Strategies Using Online Chat And Chatbots To Increase Customer Loyalty

One of the best ways to differentiate yourself from the competition is by making it easy for your customers to get in touch with you or your well-designed chatbots. Whether through phone, email, or chat, you need to learn how to use these channels to connect with your prospects in a meaningful way. 

Talking about live chat for a second, as it turns out, almost a third of consumers prefer this channel of communication. And, it’s easy to see why: it’s fast, convenient, and least intrusive than other channels. Customers can carry a conversation with a support rep or chatbot during their morning commute or while they’re eating or checking their emails. 

For businesses, live chat is an opportunity to build a relationship with the customers and turn them into loyal advocates. It's a no-brainer when it comes to investing in your business long-term.

Here’s how to use online chat and chatbots to boost business and customer loyalty:

1. Respond In Real-Time 

It can be difficult to have someone to monitor live chat conversations 24/7. That’s why many businesses use software or automated support systems to manage live chats. That can backfire quickly if your customers notice that their needs are handled by a robot instead of a real person. 

If you don’t have in-house agents that can handle online chat outside business hours, you can outsource this task and hire a team of customer reps who can work around the clock. 

As a rule of thumb, make sure that your response time on live chat is less than one minute. Otherwise customers can get irritated with the chat or chatbot options and they will leave your site with a bad taste in their mouth. 

2. Personalize Interactions 

Here’s the hard truth: your customers might not remember your products or services, but they will remember if your customer service was great or downright terrible. And, if that experience was positive, they are more likely to purchase from you again. People remember your company's reputation. 

That’s why it’s important to personalize interactions and make your customers feel cared for and valued. Analyze the customer’s chat history to get valuable information that could help you make a meaningful connection with him or her. If you sell internationally, make sure to hire bilingual speakers that understand the country’s customs and culture and can solve customer problems efficiently and with ease. 

3. Understand Your Customers’ Goals And Priorities 

If you want to turn prospects into loyal customers, then you need to start paying more attention to their goals and priorities. A lot of small businesses spend time trying to please their customers, neglecting that what prospects care for is that you understand their needs and solve their problems. 

Whenever customers contact you via live chat, show them that you are their business partner. Address their specific pain points and work with them to find a solution that fits their goals and priorities best. 

4. Offer Something Valuable 

The great thing about live chat is that most software offers plenty of relevant information about a customer. Pull this data and use it to offer or suggest something that your customer might consider valuable. 

For example, if your customer was dissatisfied with the product they purchased, use the information you have (or try to collect new data) to find an alternative that is better suited for their needs. 

5. Take Ownership When Things Go Wrong 

So, you’ve made a mistake. You’ve delivered a faulty product or your expensive website crushed, and your customers can’t finish ordering their products. Now, they are contacting you via your live chat channel to express their frustration. 

Although it might seem like a nightmare scenario, this is actually an opportunity to showcase your customer service skills and connect with your prospects. First of all, own up to the mistake and promise to make things better again. By owning up to your mistake and working on repairing it, you will not only attract positive reviews but also increase customer loyalty. 

6. Chatbots 

While personalized online chat from a real person in a user's native language is ideal, it isn't always feasible and can be quite expensive. Although they are still in their infancy, there are many chatbot services out there that do an excellent job of assisting most website or app visitors while drastically reducing your overhead. 

The chatbot option will become more viable every year as they become more advanced and less expensive. Chatbots are now even using advanced AI technology to become more effective.

Chat Conclusion

No one said that offering live chat or chatbot options would be easy. But, with the right strategy, you can make your customer happy, build your reputation, and increase brand loyalty.

I hope you enjoyed this article about strategies in using online chat and chatbots to increase customer loyalty to your products or services. 

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