match the fonts, colors and logos of your website, you create a feeling of consistency and trust that customers appreciate. This branding consistency also makes your company more memorable and enhances the overall customer experience.

Chat Compatibility

Smooth, efficient compatibility with various web platforms such as live chat for WordPress and chat agents for Wix websites helps you reach your target audience and beyond. This compatibility helps AI chat features seamlessly connect customers to a live agent without missing a beat and optimizes processes and workflows to minimize learning curves for live agents taking over for AI chatbots. Real-time integration also gives live agents a comprehensive view of previous customer communications to improve decision-making processes and better satisfy the customer’s needs. Compatibility also reduces downtime by improving the reliability and stability of your chat agents while minimizing potential technical issues.

Adding chat to your website can be as simple or as complex as you like, but if you’re unsure of what you require, the experts at ApexChat can help with solutions that include live chat agents, virtual assistance software and appointment scheduling, among others. Contact us today to request a demo, and see how our chat widgets can transform your business communications.