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It wasn’t too long ago that, if you needed a plumber or HVAC contractor, you’d flip through the white pages until you found an ad featuring a cartoon man holding a wrench.
It’s certainly been a while since we’ve seen him. I wonder what he’s up to these days?
Today, small business websites have replaced the need for consumers to flip through physical directories. Live chat is now able to answer customer questions that previously fell on deaf (cartoon) ears, making it the preferred communication channel over email and phone calls.
As a home services business, you may think that website chat is for larger companies like banks or retail outlets. But the truth is that businesses of every size can use live chat to engage with customers and outmaneuver the competition.
Interested in learning how? Here are just a few ways that 24/7 live chat specialists can help your business reach new heights.
1. Get more from your existing website.
Without live chat, your website’s visitors may as well be ghosts. They haunt your page for a few minutes and then disappear without a trace.
Live chat specialists are trained to help convert your visitors into genuine, qualified leads.
Through these interactions, your visitors go from being veritable virtual phantoms—to being 4.6 times more likely to convert into customers.
By asking your visitors to share their contact information, and reasons for their visit, live chat can give you a better understanding of who your customers are and why they’re interested in your business over your competitors. This enables you to adjust the messaging on your website accordingly. For example, if a greater number of your website visitors are interested in learning more about energy efficiency rebates, then call it out on your homepage!
Remember: the flow of information goes both ways. While you’re learning more about your prospective customers, live chat specialists are also educating them about your business’ products and solutions.
2. Save time for your customers (and yourself).
You’re willing to do a lot for your customers—but you can’t help everyone. Whether it’s because of location, type of project, or a particularly busy day, some visitors to your website may have to look elsewhere for assistance.
Live chat specialists can help you gently communicate to prospects when your services aren’t the right fit. They’re able to save the customer’s time (and yours) by letting them know what exactly you can and cannot do for them.
Live chat can also point wayward visitors in the right direction, connecting them with local businesses that can meet their specific needs. This is a great way to pay it forward while leaving a lasting impression.
3. Level up your online presence.
If you’ve already been working on building your digital presence—great! You’re already in a much better position than most in meeting new and returning customers where they are online.
But how much do your various online platforms interact with one another? If your web presence is scattered and inconsistent, you’re sending the wrong message to your prospective customers.
Live chat can help redirect visitors to your social media page, communication channels, and other contact forms. It’s all part of the omnichannel marketing approach that a majority of today’s consumers expect from you. When your online platforms talk to and feed into one another, clients can begin their journey on one channel, continue it on another, and finish somewhere else, creating a completely seamless experience.
4. Be there when it counts.
Why is it that pipes only start leaking in the middle of the night? The world may never know. But when your customers are at their most panicky, they want to know a solution is available—no matter the time of day.
Emergencies require fast responses. If your customers need to wait two days for a phone call or a reply to their email, don’t count on them coming back next time they need help. After all, if you aren’t available to provide support, your competitors likely are.
Even as your business closes for the day, live chat never sleeps. 24/7 support has your customers covered and allows them to schedule an appointment minutes after they wake up to water dripping on their heads.
And that’s just the beginning.
Like what you’re hearing but still need a little more convincing? Well, we’re just getting started.
With the help of Ruby’s 24/7 live chat specialists, your businesses can:
- Transform prospective leads into lifelong customers.
- Learn more about the people you serve and how to meet their needs.
- Connect your customers to everywhere your business exists online.
- Tackle a greater number of inquiries during busy seasons.
- Respond to your customers with helpful information, day or night.
- Stand out from the competition through high-quality, professional customer service.
Download our ebook, the ultimate guide to chat, to learn more about how live chat specialists can boost sales and deliver a memorable customer experience. And make sure to check out all the other ways Ruby helps you help your customers!
