The office writes: adult chatting on the site

Do not like when they call you just because your number got into the stolen base? And how do you callback window, from which not to get rid of the site? So we do not like. When this all happens, it seems that the sellers of everything and everything break into your personal space. And it is precisely at this moment that the interest in the company, in which the stubborn seller works, disappears completely and is replaced by the desire to be rude or intimidated. In general, nothing good.

Meanwhile, a civilized way to help the site user has long been invented - a modest online chat in the lower right corner (or left). And it seems that these chats in Habré are written and rewritten, and practice shows that business does not know how to use them or does not know about them at all. Well, let's talk in an adult.

And don't call me anymore!

Let's start with the bat. Some real stories about calls and chats.
')
The first story. Before writing this article, we at RegionSoft just discovered the sites of our competitors, choosing the first 8 that came to mind. We needed an online chat, as it seems to be quite a convenient way to communicate. To say that we were surprised - to say nothing. Most of all we were surprised by two top vendors who have no online chat on the site at all. One by clicking on the cherished cloud offers to chat in social media messengers or Telegram, the other one drowns in life for omni-channel and bends its lines, but chat again does not. Another one started communicating purely according to the script and at the first sudden question he answered with a kapslok and closed the chat so that even the window was gone. The fourth did not turn on very quickly - 2 minutes 17 seconds of waiting, but responded quickly and to the point. The remaining four answered as soon as possible, the chat was available - again, we are only talking about the technical side, leaving the essence of the answers behind the scenes. So, 6 out of 8 have chat, 4 out of 8 can work with him, very well - 3.


Well, that although the company’s anthem was not sent ...

The second story. One of our employees had cards of red, green and not the biggest blue banks. Of course, calls began regarding the supply of loans. The employee asked not to call more with this question and, as a fully professional person, said that they can make a note in CRM there that he does not like loans and falls into a state of extreme disloyalty, when in the midst of an ever-intense working day he is called to clarify, Does he need? We do not know which CRMs in these three banks (well, we barely know), but from the green bank they didn’t disturb this offer more than once (others called), they additionally called from the blue bank and clarified whether the client was satisfied with the question but from red call with enviable periodicity. Moreover, even when chatting in a chat (and their chat is really wonderful!) They keep hinting at credit. And somehow it’s very sad that the employees work with scripts. You could extend your creativity and communication.

The third story. Two online store, choose a secure USB flash drive. The first responds quickly, clearly, does not give up, when we begin to ask whether the Corsairs are not very true, specifies why we need a device and whether it is better for taking the same large USB flash drive for the same money (and really there’s no need). The second literally reprints the description of the goods from the site, slows down, sells us what we already want to buy. In general, the second loses the client, and the first brought it to the fact that the recommended flash drive was in the basket (With that, we did not have any purpose to buy it - “we have this shoe polish.” Which is significant).

The fourth story. Telecom operators are actively transferring their call centers and support to the form of communication - chat. In some of them, a dictation is conducted right at the interview and the typing skill is checked without errors and misprints. By the way, the operators strictly monitor their costs and, if they have initiated a similar large-scale process, the effect of it is evaluated as positive.

Now let's look at Google trends:

Note: we chose the “online consultant” because the statistics on online chat badly spoil the online chat rooms of dating, chat roulettes and other non-business chat rooms.

Indeed, it is high time for business to reconsider its approaches to communication with customers. And this is not related to X or Y generations, but for very logical reasons.

• Cold calls themselves discredited, with the very hands of a business that bought stolen bases and started calling them. Of course, it is unpleasant when you are offered logistics or transportation services, and you have never left your data anywhere and understand that your number is wandering from hand to hand. By the way, scripts became the second killer of communication with clients - people quickly got tired of how cleverly they were “led” by calling managers to scripts. Worse only calling robots. The only justified call to the client today is “warm”, for which the client voluntarily left you his contacts.
  
• Letters and mailings are still breathing, thanks in large part to the creativity of the authors — I want to keep another letter as a sample. But then came the postal services (especially Google distinguished), which send similar or in spam, or in the Promo. It is clear that the effect of letters is getting lower: the business does not receive leads, and users do not receive information.
  
• Modern users again fell in love with written communications - numerous instant messengers and social networks tried their best. Almost no one remembers about 140 characters on Twitter - someone writes, and someone reads very long posts on Instagram, Facebook, Telegram. In the same way comments are written in social networks and blogs (but at least on Habré - another comment is more valuable than the article itself).
  
• Writing in the messenger - it is also quiet. Imagine that your boss wants to implement a CRM system and asks you to consider options, but preferably on weekends, since there is a lot of work now. Naturally, on weekends, I want to work least of all, so during working hours you calmly go around the vendor sites, ask questions in chat rooms, and at the same time keep the correspondence in order not to forget the most important moments.
  
• Finally, modern users do not like to wait - again, firstly, because they want to receive an exceptional service, and secondly, because their session can be short: for example, they went to lunch to your online store or to your website. , in traffic, in a minibus, etc. This applies to all types of devices. These same users begin to dislike the IVR labyrinths (the very “if you want to know the balance, press 1, listen to the conditions of the promotion - press 2”).
  

So it's time to reconsider your approaches to communicating with customers and start working according to other rules, the main one being: speak to customers as a person with a person, how would you tell your friend or person on the street about yourself and your business.

Compare two options:

1. “You contacted the company RegionSoft . We produce software solutions for business and are ready to offer you advice on a matter of interest. ”

2. "Hello, can I help you with something?". Of course, you can come up with something more fun, but even here all the principles are obvious:

1. No need to duplicate the company name and business profile - the user sees the site.
   
2. The “I” of the helper is captivating - you are already contacting a specific person.
   
3. The text is short.
   
4. The wording is simple and straightforward.
   
5. Transmitted one piece of information.
   

By the way, we met this option: “Hello! How are you? :-) ”Well, a smiley and a question not related to the consultation is, of course, overkill. Like “hello”, more mature and respectable people buy the software business.

Well, now how do you want to talk to you?

As with people - we have already said. But in fact, of course, there are some ideas and rules on how to build communication with a client in 2017, in order not to look playful, be correct and not deviate from your own business goals.

According to the “TRANSFORMING THE DIGITAL CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE” report, 62% of users prefer to chat using chat. Tellingly, after the purchase, they cool off to the chat - 40% of customers want to receive technical support by phone and only 21% - in the chat. The same report showed that if in 2014, after an unsuccessful experience with the company, 75% of buyers forgot about it forever, in 2016 this figure rose to 82%. The chances for a second impression are getting smaller. The Forrester Research study, in turn, showed the following: 44% of Internet consumers say that the questions posed by a living person during an online purchase are one of the most important functions on the site.


Why users prefer to use chat (based on Superoffice research)

The advantages of online chats on the company's website are obvious. And besides, this is a way to unobtrusively orient the site visitor in navigation and send him closer to the basket (distributions, relevant information, presentations, etc.), there are not so obvious, but very “business” advantages.

• Online chat reduces the cost of maintaining a call center, since interaction via the chat window is cheaper.
  
• One person can process 2-3 chats in a short period of time - at least, promise to return with information or start a dialogue.
  
• Chat, although it should be processed as quickly as possible, gives you the opportunity to access information, copy ready-made answers and links. In a telephone conversation, any pause looks like the lack of professionalism of a consultant.
  
• Not only technical support or salespeople, but also other employees can be connected to the chat - anyone can quickly consult within their competencies. Again, employees can consult with each other, find out details, and the client will not notice.
  

How we connected the chat to ourselves, and now we open it to clients

Our story began with the fact that we made the decision to install an online consultant on our website. But it was very difficult. No, not from a technical point of view (after all, we are IT specialists). It’s just that almost all the online consultants we tested had serious problems that we couldn’t put up with, namely:

• The first chat, which we established, worked well, but occasionally had various failures, for example, when switching the dialogue from one consultant to another.
  
• The second chat turned out to be more stable, but less flexible, and with an interface that did not suit us categorically.
  
• The third chat with periodic updates from the developer completely hung up our site.
  
• The next few attempts have brought us to the idea that we still can not find a quality chat that would satisfy our not particularly stringent requirements.
  

As a result, when we were desperate and even attempted out of despair to create our own chat option, we found JivoSite , which, after a short test, was considered the best of all the options we had studied before. And, importantly, JivoSite had an API that allowed us to integrate this chat with RegionSoft CRM , which we successfully implemented. Now all RegionSoft CRM users can see full dialogs with customers that they lead on the site, directly in the CRM system.

What is needed for this?

JivoSite , our RegionSoft CRM , our RegionSoft Application Server and API JivoSite script server.

What is the result?

Upon completion of the dialogue with the client, all information about the user and his contacts are recorded in the client card, and the text of the dialogue is stored in CRM as an event. If the contact is already in the system, then its phone number or e-mail is parsed, and the dialogue is attached to this client. Following the dialogues in the chat in RegionSoft CRM, you can collect reports and even customize KPI, which will be considered automatically based on the dialogues.

Separately and briefly worth mentioning about JivoSite - the chat turned out to be simple and reliable, like AK-47. Thanks to the API, you can cling to user contacts from Facebook and other sources, it is possible to attach documents, watch input, etc. In general, we did not find what we personally lacked in the service. By the way, out of 8 CRM-vendors JivoSite with a different set of chips was in four.

For our clients, we could choose other, equally well-known solutions, but since our mission is quality software for businesses of any scale (including small and medium), the chosen option turned out to be the most suitable, including in terms of price and quality.

Alas, we can not disclose the results obtained from the work of the chat on the site - a commercial secret. Let's just say: we do not plan to abandon it and we will pump and develop it - the benefit is that the API is and can be used. By the way, here you can read the details about the integration.

• Online chat reduces the time for introducing, getting to know and saying goodbye to the participants in the dialogue - the problem is solved immediately.
  
  
  
  Source: Pikabu
  
• Online chat reduces the burden on other communication tools - telephone, mail, meetings. However, the traditional channels must be left, because not all categories of users are savvy enough to chat. Plus, it is sometimes more convenient for mobile users to call than to write, although mobile chats look decent.
  
• The history of correspondence and customer contacts can be saved for further reference to him already from the customer base. Chat is a sales and analytics tool. Be sure to integrate the chat on the site with your CRM-system, collect data and save it - after all, leads, with which some initial interaction has already passed, are very valuable. It looks like this: save the text, name, e-mail, add the missing data - and, consider, a warm lead (and sometimes a ready-made client) at the minimum cost of attraction you have in the database.
  
• By the way, online chat is a great tool for finding bugs and UI / UX problems. If clients write to you for the tenth time that they do not see reviews, do not understand the price per piece or per kg, cannot find the price or register on the site, then the problem is on your side - urgently fix usability errors (this applies to less degree).
  
• And yes, purely psychologically, if there is a chat, the user on the site feels more confident. But this is not to say that you hang up a pop-up, don't live pop-up, banner banners and callbacks. Do not confuse the effective and accessible tool of communication between the user and the company with an outdated advertising mode and obsessive garbage on the site.
  

“Oh, RegionSoft, your problem is far-fetched, make a paper here because of the chat. What is there to be able to: connect, set up, wait for questions, answer. Everybody can! ”- approximately the kind of reaction one would expect from the article, if not for the recent Superoffice research on the basis of 1000 (thousand) sites.

21% of requests in the chat went unanswered. But customers are waiting for an immediate response
2 min 40 s - the average time to wait for a response in the chat
55% of companies do not offer to download a conversation record after it ends.
23% of companies do not request contact information before the chat.
6 min 50 s - average request processing time
45% of companies are not interested in feedback at the end of the chat

However, hang up the chat window (or even a few - do not do this!) On the site a little. It is important to follow a few rules that will revive him, and not leave an extra button.

• Do not drop the team, but train it. Employees who chat are required to know the entire site thoroughly (because often the client needs only to drop the link), have the most common questions (each business have their own set) on the PC desktop or knowledge base and know the product well .
  
• Follow the speed, literacy and correctness of the letter - it is no less important than a pleasant voice and good diction in a telephone conversation.
  
• Do not leave the chat unattended during working hours - even if there is an employee at lunchtime, ready to answer questions. If possible, consider the time zones (although, I confess, it is difficult and incurs additional costs). After hours, save the opportunity to send you a message to the e-mail from the chat.
  
• Employees in chat should communicate more easily than by phone, but without kinking and flirting - just a human dialogue. Avoid jargon, abbreviations of words like “right now”, “sec” and “pasib”, do not abuse the emoticons.
  
• Do not panic during loads (for example, during habraeffekt), but be sure to let each incoming call understand what they see.
  

Not everything is so bright near

But we will not be completely honest if we don’t tell about the disadvantages of using chat. And these are not the “marketing drawbacks”, which seem to be no flaws at all. These are the obstacles that need to be analyzed and perhaps not create a new serious task and new obligations.

1. Need to respond quickly. If your status is online, operators are available, but you have to wait for a few minutes to answer, it’s better not to start. Such waiting will cause user annoyance.
   
2. We all work in Russia (and sometimes in import markets), which means that we need to be able to work out leads in all time zones. You have to make a decision whether you will provide support 24/7 or only during working hours, allocate resources, raise wages for work at night and on weekends. For example, we temporarily abandoned chat consultants on weekends and non-business hours.
   
3. If you engage engineers, developers, testers, merchants for consultation, then be prepared for the fact that they will interrupt the workflow in order to respond to the user. As you know, such interruptions can affect performance - self-discipline is necessary.
   
4. The introduction of chat and its integration with CRM will bring additional monthly (subscription fees for chat) and one-time payments (for integration). This is not the biggest expense, but you need to remember them and take them into account in the automation project.
   
5. Sometimes you need to work to ensure that the chat fits into the design of the site - especially if the site has an exclusive, thoughtful design.
   
6. Chatting is difficult to demonstrate an emotional connection with a client. Many salespeople from the first sentence by voice determine the possible outcome of the transaction and set the tone for communication. In the chat is almost impossible. However, on the other hand, sometimes these emotions just do not want to hear. Well, yes, CapsLock is a favorite way to raise your voice.
   
7. Your site has a mobile version (well, or not), respectively, the chat will be in demand on mobile phones. And again, you need to decide whether it is easier to call or chat from your mobile site.
   
8. You are attacked by spammers of all kinds and types - they will troll you, write nasty things, hooligans, send pieces of code, imitating cyber attacks, send infected files. Be careful with the content of the dialogues and do not be rude in response.
   

In general, one cannot say that the online consultant on the site is a breakthrough or a panacea for all ills. However, this is a tool that needs to be used 100%, and not put because it is necessary and installed for everyone. It is these little things in their totality that make business progressive. However, in business and in business automation there are no trifles.