Website Online Chat vs Email Response: Why Live Chat Is the Better Option

Image by Tima Miroshnichenko from Pexels 

When it comes to customer service, email has long been the most widely used channel for many companies. However, just because something has been done a certain way in the past doesn’t mean it’s the best and only solution available. Live chat is an increasingly popular option for communicating with customers and can help improve your overall experience as well as reduce costs. 

In this blog post, we’ll explain why live chat is better than using email as your primary communication tool with customers.

Online chat is a preferred channel for communication.

Online website chat is a preferred channel for communication. According to a survey, 70% of customers prefer live chat as their first choice for communicating with a company’s support team. It’s more convenient than email. In fact, 65% of customers say they don’t even open emails from companies they don’t know because they’re so time-consuming and inconvenient. 

It takes time to compose an email, address it properly, and hit send – which is why only 17% of emails ever receive responses back from businesses (according to Statistic Brain). With live chat, on the other hand, customers can simply type in a question, and press send. The auto-responder feature of a  livechat system can answer a customer’s question within seconds, making this method even more efficient. 

Online chat results in a quicker response time than email.

When it comes to an understanding what your customers want, there’s no better way than talking to them. The same can be said for understanding their concerns and resolving issues as quickly as possible.

Online chat provides you with a direct line of communication with your audience, allowing you to address their needs in real-time. Because of this, online chat can provide quicker responses than email – which is important for both customers and businesses alike.

Online chat can improve your customer service.

For the customer, chat is faster, more convenient, and more personal than email. Chat allows you to respond faster than email. Whether it’s during off hours or on weekends, customers want their questions answered quickly so they can move on with their day. With live chat software, you can instantly answer questions instead of having them wait for a response until normal business hours resume.

Chat gives you a better understanding of your customer needs because it allows you to see what they see – and this saves time and money by avoiding miscommunications between customers and businesses about products or services. 

If a customer asks where something is located in your store, but that information hasn’t been entered into the system yet, then there will be an extra step involved before being able to serve them properly. Using live chat software instead, you’ll know exactly where everything is located, so no guessing game exists.

Online chat can help you reduce costs.

A website chat feature is a lot cheaper than phone and email, but it’s also much less expensive than social media. You can save a lot of money by using online chat instead of the phone. You don’t have to pay for the office space or equipment that would be needed if you were running a phone service.

And unlike emails, chats are quick and easy to do, so they require less time from your company’s employees as well as fewer resources (including electricity).

Online chat gives you the ability to educate your customers and provide targeted marketing messages.

With live chat, you are able to educate customers on various topics relevant to your brand and industry. You can also market directly through messages sent via live chat, which will increase the chances of converting a customer into a lead or sale when they visit your site again after being served with marketing information during their initial interaction with your company.

Online chat helps drive sales.

Online chat helps drive sales. With live chat, you can:

  • Help your customers buy more by providing them with personalised recommendations based on their previous purchases, preferences, and browsing history.
  • Answer questions quickly so they don’t have to wait for an email response or phone call – or even worse, leave your site without having their question answered. 
  • Provide targeted marketing messages that increase conversions because they’re relevant to the user’s needs at the moment of contact. 

Provide live chat on your website in order to increase conversions and keep customers happy!

Live chat is a preferred channel for communication, especially by millennials. Live chat results in a quicker response time than email, making it easier for you to help your customers resolve their issues. Moreover, live chatting can improve the customer service experience by allowing agents to monitor multiple chats simultaneously instead of having them all over their desktop screens as emails would. 

When customers choose to interact with you on your website, they expect a fast response and the ability to ask questions. Online chat results in quicker response time than email, giving them the answers they need without waiting for an email reply. This ultimately improves your customer service by providing faster responses and more personalised attention.

At Greechat, we help businesses increase revenue by utilising our 24/7 live chat sales team to engage site visitors.