CROSS-CHANNEL EXPERIENCE
Chat and messaging
Drive more efficient chat through automated FAQs and live agent options
Live chat draws in website visitors who have immediate questions. It provides a strong sense of continuity when nurturing people through their purchase journey and can help avoid abandoned carts. We found chat adoption rising among brands, 46% of which offered live chat on their websites in 2021, up from a third in 2020. However, more detailed analysis shows different maturity levels among live chat operators in several areas.
Channel An effective live chat option will follow users to their preferred channels, which are increasingly social media based. Yet we found only 26% of brands offering chat options with automated responses and speak-to-agent options across social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram. We also found just 10% of brands supporting messaging channels with a strong regional focus. APAC-based brands were the most regionally aware here, supporting options from WhatsApp to Telegram and LINE.
Content Live chat options should offer a wealth of relevant content that can address a wide variety of user questions. Brands can draw on existing knowledge bases and FAQs here, providing an easy way for visitors to mine rich service content. Combining automated responses driven by this content along with live agent options creates a timely, informative chat service that keeps customers engaged.
Coverage The days when businesses were only open during certain hours are disappearing. Online, customers expect brands to be available all the time, but that might be difficult for brands that cannot staff their contact center with live agents around the clock. This makes the use of automated chatbot services increasingly important for companies that want to serve visitors at any time, especially when their operations span multiple time zones.
Continuity The internet never forgets — unless your chat service doesn't have a memory. Many brands failed to save conversations with visitors who were not logged in at the time, meaning that guests could not easily pick up the thread later on. That's a poor experience for a visitor considering whether they want to take the next step in their nascent relationship with a brand.
An effective live chat option will follow users to their preferred channels, which are increasingly social media based. Yet we found only 26% of brands offering chat options with automated responses and speak-to-agent options across social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram.
Harry’s was transparent in its online chats, which included a Facebook option. It explained that it was using a chatbot but promised an answer to visitor questions within 24 hours.
The Iconic helped visitors by prepopulating query options to help them begin their conversation.
