How to keep visitors on your website longer with live chat

A chat on your website only helps if visitors actually use it. Here are 6 simple ways to get more of them talking to you.

Live chat is one of the most effective ways for customers to learn about a product or service. They get an answer without leaving your site.

We’ve covered the benefits of live chat before. This guide is about getting customers to use it.

That matters most if you want chat to become your main support channel, ahead of email and phone.

Invite customers from your emails and blog

Start where customers already hear from you: your emails, your newsletter and your website.

1. Add an invitation to your email footer and newsletter

Many customers still contact support by email. So end every email with a short line saying they can reach you quickly through the chat on your website.

The more often customers see the invitation, the more aware they become of this option.

Do you send a weekly or monthly newsletter? Use it to announce that customers can now reach you faster, through live chat.

After that, keep a short reminder in your email signature and newsletter footer. Sample wording:

• “For the fastest answers to your questions, use the new live chat in our online store.”
• “Visit our online store and chat with us live.”

2. Write a blog post about your new chat

Publish a news item or blog post about your new live chat. Explain why you chose it and what it offers customers.

Invite customers to try it, and ask for their feedback. Then share the post on social media and in your newsletter.

Remind your followers and callers

3. Mention the chat on social media

You probably use social media to share news about your products, services and offers. Mention your live chat there too.

Now and then, post when you’re available to chat, or say you’re online right now. Each post also gives people a reason to visit your website.

Regular, friendly reminders keep the chat fresh in customers’ minds. They also show that you value hearing from your customers.

4. Mention the chat in your on-hold message

Do you also take customer calls? Then your on-hold message is a great place to mention the chat, for callers who don’t want to wait.

Callers on hold are usually open to other ways of reaching you. They’ll probably be happier, too, if you offer a faster way to get an answer.

Sample wording:

• “Thank you for calling! Our lines are busy, and we’ll answer as soon as we can. Or chat with us on our website.”

Be there when customers write

5. Be available in the chat

Once you’ve added a chat tool, be ready to answer there. Show your business hours clearly in the chat window, so customers know when to expect you.

Chat gives customers faster contact than email, and a quicker solution to their problem. A quick answer can also tip a purchase decision and help keep customers loyal.

If a support agent is away from the computer, they can reply from their phone. A quick reply shows someone is on it, and when to expect a full answer.

Think of a physical store. You ask the first free salesperson a quick question, and you expect a quick answer.

Live chat does the same job on your website. It helps and advises customers, makes recommendations and guides them to a purchase.

Many of us have walked out of a store because the staff had no time for us. We didn’t feel welcome, so we went elsewhere.

Online shopping works much the same way.

Make starting a chat effortless

6. Make the chat as easy as possible to use

Customers care a lot about how easy the chat is to use. Ideally, they can start a conversation without any extra steps.

But many chat tools make customers fill out a form before they can even ask their question. That misses the point of fast live chat.

What matters is quick, direct and personal contact. A few rules:

• The fewer form fields, the more visitors will chat, because there’s no annoying step before they reach you.
• Save forms for when you’re offline or outside business hours.
• During the business hours you show in the chat, make starting a conversation quick and easy.

Where Askly fits

Askly puts one AI agent on your website chat, Facebook Messenger, Instagram DMs and email. Every channel answers from one knowledge base, and your team works in one inbox.

• Three modes: fully AI, AI + team, or fully human. In AI + team mode, a person takes over mid-chat with the full context.
• Automatic language detection: 30+ languages work instantly, and 100+ are available on request.
• Phone calls: the AI Voice Agent keeps your number, answers in 30+ languages around the clock and says it is an AI.
• Quick setup: the chat installs in minutes. Building the knowledge base takes about an afternoon, or Askly can set it up for you.

Keep reminding customers

There are many ways to make customers aware of your live chat. Try a few, keep the ones that suit you, and stick with them.

It may seem obvious that visitors will notice they can chat with you. Often, it isn’t, so keep pointing it out.