Scaling your business online? With so many options to build your online growth, it is important to ensure e-commerce customer service is at the top of your list. 

A great way to manage customers online is to have a chat box or a live chat on your website.

Why?

Customers expect their questions to be answered immediately or they get frustrated and look somewhere else… that includes your competitors. 

So why not make it easier on your business when it comes to online presence. 

chatbox vs live chat

First, let’s clear the difference between a chat box and a live chat.

Chatbots Vs. Live Chat

A0 is a software that can interact with people through messaging platforms. It is capable to conduct an on-line chat conversation via text with any user aiding customer service.

Chat box example

A live chat allows customers to communicate in real time with customer service representatives. Users are able to have live interactions with agents in the chat box within a browser rather than having to speak on the phone.

live chat example

Now that we grasped what each is, let’s dive deep into the positive and the not so perfect aspects of both options!

Live Chat Breakdown

Pros

Human Interaction

Real talk, people are much more comfortable expressing themselves through chat compared to formal writing. Live chat breaks the question down into bits allowing the client to be led through the process at a quicker pace. This reduces bounce rates and most importantly close leads faster.

live chat statistic pro
Live chat has the highest levels of satisfaction for any customer service channel

Resolve Complex Questions 

The power to live chat is that real people are on the other end of the conversation. The agent can respond contextually to the question at hand. In addition, the representative is able to answer the complex questions asked while also understanding the human emotions of the customer. Not grasping the vibe of the customer can have implications if approached incorrectly.

Cons

Responses are Not 24/7

The negative side to having representatives is that while they do create the human connection, it’s not 24/7. It is simply impossible to have an agent constantly on customer service. 

Live chats will go offline if no one is on the other side. Users leave frustrated when they are not answered immediately. So that results in the user leaving the browser and giving their business to another company potentially. A study shows 68% of customers leave businesses due to poor customer service. 

Expensive

Users are constantly coming up with questions about a product or service leaving customer service swamped. For customer service to be perceived quick and efficiently by the customer means several workers need to be answering. 

Because of this, it can be expensive for the business to have live chat if you are dealing with a large scale of customers. 

Chat Bot Breakdown

Pros

Quick Response Time

A great pro to the chat box is it is available 24/7. No matter where you are in the world, this bot gives the user access to have their simple questions answered with zero wait time. By the same token, the reality is if your business isn’t available 24/7 it will lose customers. 

Why? Customers expect the instant response. 

chat box pro

A study shows that dissatisfied customers tell 22 people about their experience compared to satisfied customers sharing their happy story to 9 people. Clearly, you don’t want to be on the wrong side of the customer service experience.

Constant Availability

Chat bot is capable of responding to multiple customers at once. Imagine being able to multitask the endless customers asking questions? Not only is that increasing efficient customer service, but also cost efficient.  

80% of customer queries have successfully been resolved by a chatbot with no human supervision needed.

Furthermore, a chat box only needs to be installed into the website and is ready to answer any questions sent.

Cons

Incapable to Handle Complex Questions

Although chat bots are very convenient, the downfall is they cannot handle complex questions. Only pre-programmed information can be processed because they are bots. 74% of customers are frustrated when the website content is not personalized. In short, being too robotic can be unpopular. 

chat box vs live chat

Some users require an advanced level of customer service that only a human interaction can solve. Chat bot can answer content that is simple and to the point.

Spelling Sensitivity 

Have you ever typed incorrectly in a chat box? If you have, you see it is left confused and will not answer your question. 

chat box con

Clearly the chat box is sensitive to spelling errors. The good news is new AI capabilities are starting to overcome this situation. 

Let Us Help with Chatbots vs. Live Chat Choices

Both the chat bot and live agent aide the process for users to have a better experience and want to return to your business. In the end, it all depends on the type of business you are in. 

So what are your next steps? Acknowledge the points your business needs and see which better suits for your online growth.

Let’s make the move to excellent customer service! If you need help building your online business, Contact Us at hola@colibricontent.com today!


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