NEWS: Global Mentoring Solutions is now part of the Sherweb family. Click here to read more about the acquisition.

This is How to Use Live Chat for Lead Generation

Business Development

Are you finding it difficult to convert website visitors into leads?

Wondering how to prevent them from leaving the site without reaching out to your company?

One answer might be to use live chat to generate more leads.

After all, 51 percent of consumers note that a business needs to be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (more on this below).

And so, in this post I decided to show you how to use live chat for lead generation.

Interested in learning how you could convert more website visitors? Keep on reading.

The Theory Behind Live Chat as a Lead Generation Tool

According to Marketing Profs, 93% of B2B buying processes begin with a simple online search. But it’s good know that prospects are using the internet to begin the purchase process, there is no guarantee of success once a consumer lands on your website.

Many aspects of your website that can “make or break” the user experience. From the content to the design to the information flow and a lot in between every detail has an impact on both lead generation and conversion rate.

In fact, according to some research, only 2% of website visitors convert into a sale.

 

Scary, right?

So how does live chat help?

With live chat, your goal is to provide prospects with immediate answers to their questions or concerns. They shouldn’t have to search for a contact number or email address, just to wait for a reply.

As a result, live chat can lift engagement by 10% – 50%!

 

That’s what we do our site too. When you land on it, you’re welcomed by a friendly chat prompt:

 

This gives customers a peace of mind, knowing that they can receive a fast answer.

Not to mention that it improves the likelihood of a consumer following through with their inquiry or purchase.

Convinced? Let’s take it further then.

How to Setup Live Chat to Generate More Leads

Generally speaking, you can install live chat in one of three places:

  • The homepage of your website (and nowhere else)
  • Every page of your website (auto loading unless the visitor turns it off)
  • On the contact page.

Again, using our site as an example, we use live chat on every page, including this blog.

This way, we can reach out to every visitor and offer help, if needed.

But you might want to restrict the live chat to a specific page, like a contact or a specific service page, and simply offer a live help to anyone looking for a more specific information.

Regardless of Where You Add the Live Chat, Here Are Some Guidelines to Remember

#1. Choose Your Chat Prompt

Sometimes, the difference between success and failure with live chat is how you greet visitors.

With the right approach, you can draw the person in.

With the wrong one, you scare the person away (with many never returning in the future).

As a general rule, it’s best to share short, open ended questions that prompt a person to offer a specific information.

So, for example, you could ask new visitors:

  • What’s your #1 IT security concern right now?
  • Do you have an up-to-date antivirus installed?

There’s nothing generic or over the top about this greeting. The friendly message draws the person in, making them realize that there is someone available to help. This goes a long way in nurturing the lead.

#2. Know What to Say During a Chat Conversation

Your goal with any chat conversation is to provide a high level of customer service. Even so, you’ll want to do so with the idea that you’re trying to generate a lead and close a sale.

This brings us to the question of “what should you say during a chat conversation?”

As you provide answers and feedback, based on the wants and needs of the other party, you can say these things to qualify the lead and push the purchase process forward:

  • Is there anything in particular you are looking to purchase today?
  • Do you have any questions about a specific product?
  • Would it make it any easier for you to finalize your purchase if I provide a coupon code?

These statements range from general to those with more of a “hard sale” vibe. Every live chat conversation is different, but these are the types of things you can say to engage a person with the hope that they will buy now (or later).

Common Mistakes

Despite the simplicity of implementing live chat as a lead generation tool, many companies continue to make the same mistakes. These include the following:

  • Setting the status to “available” when there is no one there to provide assistance
  • Leaving a person waiting for an answer (if they wanted to wait they would send an email)
  • Using too many autoresponders, which gives the impression of speaking with a robot as opposed to a live agent

And let’s face it, making any of these live chat mistakes will hinder your ability to generate leads through this communication tool.

How to Generate Leads with Live Chat

In many ways, live chat lead generation is a trial and error process. It will take some time to understand what works best, but you’ll soon settle on an approach that aids in your search for new leads.

Here are three tips you should follow at all times:

  • Be quick to answer. People use live chat because they want to talk now, not later. If you want to push a lead through the pipeline, it all starts with being fast to provide information.
  • Be available beyond office hours, if all all possible. You don’t have to stay up all night to monitor live chat, of course. But it helps to keep the channel open at least an hour or two after the close of the day. This way, you’ll cater to people who only have the time to deal with IT issues after their business has quieten down.
  • Resist the urge to push people to another form of communication. There may be times when you want to turn off live chat, prompting people to call or email, but this could result in a lost lead.

Along with the above, there’s one last thing worth mentioning: make it clear to your audience how live chat can benefit them.

Harvey Norman does a great job with this:

 

Conclusion

With 63% of people more likely to return to a website with live chat, you can’t afford to ignore this technology any longer.

Alone, it may not be enough to generate more leads, but when combined with the right design and content, it puts you on the right track.

If you’re seeking a new way to generate more (higher quality) leads, live chat could be the solution!