How to set up the best live chat for your website

If your website serves as your digital storefront, then live chat is like having a dedicated concierge, seamlessly guiding visitors and delivering crucial information. Regardless of whether they’re new to your site or returning, whether they’re searching for a new shirt for the weekend or seeking details about your B2B software, live chat ensures they get the information they need quickly.

This real-time assistance enhances user satisfaction and boosts the likelihood of converting them into paying customers.

Setting up your greeting

Your live chat greeting is the first impression users get when the chat feature pops up on your site. This initial message plays a crucial role in shaping their entire live chat experience. It should be welcoming and engaging, but also strategically designed based on user data.

For new visitors, use the greeting to gather basic information about their needs. This can help you direct them to relevant resources or products while simultaneously collecting valuable insights for future interactions. For returning users, tailor the greeting to reflect their previous interactions—suggesting products they might like based on past behavior or simply welcoming them back and restarting the conversation flow.

By personalizing your greeting in these ways, you not only enhance user experience but also gain valuable information that can drive more effective interactions.

When do you want the message to trigger ?

Timing Your Live Chat Trigger

When deciding when your live chat greeting should appear, you have several options to consider. Each has its own advantages and potential drawbacks, and the best choice often depends on your website’s specific context and user behavior.

Immediate Pop-Up: This method displays the live chat icon as soon as a user lands on your site, typically in the bottom right corner. It’s a direct way to engage visitors right away. However, this approach can feel intrusive, especially for first-time visitors who may not yet be familiar with your site.
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Delayed Trigger: You can set the live chat to appear after a user has been on your page for a specific amount of time or after they’ve scrolled past a certain point. This less intrusive method allows users to get oriented with your content before the chat feature engages them. It balances user experience with timely interaction.
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Full-Screen Takeover: Live chat can also be configured to take over the full screen, either immediately or after a delay. While this approach ensures that users see the chat feature prominently, it can be perceived as aggressive or overwhelming, potentially driving some users away.

The most effective timing for your live chat greeting depends on your site’s goals and user behavior. Testing different trigger options and analyzing the results can help you determine the best approach for maximizing user engagement and satisfaction.

Use ‘customer journey’ templates to build chats

Setting up live chat for optimal customer engagement and conversion can initially be challenging. It’s essential to anticipate what users will seek and how to guide them through your site effectively. Here’s a streamlined approach using customer journey templates:

Leverage FAQs: Start by reviewing your Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to identify the most common inquiries from your customers. Use these FAQs as a foundation to create response templates in your live chat system. This will help address frequent concerns and streamline interactions right from the start.
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Consult Your Sales Team: If you don’t have a comprehensive FAQ section, engage with your sales team to understand the typical questions and objections they encounter. This insight will help you develop relevant templates tailored to real customer needs.
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Create Action-Based Templates: Design live chat templates based on the actions you want users to take. For instance, your greeting can be crafted to determine whether a user is ready to make an immediate purchase or if they need more information. Tailor your chat responses accordingly to guide users effectively through their decision-making process.
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Iterate and Expand: As you gather more data from live chat interactions, continuously refine and expand your journey templates. Incorporate new questions and responses to make your chat more personalized and relevant over time.

By setting up and iterating on these templates, you’ll ensure that your live chat function evolves with your customers' needs, enhancing their experience and increasing the likelihood of conversions.

Use your search intent information to guide chat

To maximize the effectiveness of your live chat, tailor your approach based on the user’s search intent and the specific page they’re on. Here’s how to use this information to guide your live chat interactions:

Identify User Intent by Page Type:
- Homepage Visitors: Users landing on your homepage might be exploring options or seeking general information. Rather than pushing a sales pitch, use the chat to offer helpful resources or guide them to relevant sections of your site.
- Blog Post Readers: If users arrive via a blog post, they’re likely looking for information rather than making a purchase. Your chat should focus on providing additional context or answering related queries without overtly promoting products.
Engage on Product or Category Pages:
- Product Pages: Users on product pages are often further along in the buying process and more receptive to sales messages. Use live chat to highlight special offers, provide product recommendations, or answer specific questions about the product.
- Category Pages: Visitors on category pages are exploring options and might appreciate personalized suggestions or promotions. Leverage live chat to showcase featured products or discounts relevant to their interests.
Align Chat Responses with Page Purpose: Understanding the intent behind the page a user is visiting helps tailor the live chat experience. For example, a user on a product page might benefit from instant access to customer reviews or comparisons, while someone on a blog post may value further educational content or related articles.

By aligning your live chat interactions with the user’s search intent and the page’s purpose, you can create a more relevant and engaging experience, ultimately driving higher conversion rates and improving user satisfaction.

Be proactive getting people moving

The primary goal of live chat is to efficiently guide users towards a desired action or goal. To achieve this, your live chat function should be proactive at every step of the customer journey.

Set Up Proactive Engagement:
- Initial Greeting: Use your greeting to immediately engage users and direct them towards their goals. Craft messages that not only welcome but also offer immediate assistance or guidance.
- Ongoing Interaction: Throughout the chat, keep users engaged by actively asking questions and providing options that lead them closer to making a decision.
Map Out the Ideal Customer Journey:
- Define Goals: Before launching your live chat, outline the ideal path you want customers to take, from initial contact to final conversion. This should include key actions you want them to complete, such as signing up for a newsletter or making a purchase.
- Create Templates: Develop chat templates that align with this ideal journey. These templates should guide users through the steps you’ve mapped out, addressing common questions and facilitating actions.
Continuously Refine Your Approach:
- Monitor Performance: Regularly review chat interactions to see how well your proactive strategies are working. Look for areas where users may be dropping off and adjust your chat templates accordingly.
- Update Templates: As you gather data on user behavior and preferences, update your chat templates to better address common needs and optimize the path to conversion.

By proactively managing your live chat function and aligning it with a well-defined customer journey, you can effectively move users towards their goals and increase your overall conversion rates.

Always be testing and changing

Investing in live chat can boost conversions, but it’s a long-term asset that needs ongoing refinement.

Experiment Regularly: Test different messages, greetings, and triggers to see what works best.
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Analyze and Adjust: Use data to understand user behavior and refine your approach based on what’s effective.
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Optimize for Results: Track changes to measure impact and improve your live chat setup continually.

Regular testing and adaptation will help you maximize the benefits of live chat and drive better results for your business.

Ready to get started with live chat ?

If you run an online business and want to start getting more conversions, get in touch with us today and one of your experts can work with you to figure out the best plan of action and get you set up.

Get in touch with us today.