Communication with your customers is a key element for an effective eCommerce store platform. The faster the communication is the better. In many cases, it isn’t even negotiable. According to a recent study completed by Convince and Convert, over 66 percent of customers expect to get responses to their complaints and questions within a single hour of the request. Customers can be extremely impatient when it comes to getting responses. A number of stores have started offering the IM feature as a way to provide instant communication with their customers. However, you will want to bear in mind the following things in mind when establishing yours.
Popups Will Be Blocked
A growing number of web browsers, firewalls, and other similar programs now block popups. Even if you state that your popup is legitimate, most people see popups as useless. According to Nielsen Research, 98 percent of all Internet users think popups are spam and untrustworthy. This means that they are not likely to use your instant messaging services, even if you tell them that you need them to enable popups for your site. So choose an IM program that opens in a new window entirely rather than as a traditional popup.
Hours Must Be Designated
The one downside to setting up an IM feature on your website is the fact that you must have someone manning it during the times when customers can use it. You must also be prepared for the multiple requests at once. Clearly designate the hours that the IM will be open. To help accommodate waits, have a stock message set up that explains service representatives will be on as soon as possible. Even if you don’t think you will have a lot of people asking for help at once, keep this message. It doesn’t matter whether you’re selling a t-shirt website template or custom logo designs. That message will just be a common simple little courtesy that sets you apart from the average eCommerce store.
Designate Space for All Saved Messages
You should not let the conversation with your customers just disappear after you finish dealing with a customer. Instead, save them. Be sure to designate space and make sure that the conversations are saved automatically. You need these to reference later if complaints come in about the IM session. Additionally, you can save the data for later so that you can use it to improve your store in general.
Communication is essential for your customer satisfaction. Incorporating an IM feature into your web design can be a great way to increase communication levels. However, in your design, remember that popups will likely be blocked. Choose a new window entirely to make it more likely that people use it. Remember to designate hours for the actual times when the chat will be on. You will also want to incorporate space to save off all these messages. You will need them to be able to refer to them later if needed.
