Getting Started with Live Chat

Adding live chat to a website is one of the most impactful things you can do in less than a matter of minutes. It’s a great way to increase conversions and improve user experience. To do it right however, takes proper planning and execution.

So, how do you plan an effective chat strategy?

1. Clarify your goals

Why do want to use chat? What are you trying to do with chat? Increase leads? Handle support requests more efficiently? Offer another point of contact for visitors? It's not good enough to say, "We're doing it because everyone else is." Clarifying your goals will help tailor your approach. 

2. Determine support team & hours

How many people will be handling the chat support? The number of operators will impact monthly pricing. What days and times will you be offering support? 

3. Decide how you want chat to work

Do you want chat to be started proactively or do you want to set rules that will target only specific visitors after a certain action is performed? If no operators are available, what do you want to happen? Look at your website with a visitor's perspective, when is it appropriate to offer help?

4. Compile resources for chat operators

Make sure to provide your chat operators with the right tools and resources so they can be successful. If most of the chats they have involve looking up information that is stored in a database, give operators access to the database.

5. Share your style guide

A style guide helps operators develop a tone that is not only personal but also follows your corporate messaging and tone. Do you want to show photos of the chat operators for a more personalized experience? If so, make sure that the photos present a professional image that reinforces your brand. 

6. Setup welcome messages & automated responses

Most chat clients allow you to update the chat box size and location. With upgraded plans you may even be able to customize the CSS.