iPhone and Android users prefer Online Support Chat

Choose a side: iPhone or Android? Everyone has their favorite but according to information graphic, “The Battle for Smartphone Supremacy”, the two-horse race between iPhone and Android is still raging on. In 2012, Google’s Android had the greatest global market share (61%) whereas Apple’s iPhone came in second place (20.5%). Despite the gap in market share, e-tailers claimed both mobile devices are responsible for a 103% increase in website traffic. Digital marketing company Monetate discovered iPhone had the larger slice of total Smartphone website traffic (5.41%) while Android users are credited for a 3.31% of total website traffic. Instead of preferring one Smartphone user over another, retailers should adopt tactics to improve m-commerce revenue. They can accomplish this goal by making better mobile versions of their websites and by integrating Online Support Chat.

According to an information graphic, ‘How Mobile is Impacting Retail Commerce”, shopping trends are evolving. There is an ongoing trend to purchase products via mobile devices. In the past, 72.7% of customers shopped in-store. Today, that figure has dwindled to 56.6%! M-commerce retailers give credit to customers who switch on their Wi-Fi connection and browse online after watching an attention-catching television commercial. They no longer have to get up from their couch or bed to access a desktop browser. Big Commerce revealed 53% of customers have abandoned in-store shopping because of showrooming. It is a practice by which they examine merchandise in traditional retail establishments but consummate the purchase transaction online.

Over the past years, the m-commerce industry has made headlines. It is predicted to grow 33% annually to $31 billion in the next five years. Big Commerce admits 30% of Smartphone customers have found a superior price online! Monetate states m-commerce enables shoppers to carry out product and price research online (35%) and make a purchase (26%). Despite the convenience of owning a Smartphone, the average order value for both iPhone and Android rivals that of buyers who purchase from a desktop browser! Retailers can encourage shoppers to spend more mobile money by creating better mobile versions of websites. Many websites either lacks a fast checkout solution or does not possess image-zooming capabilities. They should also supplement Online Support Chat on their mobile website.

Online Customer Support is an online CRM application which connects users to a customer service representative (CSR) in real-time. The web-based tool was originally integrated on e-commerce websites but it is now functional on iPhone and Android phones. Online Customer Support is designed to increase the conversion rate. CSRs are available around the clock to communicate in the customers’ preferred language choice. They welcome guests the moment they arrive and take on the duty of a personal concierge. They also navigate customers around the website to help them locate the products which they covet.

Online Support Chat: A Touchpoint Faster Than Light

Every now and then when people want to get in touch with a company for help, most of the time they pick up a phone to call support centers. Last year it was revealed in a research that more than 3/4 of the total population in the US would always be on the internet. Therefore, with a great number of users going online today, expectations for efficient services are much higher than before, which means that businesses have to come up with new ways to communicate with their user base instantly. Better than telephonic or email contact, online support chat provides a touch point that lets customers connect live with company representatives within seconds. This feature is quite akin to IM, highly efficient and the fact that it is extremely cost-effective to deploy makes it stand out even more among other communication channels.  Let’s compare online customer support with email and phone see how it surpasses them whether it’s cost, efficiency or delivering better customer experience.

• With online support chat, a company rep can assist multiple customers at a time. Unlike phone support that requires one operator to assist just a single customer at a time, live reps have multiple chat windows to converse with and thus assist many browsers, so there is no question of putting them through long waits for their turn.

• When compared to phone support, live chat support is much cost-effective to deploy. It possesses superior scalability i.e. concurrent handling of online customers enables a few agents to handle the same number of requests in a shorter time.

• Online customer support lets customers access instant solutions. It takes at least 24 hours for to an email to get back to the customers and phone calls entail either long hold-times or even busy lines, however with live support company reps are present right at the website to assist the customers. As soon a browser lands on the page, a chat window automatically opens with a company rep proactively offering help.

• Live chat can prove to be very beneficial for a company's bottom-line in the long run as compared to phone support.  It can lead to customer loyalty and hyper-repeat customers. Skillful customer reps perfectly route, connect and interact with the customers to solve their problems that leads to maximum satisfaction, which lengthy phone calls or email cannot do.

According to a study by Forrester, live support can significantly up the conversion rate and thus translate into higher profits. Besides making navigation of a website easier, live support allows customers to access solutions in a jiffy right from the convenience of their computers. So there is no longer a need for companies to resort to a trade-off between quality and cost-effectiveness.

Online Customer Care Helps Bridal Registries Create Personalized Lists

Newly engaged? The wedding may be one year away but it doesn’t mean you should put off creating a wedding registry.  Traditionally, a bridal registry is a service provided by brick-and-mortar retailers. The merchant works with the engaged duo to create a list of gifts they would like to receive on their big day. In 1993, Target became the first retailer to offer this service electronically. Today, self-service registries have become a popular business around the globe but some customers have apprehension of creating a wedding list online. Vendors can use online customer service to help couples create a more personalized registry.

Unlike, traditional retail establishments which forces customers to track an employee to assist them, Online customer service provides a customer service representative (CSR) to enrich their shopping experience from the get-go. This CRM application allows visitors to live chat with a CSR about the set-up process. While, online registries are really no different than the ones set up in stores, they offer customers more variety and offer feature merchandise which is not available in a physical setting. CSRs push links to the desired product and prevent customers from walking through countless aisles. They can help the engaged couple register room by room (i.e. Kitchenware, Bathroom products) or organize the selection according to the product type.

Instead of spending valuable time in front of an unresponsive touch screen in a department store, Online customer care helps customers create the bridal registry from the comfort of their homes. While, online stores are open around the clock, customers may need assistance at the most unusual times! Online customer care employs globally situated operators to live chat when it is convenient for visitors. Given the fact, most customers prefer receiving help in their national language, CSRs are multilingual. They provide support in a variety of languages including English, Spanish, Italian and German. They help create the wedding list, personalize the list according to guests’ price range, keep certain gift requests private from prying eyes, and send web link to their family members and friends.