6 Tips & Examples to Boost Sales Engagement with Live Chat

Do you know that 58% of millennials want access to brands anytime, anywhere and to drive sales engagement businesses need to address customer demands. 

But can a brand be made available for 24 hours? If we think practically, then no! 

However there is a cheat code for it- Sales engagement with live chat. 

Imagine your customer is shopping at an online store at midnight, and they have a query regarding a product they are interested in. So, how will you respond to the questions of customers in that situation? One way is to have an around the clock customer service team. 

The other and also the smarter way, is to utilize live chat for sales because live chat is favorable for all the different types of sales.

So let’s dig deeper into it. 

What is live chat? 

Live chat is a real-time communication tool that allows you to interact with visitors anytime, anywhere. The chat window may be embedded in your company's website or mobile application. 

For instance, Zixflow has a live chat tool on its website, making it easier for its visitors to interact, understand, and buy various sales solutions, including the live chat solution.

Sales engagement with live chat: Live chat tips for sales? 

Driving sales engagement is the most challenging task for any business at the moment. And many sales influencers would agree.

I know this because I am a customer who is reached out to by 20 brands a day, a customer who is also a vigilant marketer, and a customer who has a fair understanding of sales and marketing. So I also know engaging me as a customer is not easy. 

Every time I reach out to a brand, I expect them to be available for me instantly. Of course, I am not the only customer to expect this; I am sure you are one too. 

Ques: So when customer expectations are so high and increasing daily, how to drive sales engagement? 

Ans: By doing sales engagement with live chat. 

Perplexed? 

Here is how live chat for sales can enhance your sales engagement. 

Prompt 24x7 responses

Research says that 82% of customers need an immediate response to sales or marketing inquiries. To engage more customers, try to respond as quickly as possible. Here is how you can avoid delayed responses.

Always stay attentive

Focus on the conversation and stay alert when engaging in a live chat. Avoid multitasking or getting distracted by other activities. This allows you to respond promptly and address any questions or concerns efficiently.

Use canned messages

Many live chat systems offer canned responses or predefined messages that you can use to speed up your replies. These are pre-drafted messages for common inquiries or issues. Utilizing them can help you respond swiftly without typing out the entire response each time.

Take advantage of typing indicators

You must have seen three dots bouncing up and down, or at times you get 'typing...' on the bottom of the screen. These are typing indicators. These help our customers know that you are in their chat box and typing; this makes them patient and relaxes them, and they won't bombard you with queries. The same helps you as a sales rep as well, since you can see if the customer is conversing with you. If not, then you can switch to the other chat. 

Use a chatbot

You can build 5 different teams or have 100 sales reps dedicated to just sales engagement, yet they won't be able to match the speed of a chatbot. A chatbot replies within a second and can carry on the conversation with thousands of customers at the same time. 

Human resource is invaluable, and so is their time, so let your sales rep handle complex queries while your chatbot swiftly improves your sales engagement with live chat. 

If you are wondering if coding a chatbot must be too difficult or if outsourcing a chatbot will go out of your budget, then you need to give Zixflow a chance to assist you.

Zixflow Leadbot is a no-code Leadbot that can be built within an hour and customized as per your website needs and different website pages. Not only does the Leadbot handle your customer queries, but it also acts as a lead generation chatbot. It can capture customer information and add it to your pipeline, helping you automate your sales workflows. 

Personalize the conversation

Imagine someone saying to you that you are one among 8 billion people. How would you feel?

Although it is a fact, it will still feel disrespectful and humiliating, as you are being generalized among all other people on the Earth. Also, this devalues your unique set of skills, abilities, and talents. 

The same goes for customers. 60% of customers prefer personalized experience and tend to repeat purchases with the brand providing personalized services. So, always personalize the conversation during a live chat with the clients. Here is how you can personalize your customer’s experience to increase sales engagement with live chat. 

Use Customer’s Name

When chatting with the customer, address the customer by name to create a personalized touch and make the conversation more individualized. You need to create your sales engagement process in a way so that every customer feels valued. 

Instead of starting the conversation with “Hello, how are you doing today?” add the customer name in the equation- "Hello, Sarah! How can I assist you today?"

Take reference from previous interactions

If the customer has had previous interactions with your brand, you can refer to those interactions to provide a more personalized experience. 

For example, "I noticed you contacted us last week about a refund. I'm here to help you with that matter. Could you kindly share your order number with me, please?"

Empathize with customer

Try to show empathy and understanding during the conversation. It helps to create a personalized and supportive environment. 

For instance, if a customer expresses frustration, you could respond, "I understand how frustrating that can be. However, I'll do my best to assist you and resolve the issue quickly." 

This will give assurance to the customer that you are able to put yourself in your shoes. Thus, you will try your best, which will help them calm down. Also, when you are polite yourself, it will get tough for the customer to be rude. 

Furthermore, when you empathize with the customer, their feelings instantly switch from anger to feeling validated, so they will start sharing in detail about what they are going through, which will help you resolve their query. This is one of the best sales psychology techniques suggested by several sales experts. 

Use proactive chat invitations

Reach out to your customers because they come to you. Staying proactive is the key to driving sales engagement. Here is how you can reach out to your customers without bothering them. 

Identify ideal moment

Determine specific moments on your website where proactive chat invitations can be beneficial. For example, you can initiate an invitation for a visitor who spent 3 minutes or more on your product page, adds products to their cart, or goes to the pricing page.

For instance, if a customer spent 3 minutes or more on your product page you can send a proactive chat invitation saying- "Hello! I noticed you've been exploring our product page for a while. If you require assistance choosing the right product to fulfill your needs or have any inquiries, I am here to support you."

You must have seen a pop-up saying 'chat with us' when you spent 60 seconds or more on a website. That is another example of a proactive invitation. So ask interesting sales engagement questions to your customers and then carry the conversation as per their response. 

Offer assistance and value

Make sure your proactive chat invitation conveys the willingness to assist and provide value to the visitor. Offer help, advice, or relevant resources to pique their interest and encourage engagement.

You can make an effort to engage them in a conversation by saying, "Hi there! We have a comprehensive guide on boosting website conversions. Would you enjoy a two minute read or would you like to connect with our consultant?”

Always offer two or more options to your customers; instead of directly asking them to take a product demo, you can suggest they see a YouTube video of your product. This approach comes under sales engagement best practices because it does not make the customer uncomfortable since it is more subtle. 

Use targeted message

Create different proactive chat invitations for different segments of your audience or based on specific pages they're browsing. Tailor the message to align with their interests or needs to capture their attention effectively.

You might say, "Hey, I noticed you're browsing our collection of running shoes. And you are in luck today since we have a 10% discount on the running shoes! Would you like me to assist you with the same?”

A Leadbot can also carry these conversations and help in both lead generation and sales engagement.. Thus your sales team does not have to sit around engaging the customer; they can take over the chat into their hands when they have to convert the lead into a customer or handle complex customer queries. 

Highlight promotions or incentives

If you have ongoing promotions, discounts, or special offers, mention them in the proactive chat invitation. This can entice visitors to engage and make a purchase immediately! 

Use a welcoming tone to convey your message- "Greetings! Our summer sale is happening right now, offering up to 30% off on selected items. Are you looking for anything specific or need help exploring our discounted products?”

You can always utilize a chatbot

It's a shame if your sales team still answers regular queries and customer FAQs through live chat in this world of automation. Your sales reps are not gaining skills or results by answering basic customer queries. So why not automate this redundant task? Why not use a chatbot to cater to everyday customer concerns?  

Here is how you can leverage a chatbot and save your sales rep's time to focus on closures. 

Automated greetings and product recommendations

You can use chatbots to greet website visitors and initiate conversations. Your chatbot can ask questions to understand customer needs and preferences, and based on the responses, you can provide personalized product recommendations.

You can pre-set your greeting message in multiple ways! 

"Welcome to our website! Explore around and let us know if you need our assistance.”

This way, you are making the customer feel welcomed but not smothered since you gave them the option to connect with you rather than already popping up with 'let us assist you' vibes. 

Do not force anything on your customers, and keep your greetings simple. Let greetings do what they are supposed to. 

Interactive product exploration

Chatbots can engage customers in interactive conversations to help them explore and learn more about specific products or product categories. In addition, they can provide detailed information, answer questions, and showcase product features.

Put your sales engagement on auto-pilot mode, sit back, and enjoy the results. 

Abandoned cart recovery

Abandoned carts are the most frustrating things ever. You just end up wondering if the product will be bought or not. Sunshine of hope hidden behind dark clouds- that's how abandoned carts feel. But not anymore.

Add triggers to your chatbots to reach out to a customer after they have abandoned the cart for a specific period and then automate follow-up reminders. 

You can also track whether these messages have been seen, opened, or acted upon. That gives you a picture of your customer's interest in your product, and you can carry the conversation further accordingly. 

Share Visual Content

Live chat is not meant only for text messages. You can also use visual content like images and videos for customer assistance and to capture their attention and make the conversation more interactive. 

Provide product demonstrations

Use videos or images to showcase features, walk customers through the product's functionality, or present before-and-after scenarios. This helps customers visualize the value of your product and increases their interest and engagement towards your brand.

Optimize loading time

Ensure that any visual content you share in live chat loads quickly and efficiently. Fast-loading visuals can lead to satisfaction and a positive customer experience. Compress images and videos without compromising quality to minimize loading times and provide a seamless sales engagement experience with live chat. 

If you want to learn more tips on sales engagement then check-out the list of sales engagement books every sales rep needs to read at least once. 

Provide transcript after the live chat

Often, a customer may need to share the live chat details with other decision-makers in their organization or family. So, provide the customer with a transcript of the conversation if they need it. This sales tactic will also help you get customer information, and you will be able to content with them further through their email address or phone number. 

Obtain customer consent

Before providing the transcript, ensure you have the customer's permission to share the conversation with them. Get customer consent for chat transcripts by asking during the conversation or using a checkbox on the widget. Use a consent management platform to streamline the process and ensure compliance.

Highlight key points in the transcript

Try highlighting essential points, introductory offers, or any personalized recommendations discussed during the chat. The value proposition will be highlighted to the customer, motivating them to take action.

Send the transcript promptly

Time is of the essence, so send the transcript to the customer as soon as possible after the chat ends. You can email the file to the customer or share a download link directly through the chat interface. Make sure the transcript is easily accessible and convenient for the customer.

Also, always ensure that your transcript has a CTA so your customer knows the step further or where to reach out to you next. 

Become A Sales Rockstar

In the competitive business environment, you must go the extra mile to engage more customers and close your deals. Live chat allows you to provide immediate support, personalized interactions, proactive engagement, and other insights. Moreover, research says that 51% of customers will buy again from the company if they provide live chat support. 

Live chat has a lot of potential when it comes to relationship selling. So tap into that, build a bond with your customers, and sell like a pro!