A Forrester research study shows that investment in reactive chat produces a return on investment (ROI) of 15%, however, proactive chat capabilities have the ability to produce an incremental 105% ROI.
The evidence is clear that proactive chat can significantly impact conversion. With the evidence the biggest choice isn’t whether or not to use proactive chat, but how to use it and what to say.
To get you started we are going to give you five quick examples of how and where to use proactive chat with suggested copy for each proactive prompt, so you can get up and running today.
Opportunity: Raise awareness of your live chat tool
Prompt location: Homepage
44% of online customers say that having their questions answered by a live person while in the process of online shopping is one of the most important features of a website. Using a prompt on your homepage is a really clear and simple opportunity to let your users know that you have this channel for them to communicate with you on.
Copy suggestions:
Use an ‘invitation to chat’ prompt on your homepage. Nobody likes visiting a site to be greeted with a plethora of pop-ups. In most cases, people just close them without even taking in the content. Set the trigger for the proactive prompt to appear after a user has been on a page for at least 5 seconds.
For copy, communicate what the widget is for and use open-ended questions to encourage a response.
“Hello! Do you have any questions? Chat to us now, we’re here to help!”
In summary:
Location: Homepage
Criteria: 5 seconds on the page
Prompt style: Invitation to Chat
Copy: Hello! Do you have any questions? Chat to us now, we’re here to help!
Goal: Start more conversations
Opportunity: Cross sell/upsell.
Prompt location: Specific product / feature page
Proactive prompts also have the ability to increase the average order value from 10% to 20%.
Use a ‘call to action’ chat prompt on a specific product page to link to complementary products or upsell another product. Make sure you give a visitor enough time to view and take in the details of a product they are on. It’s sometimes hard to guess this with a time frame, so set the trigger for a proactive prompt to appear when they have scrolled down at over 50% of the page.
Copy suggestions:
For copy, reference the existing product for context and use social proof to encourage the visitor to click through on the call-to-action to learn more. Again, take advantage of the desire to chat by giving the opportunity to ask questions in real time.
“If you like “x”, we think you’ll love “y product”
In summary:
Location: Product Page
Criteria: % Scroll through
Prompt style: Call To Action link
Copy: If you like “x”, we think you’ll love “y product” (Link reads – “Show Me”)
Goal: Cross Sell/Upsell
Opportunity: Reduce cart abandonment
Prompt location: Shopping cart / conversion page
57% percent of online consumers say that they are very likely to abandon their purchase if they can’t quickly find the answer to their questions.
Use an ‘invitation to chat’ chat prompt on your checkout or conversion page triggered by a visitor displaying ‘exit intent’, that is, if they move the cursor to close the window or navigate away.
For copy, take the opportunity to address any questions they haven’t found the answers to on your site.
“Still have some questions before you upgrade? Ask us – we’re here to help!”
“Can’t find what you’re looking for? One of our experts is happy to help!”
In summary:
Location: Checkout Page
Criteria: Exit Intent
Prompt style: Invitation to Chat
Copy: Still have some questions before you upgrade? Ask us – we’re here to help!
Goal: Convert more sales
Opportunity: Proactively identifying a confused customer
Prompt location: any
A customer may not even make it to the checkout page if they weren’t able to identify the product or feature that solved their problem. A user navigating around numerous pages during a session can indicate that they are yet to find the product they are after. Use an ‘invitation to chat’ prompt that can be triggered on any page, after a visitor has visited more than 5 pages in the session.
Copy suggestions:
“Not sure which (product) is right for you? Chat with one of our specialists now!”
In summary:
Location: Any
Criteria: Visited multiple pages
Prompt style: Invitation to Chat
Copy: Not sure which (product) is right for you? Chat with one of our specialists now!
Goal: Get more leads
Opportunity: Sign a visitor up to your mailing list
Prompt location: Any page
There is a chance a visitor may just be doing research about your product and not ready to buy just yet. A good way to identify this is if they only visit a few pages but spend quite a while on your site reading about your product. You can use a ‘call-to-action’ chat prompt here triggered after 5 minutes with a message to sign a visitor up to your mailing list, increasing the opportunities you have to communicate information about your company and product.
Copy suggestions:
“Thanks for taking the time to learn more about us. Click below sign up to our mailing list to stay updated on product announcements and special offers.”
“Get 10% off your first purchase! “Sign up to the newsletter”
In summary:
Location: Any
Criteria: Length of Time on Site
Prompt style: Call to Action
Copy: Want the latest hints and tips on (interesting customer topic? (Link – Sign up to the Newsletter!)
Goal: Get more leads
A better overall experience for everyone involved
Proactive live chat prompts are not only a tool to significantly increase conversion but ultimately deliver an incredible on-site experience for your website visitors.
Not only do they deliver a channel and response time which your visitor craves, but also helps them get to the point of solving their problem in a faster more efficient way.
Want to learn more about live chat? Check out this article on adopting live chat as a team, or this one on using live chat to speed up your sales process.
If you have any questions about any of our products or features, reach out to our team via GoSquared Assistant now!
